Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Tweaking Laws for In-Home Supportive Services
Last year around this time, the state legislature adopted a budget trailer bill called ABX4 19 by Assembly member Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa), which required background checks for In-Home Supportive Services providers.
But there were some unintended consequences of that well-intentioned law, according to Assembly member Ted Lieu (D-Torrance). Lieu hopes to fix a few details with his own bill, AB 1763, which is before the Senate Human Services Committee this week.
“Providers sometimes move from one county to another, or they have clients in multiple counties,” Lieu said. “The way the law’s written now, you may have to go through and pay for the same background check multiple times.”
How To Design, Deliver New, Improved Medi-Cal
Health care reform offers an opportunity for California to redefine — perhaps reinvent — Medi-Cal with a goal of establishing a new “culture of coverage” in the state. We asked experts how the state should go about it.
Telemedicine Struggles in Central Valley Amid Hope, Hardship
Despite investments in infrastructure, widespread use of telemedicine has yet to take hold in San Joaquin Valley, an area of California that could benefit greatly from the technology. The Valley’s experience could hold lessons for the rest of the state.
If You’re a Californian Who Likes Health Care Reform Raise Your Hand
Interesting panel discussion today in Sacramento that accompanied the release of the latest Field Poll gauging the attitudes of Californians toward health care reform. There were some surprising results in the poll, and some intriguing takes on what those numbers mean.
Kim Belshé, Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, put it this way: “How can so many people (in California) feel optimistic about the promise of health care reform, and at the same time so many think health care reform won’t really help them personally?”
But first, as they say, let’s do the numbers:
New Payment Method May Help Curb Costs, Improve Care
Payment bundling, an important part of national health care reform, is likely to be an integral part of California’s effort to revamp its health care system. The new tool has the potential to deliver lower costs, more efficient reimbursement and better patient outcomes.
High Court Asks Solicitor General’s Opinion in Medi-Cal Case
If the U.S. Supreme Court chooses to hear California’s arguments in favor of reducing Medi-Cal reimbursements, the court’s ruling could have a significant impact on the entire Medicaid program and, in turn, on how health care reform rolls out across the country.
Early Expansion of Medi-Cal Probably Not in the Cards
Although a few jurisdictions across the nation are moving to expand their Medicaid programs ahead of a federal deadline to do so, budgetary pressure and political uncertainty may prevent California officials from making a similar decision.
Governor’s Support for Reform Not Just Political
Gov. Schwarzenegger’s recent pledge to support federal health reform could be seen as a change in the political winds, but it appears to have been grounded in policy preferences and practical implementation concerns.
California’s Medi-Cal Automation System May Get a Reboot
The computer systems that manage California’s human services programs — including Medi-Cal, the state’s Medicaid program — are nearing the end of their useful lives. Legislators are trying to figure out how the cash-strapped state can pay for new ones.
Assessing Health Care Impacts of Reforms for Immigrants
Health policy experts, immigrants and immigrant rights organizations are assessing the health care impacts for immigrants in one sweeping reform already signed into law and the potential impacts of another one on the horizon — immigration reform.