Latest California Healthline Stories
New Enrollment Numbers Temper Fears of Individual Insurance Market Crash
When the Affordable Care Act first rolled out, about one million Californians had their health coverage canceled because their policies didn’t meet federal standards. New enrollment numbers show the market has rebounded — and then some.
L.A. County Aims To Transform Health Care With New EHR System
In an ideal world, patients’ health data would follow them when they move from one health facility to another. In Los Angeles County, that’s not possible … yet. But a grand jury report suggests the county’s new electronic health record system could become a model for other cities and counties.
New ACA Rules, Forms Complicate and Confuse Medi-Cal Renewal Effort
Placer County Human Services Director Cheryl Davis, Anastasia Dodson of the Department of Health Care Services, Jennifer Flory of the Western Center on Law and Poverty and Gerald Kominski of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research spoke with California Healthline about the planned renewal of eight million Medi-Cal enrollees, using new federal guidelines and a new state form that have hindered the effort.
Stung by Pointed Criticism, Department Aims for a Better Stakeholder Process
The Department of Health Care Services launched a new initiative last week to revamp stakeholder relations, in part because DHCS leaders have heard an earful of criticism from advocates, community leaders and legislators.
Surveys Show Unbalanced Supply, Demand in California Nurse Labor Market
Four years ago, there was a shortage of nurses in California hospitals but by 2013, the landscape had flipped. Now, despite the new surplus, many hospitals are having difficulty finding nurses with sufficient experience, according to new surveys.
Statewide Rural Health Association Returns
After a year in the dark, the familiar voice of policy and advocacy for California’s rural health communities is coming back. With no staff, no office and technical framework still under construction, the California State Rural Health Association is trying a different, less costly approach to connecting and advocating for the state’s disparate rural health care providers.
High-Priced Drug Makes Its Way Into California Prisons
California Correctional Health Care Services, which oversees clinical care and prescriptions for 125,000 inmates at 34 prisons, last month began using the expensive hepatitis C drug Sovaldi. The treatment has sparked a congressional investigation and a debate over its price.
Bill Requiring Paid Sick Leave Headed for Floor Vote in Senate
State legislators will decide in the next couple weeks whether California should follow Connecticut’s lead and become the second state to require employers to provide paid sick leave for workers.
Ballot Measure Aims at Patient Safety by Raising Limits on Malpractice Suits
Carmen Balber of Consumer Watchdog, Amitabh Chandra of the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Cathy Frey of Central Valley Health Network and Richard Thorp of the California Medical Association spoke with California Healthline about the debate over Proposition 46, the November ballot initiative that would raise the cap on malpractice lawsuits and require drug-testing of physicians.
UC Program Aims To Increase Number of Health Care Professionals in Central Valley
San Joaquin Valley PRIME, one of six University of California programs recruiting medical students committed to working with underserved populations, focuses on boosting the number of Central Valley physicians.