Latest California Healthline Stories
Health Care May Play Part in California Political Makeover
With retirements on both sides of the aisle, new congressional districts and new voting rules, California’s political makeup is headed for change in both Washington, D.C., and Sacramento. A couple of health care issues — a controversial Medicare plan in Congress and a state ballot proposal to regulate health insurance premiums — could play a part in how those changes happen.
Few People Aware of Medical Review Program
It has been 11 years since California launched its Independent Medical Review program, an appeals process that allows Californians to challenge denial or delay of coverage by private health care insurers.
In the Capitol Building in Sacramento yesterday, a policy briefing laid out the findings of a new report on IMR that includes praise for its effectiveness and some recommendations on how to make the program stronger.
The briefing was sponsored by the California HealthCare Foundation, which commissioned the report and publishes California Healthline.
Personal Stories Highlight Oral Chemotherapy Bill
New legislation proposed by Assembly member Henry Perea (D-Fresno) would require health plans to provide chemotherapy in pill form, in some cases.
“This bill will provide greater access for oral chemotherapy treatment,” Perea said on the Assembly floor late last week. “This is the right thing to do, to allow people access to lifesaving drugs.”
Perea introduced the measure with his personal account of caring for his mother, who he said was diagnosed with stage 2 lung cancer just over a year ago. During the long, eight-hour chemo infusion in the hospital, he learned quite a lot about cancer and chemo from patients and professionals.
Ateev Mehrotra of RAND Corporation Talks About the Growth Potential of Retail Clinics
Ateev Mehrotra, a policy analyst at the RAND Corporation, spoke with California Healthline about how the demand for retail clinics might increase in response to a growing shortage of primary care providers and a nationwide push to lower health care costs.
Disabilities Case Waits on Supreme Court Ruling
A federal judge last week issued a stay of a court case challenging the freezing of some provider reimbursement rates for services for the developmentally disabled in California — effectively putting off the case until February or March, after the U.S. Supreme Court issues a ruling in a similar case it is currently hearing.
U.S. District Judge Morrison England Jr. denied the state’s request to dismiss the case. He also denied the plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction on the rate freeze.
He cited a pending CMS ruling on health care provider costs that could also inform the court case. But the big one to wait for is the Supreme Court case, Douglas v. Independent Living Center, according to Tony Anderson of the Arc of California, which brought the case for the developmentally disabled.
Advocates, Business Groups Raising Concerns About State’s New Autism Coverage Mandate
Nicole Evans of the California Association of Health Plans, Henry Loubet of the insurance brokerage firm Keenan and Lorri Unumb of Autism Speaks spoke with California Healthline about the benefits and shortcomings of a new state law requiring private insurers to cover certain autism therapies.
Lyle Hurst of the Encore Fellowships Network Talks About Supporting Social-Purpose Groups
Lyle Hurst, network developer for the Encore Fellowships Network, spoke with California Healthline about a program that matches mid-career workers from the private sector with social-purpose organizations, including community clinics.
More Employers Turn to Wellness Incentive Programs To Trim Rising Health Care Costs
Tom Hubbard of the New England Healthcare Institute, Steven Noeldner of Mercer Health & Benefits and Joe Woods of HumanaVitality spoke with California Healthline about the growing popularity of employee wellness incentive programs.
Some California School Children at High Risk for Whooping Cough Despite Vaccination Law
Linda Davis-Alldritt, a school nurse consultant for the California Department of Education, Marin County Public Health Officer Jason Eberhart-Phillips, Catherine Martin of the California Immunization Coalition and David Witt of Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Marin spoke with California Healthline about the state’s new whooping cough vaccine mandate.
Reimbursement for Emergency Transport Becomes Law
It’s been a busy week for Gov. Jerry Brown (D), and it will get busier. Brown has until midnight Sunday to approve or reject the stack of bills sent to him by the Legislature.
Since the end of last week, Brown has signed 104 bills into law and rejected 10. Among the approvals were a number of health-related measures: