Latest California Healthline Stories
Judges Order Sacramento County to Pay Up
The showdown in court is over for now, and Sacramento County will need to come up with a better way to fund and manage its responsibility to care for the indigent and mentally ill.
That’s the word from three recent court decisions. At the end of last week, Sacramento County, which had already been hit with a temporary restraining order, accepted a longer-binding preliminary injunction to halt cuts and closures at its three public clinics, until a new plan can be worked out — one that offers better care to the county’s indigent patients.
That legal move came just one day after a U.S. District Court judge ruled last week against the county in a different court case, ordering Sacramento County to stop its plan to scale back some mental health services.
Judge To Decide Sacramento Clinics’ Fate
Times are tough for Sacramento County — both for the indigent population and for the local lawmakers who have no money to care for them.
A preliminary injunction hearing will be held tomorrow (Friday) in Sacramento Superior Court to decide whether or not to lift a temporary restraining order that has kept the doors open at three public clinics in Sacramento County.
Feeling the pressure from budget cuts, the county earlier this month moved to shut down two clinics that had been open one day a week, and trim hours and operating expenses at the county’s only full-time clinic. That comes on top of the closures of two other clinics last year and another clinic in 2008.
Making the Most of State Mental Health Efforts
It would be tough to call it integrated medicine. According to public health experts, the state of mental health care in California is more like a crazy quilt of mixed treatments, limited funding and uncertain outcomes.
That’s precisely what the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission hopes to change. The board was created by the Mental Health Services Act, passed by California voters in 2004. It convened Wednesday in Sacramento to iron out the details of how it hopes to evaluate the sprawling mental health system in California.
“This is a critical meeting for this commission,” said Larry Poaster, vice chair of commission.
Proposal Gives Stronger Status to Mental Health Claims
The Assembly Health Committee on Tuesday passed SB 1169 (Alan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach), which aims to raise the status of mental health claims.
“There are two problems in how mental health conditions are handled,” bill author Lowenthal said. “Plans and insurers require daily prior authorizations, but they don’t do that with physical conditions. And the second thing is that they often delay payments and authorization.”
Lowenthal said he hopes to even the mental health playing field, by requiring a tracking number to be assigned to every mental health claim, and by pushing health insurers to give mental health treatment the same urgency shown to physical treatment authorizations.
Cuts to Calif. Mental Health Care Could Leave Patients With Nowhere To Turn, Advocates Say
John Buck of Turning Point Community Programs, Patricia Ryan of the California Mental Health Directors Association and Rusty Selix of the Mental Health Association in California discussed recent funding losses.
What’s the Best Strategy for Funding Health Care Efforts in California?
Much has been made of the May 19 special election in California, and some political analysts have raised questions about what the election results say about voters’ willingness to dedicate specific revenue streams to health care programs. Two state lawmakers shared their thoughts on the issue.
Prop. 1E Pushes Voters To Reconsider Spending Priorities
Opponents say shifting funds from Proposition 63 programs will undermine mental health programs and cost the state more money in the long run. Supporters of the ballot measure say the money is needed now to help the state avert financial crisis.
California’s Mental Health System May Be Headed for Crisis
Like many of the patients it serves, California’s county-based mental health system seems to operate on a cycle of coping and crisis. Indications are we’re headed into crisis mode. Three counties are threatening to drop out of the Medi-Cal mental health program, and several other counties are experiencing other mental health meltdowns.
Stakeholders Work To Implement Mental Health Services Act
Mental health advocates and county officials are drafting plans for programs to be funded by Proposition 63, which state voters approved in November 2004. Proposals vary statewide, but advocates are optimistic about the effect the measure will have on the state’s mental health care system.
Outcome of Health-Related Ballot Measures Has Implications for Future Reform Efforts
Some health policy players say that the outcome of the five health-related ballot measures on the Nov. 2 statewide ballot could inform future efforts to reform health care but differ as to what comes next. Looking at the results, some see increased support for expanding health coverage, while others see voter sensitivity to the state budget deficit and economy.