Latest California Healthline Stories
HMOs Make Few Gains in Patient Care in Annual State Report Card for Consumers
John Zweifler of the Office of the Patient Advocate and representatives from Aetna, the California Medical Association and Health Access spoke with California Healthline about OPA’s latest Healthcare Quality Report Card.
Moving Beyond Health Insurance Debate, San Francisco Strives for Universal Access
Tangerine Brigham of the Healthy San Francisco program and Stephen Shortell of the UC-Berkeley School of Public Health discussed San Francisco’s attempt to ensure universal access to health care services.
Questions Linger Over Effects of New Medicaid Eligibility Rules
Californians don’t know yet how federal rules that require people to show proof-of-citizenship to enroll in Medicaid have affected California’s program. Early data from other states indicate that the rules aren’t yielding the savings that supporters expected.
Health Coverage Expansions Take Aim at Young Adults
Insurers and policymakers are pondering the best strategy for reaching young adults, a population that has a greater percentage of uninsured residents than other age groups in California. State lawmakers and WellPoint, a major insurer, disagree on the solution.
Waiting on Health Care Reform, Counties Struggle To Fund Kids’ Health Programs
Wendy Lazarus of the Children’s Partnership and Janie Tyre of the Santa Clara Family Health Plan spoke with California Healthline about the push for increased public funding of the state’s Children’s Health Initiatives.
The Clock Is Ticking for Health Care Reform in California
Gridlock over the state budget could eat into what time remains in the legislative session for debate on how to overhaul California’s health care system. What’s it going to take to get health care reform done in 2007?
Cost Takes Center Stage in Health Care Reform Efforts
CalPERS isn’t taking a position in California’s health care reform debate, but the giant pension fund is backing efforts to control health care cost increases. Other groups agree that costs are a problem but instead are pushing for a complete overhaul of the way Californians get health care.
San Francisco Moves Ahead With Health Coverage Expansion
The Healthy San Francisco program won’t offer health insurance, per se, but the effort to make health care services available to all city residents is drawing attention, as businesses and advocates await the outcome of a suit challenging one aspect of the plan’s funding mechanism.
What’s Behind All the Bad Press for Health Insurers?
Health insurers say they are getting a bad rap when the real target of the public’s outrage should be rising health care costs. Consumer advocates argue that the two are inextricably linked in the current health care system, and California regulators are stepping up oversight.
Tallying the Uninsured a Challenge in Health Care Reform Debate
Agreeing on how many people actually lack health insurance is a major step in any discussion of how to rework the system. Key California lawmakers have made it that far, leaving the question: What, if any, health care reform will come out of the 2007 legislative session?