Latest California Healthline Stories
Vague ACA Guidelines Create Obstacles for New Moms Needing Breast Pumps
Although the Affordable Care Act mandates coverage of breast pumps, a lack of guidelines in the new law makes it difficult for mothers with medical needs to get them, according to moms and advocacy groups. The issue is coming to light in the Inland Empire and other parts of California.
Why One Pioneer ACO Quit the Program — and What It Reveals About the ACA
Ten of Medicare’s 32 Pioneer ACOs now have dropped out of the high-profile program, after San Diego’s Sharp HealthCare informed CMS that it would be leaving the two-year-old pilot.
States that were initially hesitant to expand Medicaid eligibility now are exploring alternative coverage plans, but there are implications to increasing coverage without state-to-state parity.
Checking in on ACA Care Models: Where ACOs and PCMHs Stand
The Affordable Care Act provided a platform to test and bolster innovative care delivery models, like accountable care organizations and patient-centered medical homes. But more than four years after its passage, there is little evidence that such models are delivering on their promises and some experts say the effects are far from clear.
Cedars-Sinai Didn’t Make the List in Year 1. What Will Year 2 of Narrow Networks Hold?
Covered California’s goal of expanding access to coverage didn’t mean that customers had access to all providers, as health plans chose to leave one of the state’s best — and priciest — hospitals off their provider lists. One year later, does the decision still make sense? And what will happen in the upcoming enrollment period?
Can the ACA Solve Staggering Prescription Drug Prices?
Many Americans believe the ACA should act as a salve for all things that ail the nation’s health care system. In light of the ongoing debate over the high cost of Gilead’s new hepatitis C treatment, what is the law doing to hold down prescription drug prices?
Most Insurance Exchanges Just Got Bigger. Covered California Is Getting Smaller.
Bucking national trends, Covered California didn’t add any insurance carriers — and actually shed a plan — ahead of its second year. Is that because the exchange is already competitive, or are leaders too complacent?
Will New Exemptions Fix the Territories’ ACA Problems?
The federal government has granted U.S. territories several exemptions to the Affordable Care Act, but do the changes go far enough to stabilize their insurance markets? And could the changes have unintended consequences stateside?
Website Glitches. Health Literacy Issues. How Navigators Navigated the ACA Launch
Organizations working to enroll consumers in coverage through the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance exchanges faced a number of challenges, including low consumer health literacy and technical glitches. As HHS reviews the next batch of grant recipients, there are still some questions about the role of navigators and how crucial they are to enrollment.
From Promise to Reality: Substance Use Disorders and the ACA
Before the Affordable Care Act fully took effect, HHS boasted that the law would foster “one of the largest expansions of … substance use disorder coverage in a generation.” Will that coverage expansion translate into access to care or will barriers prevail?