Latest California Healthline Stories
Committee Moves Stop-Loss Bill Forward
Stop-loss health insurance is a way for small-business employers to offer a form of health care insurance to employees while limiting risk. The trouble with that, according to Senate member Kevin De León (D-Los Angeles), is that the low risk incurred by stop-loss insurers could mean higher rates for the rest of California.
“Here’s the problem,” De León said this week before the Assembly Committee on Health. “Any increase in stop-loss coverage insurance … could lead to a significant exodus of small employers … especially employers with young employees, leaving behind a smaller-group insurance pool subject to skyrocketing premiums.”
Basically, stop-loss coverage allows insurers to cherry-pick or adversely select the youngest and healthiest consumers with low rates, which makes rates rise for everyone else, De León said.
ACA Upheld: Why Were So Many Predictions So Wrong?
We mocked their guarantees, but the scholars who were sure that the Supreme Court would affirm the Affordable Care Act’s constitutionality were proved right in the end. Here are five reasons why more prominent pundits led us astray.
After the ObamaCare Verdict: Who Gets the Blame?
It may not be fair to focus on winners and losers, to prioritize assigning blame rather than assigning patients to ACOs. But for the foreseeable future — and for decades to come — this week’s events will be interpreted through a simple lens: who underprepared and who overreached in the battle over the Affordable Care Act.
CO-OP Program Moves Forward in Senate
California took a small step toward instituting a new type of health insurance plan in the state — a not-for-profit, member-governed plan dubbed the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan, or CO-OP.
The new bill was introduced to the Senate in last week’s Senate Committee on Health hearing. AB 1846 by Assembly member Rich Gordon (D-Menlo Park) would pave the way for California to apply for some of the $3.8 billion the federal government is planning to loan to states to start CO-OPs. So far, 12 states have started the process.
“It’s a new type of health insurance, intended to offer affordable, consumer- friendly coverage … in the individual and small group market,” Gordon said. “This bill streamlines the licensure process, and allows California to take part in this program, and tap federal dollars.”
Rate Hikes for Military Health Plan Would Be Felt in San Diego
As part of President Obama’s budget, the Department of Defense proposed rate increases in the health care program for active military members, retirees and their families. TRICARE rate hikes would be widely felt in San Diego, where almost half of California’s military families live.
Harold Miller of the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement Discusses Innovation
Harold Miller, president and CEO of the Network for Regional Healthcare Improvement, spoke with California Healthline about the importance of pursuing innovative health care improvement strategies that are tailored to local needs.
If Individual Mandate Is Overturned, States Still Have Lots of Options
As they await a ruling from the Supreme Court on the Affordable Care Act, state officials are weighing their options if the individual mandate is struck down. And there are a number of choices to consider.
Pre-Existing Condition Reform Passes Committee
The Senate Committee on Health yesterday passed SB 961 by Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina), which would change the individual health insurance market in California, in part by halting insurer denials based on pre-existing conditions. It is similar to a bill — AB 1461 by Bill Monning (D-Carmel) — approved by the Assembly health committee one day earlier.
Both measures are designed to conform to the federal Affordable Care Act, Hernandez said, in advance of many other states.
“While some of you may not support the Affordable Care Act, it is currently the law of the land,” Hernandez said yesterday in introducing the measure. “And California continues to serve as a model for the rest of the nation.”
Health Committee Approves Additions to Medical Review Plan
The independent medical review process in California needs an update according to Senate member Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina) who introduced SB 1410 at Wednesday’s Senate Committee on Health hearing.
“This bill deals with the Independent Medical Review program as an important safeguard for consumers of health care in California,” Hernandez said. “Collectively these changes will improve the effectiveness and transparency of the IMR program.”
Hernandez said the bill adds three improvements to the current IMR process in the state.
‘We’ll Deal With it Then’: The State of Play if ACA is Struck Down
Most states — even some that have sued the government over the Affordable Care Act — are preparing contingency plans whether the law is upheld or struck down. But not all states are equally ready to respond.