Latest California Healthline Stories
Follow the Money: How Industry Is Lobbying To Preserve Reform Law
New reports on health sector lobbying reveal that the industry continues to donate generously to President Obama and Democrats, despite public criticism of last year’s health reform law.
When a Law Loses Its Teeth, Can the Reform Still Bite?
After months of industry criticism, CMS’ accountable care organizations are winning plaudits after the agency made the program less intimidating for participants. Some suggest that will make ACOs less effective tools of reform, too.
As Health Jobs Grow, a Prescription for Smart Growth
Health care is facing a different kind of jobs debate. The sector has added more than one million jobs since the Great Recession began, but analysts warn that the jobs growth masks major concerns about labor productivity.
Why the ‘Moneyball’ Approach Isn’t a Home Run for Health Care
Billy Beane’s data-driven strategies made him the talk of baseball, the king of the current box office and a highly visible advocate for evidence-based medicine. But Beane’s teams have faded since their “Moneyball” heyday — and evidence-based medicine might not be the home run that some reformers hope it will be.
The Benefits of Changing Medicare’s Drug Benefit
Medicare Part D is Exhibit A in how a health reform can evolve from partisan legislation to beloved protection. Aware of the drug benefit’s popularity, but facing real fiscal concerns, lawmakers are broaching delicate changes to the program.
Our Sidneys: The Six Key Studies That Shook Up the Summer
With a nod to David Brooks’ annual awards in the New York Times, “Road to Reform” highlights our own Sidney Awards, named for Kaiser Permanente’s co-founder. Here are six major health policy studies that changed the course of conversation this summer.
Reform’s Unanswered Question: To Trim or Transform Medicare?
More cuts to Medicare are looming, just months after the Affordable Care Act sliced billions in program spending. Whether the new changes will be sweeping or merely substantive remains to be seen.
What Texas Can Teach California About Health Care Reform
Texas’ hands-off approach to its health care safety net can offer takeaways for California, either as a hard lesson for the cash-strapped Golden State — or as an example of what not to do.
FTC Emerges as Another Obstacle to Health Reform Law
The Affordable Care Act pushes new efforts at health care provider integration, like accountable care organizations, that may lead to more market concentration. The Federal Trade Commission is stepping up efforts to stop provider consolidation. Which approach will win out?
Bundled Payments and the Scars of Capitation
Health care organizations are grappling with a new CMS plan to realign payment along episodes of care. California’s experience with capitation and other payment models will give state providers a unique vantage point on the initiative.