Latest California Healthline Stories
Immigrants Hit Hard by Governor’s Planned Medi-Cal Cuts, Changes
In five months, Californians have moved from talking about major reforms that would bring affordable health care to almost everyone in the state to talking about deep cuts in the Medi-Cal program that could add 800,000 to the 6.7 million already without health insurance. Immigrants will be among the most affected, health advocates predict.
California Lawmakers Take a Stab at Legislating Healthy Habits
An Assembly bill that would require companies bidding on California state contracts to provide wellness benefits for employees fits in with a national trend of state legislatures encouraging healthy habits.
Holes Forming in Health Care Safety Net for California Children
Critics say changes proposed for two California programs providing health coverage for low-income children — Healthy Families and Medi-Cal — bode ill for “the most vulnerable population” in the state.
Medicaid Contractions Inspire New State, National Opposition
Proposals to cut back Medicaid spending at the federal level and in California are galvanizing the opposition and inspiring dark predictions of physician flight and growing barriers to care for beneficiaries.
Debate Over Health Insurance Cancellations Brings Criticism, Suggestions From All Sides
Sen. Sheila Kuehl and officials from a consumer group, the Department of Managed Health Care and a health insurer trade group spoke with California Healthline about regulating health insurance policy cancellations.
Bill on Pricing Transparency Moves to Senate Health Committee
A proposal to ban “gag” clauses aims at making more pricing data public to improve price comparison shopping for individual consumers and large industrial buyers of health care. That said, Sutter Health defends the confidentiality agreements as standard practice.
State Partnerships for Long-term Care Policies Under Fire
California health officials defend the state’s public-private partnership that urges people to buy long-term care insurance, but consumer advocates caution consumers to examine such policies carefully before taking the plunge.
L.A. County Works To Preserve Emergency Department Care After Hospital Closures
Bruce Chernof of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and Jim Lott of the Hospital Association of Southern California discussed the situation with California Healthline.
Ballot Initiative Filed To Expand Kids’ Coverage
Only weeks after a health care reform plan backed by Gov. Schwarzenegger and Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez was rejected, children’s health care advocates have resurrected an effort to increase the state tobacco tax to help pay for children’s health coverage.
California Seeks Fines, Penalties Against Insurers for Claims Processing Violations
Cindy Ehnes, director of the Department of Managed Health Care, and Santiago Munoz of the UC Health System spoke with California Healthline about the state’s record fines against PacifiCare for alleged improper claims handling.