Latest California Healthline Stories
Fresno County Projects Address Teen Drug Abuse
Teenage prescription drug abuse, considered a serious problem statewide, is the focus of Fresno County projects aimed at helping parents lock up, clean out and safely drop off unused narcotics.
‘Value’ in Health Insurance Acquires New Meaning
Insurers and employers are expanding the scope of value-based insurance design, leaving their mark on customized programs that challenge the typical cost-sharing arrangements adopted by many payers.
State Starts Year Facing Multiple Lawsuits, Hearings
California health care officials are fighting a number of lawsuits in courts ranging from the U.S. Supreme Court to federal district courts. The budget crisis in California has prompted drastic cuts in health care services, triggering more than half a dozen legal challenges.
Ateev Mehrotra of RAND Corporation Talks About the Growth Potential of Retail Clinics
Ateev Mehrotra, a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation, spoke with California Healthline about how the demand for retail clinics might increase in response to a growing shortage of primary care providers and a nationwide push to lower health care costs.
State Pilot Prompts Children’s Hospital To Form ACO
The California Department of Health Care Services has chosen Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego to manage the care of medically vulnerable children via a newly formed accountable care organization, hoping for better care coordination and cost savings.
Advocates, Business Groups Raising Concerns About State’s New Autism Coverage Mandate
Nicole Evans of the California Association of Health Plans, Henry Loubet of the insurance brokerage firm Keenan and Lorri Unumb of Autism Speaks spoke with California Healthline about the benefits and shortcomings of a new state law requiring private insurers to cover certain autism therapies.
‘Freeing’ Data May Be Tricky in California
The “Free the Data” movement, a national effort to encourage innovation in health care, has sparked a similar campaign to make California health data more easily available. But state laws and regulations may require some extra effort in the Golden State, experts say.
Two Faces of Mental Health Treatment in California
County and community mental health care providers are optimistic about a major overhaul of California’s mental health services that includes plans for a new state agency and a realignment of management and funding.
Diabetes Project Tries To Reach Valley Hmong Community
Healthy House, a health and community services coalition in Merced, is using a $50,000 grant to launch a diabetes education and treatment project for the Central Valley’s large Hmong community.
Inland Empire Readies Low-Income Health Plans
Low-income individuals in San Bernardino and Riverside counties will have access to two new health insurance programs beginning in 2012. The plans have been developed in preparation for a larger expansion of Medi-Cal in 2014 as required by the Affordable Care Act.