Archived California Healthcare News

Bridge To Reform Waiver Extended Free
Nov 4, 2015
California and the federal government agreed in concept last Saturday on a $6.2-billion deal to reform the Medicaid program and to help pay for care of the low-income population. The largest share of the funds – nearly $3.3 billion – is aimed at helping public hospitals improve the safety and quality of patient care. The plan, in the form of a Medicaid waiver, also provides money to cover the uninsured and create pilot programs to keep high-need populations out of emergency rooms.
Exchange Makes Enrollment Push Premium Content
Nov 4, 2015
Open enrollment has begun this week for Covered California, and the health insurance exchange has launched a revamped ad campaign and a statewide bus tour.
In Brief: Kaiser Buys Stake In Stockton Hospital; California Gets Above-Average Marks On Pre-Term Births Premium Content
Nov 4, 2015

California Gets Above-Average Marks On Pre-Term Births

California has received a “B” grade for its rate of pre-term births from the March of Dimes, but disparities linger in premature births among African-Americans and other ethnic groups.

Average 2016 Exchange Premiums Drop In Indiana, Ohio Free
Nov 2, 2015
Premiums will increase an average of 7.5% for the second-lowest-cost silver insurance plan to be offered next year in the 37 states where the federal government operates health marketplaces, according to an analysis by the Department of Health and Human Services.
UnitedHealth Will Expand Bundled Cancer Payments Free
Nov 2, 2015
UnitedHealthcare said last week it will expand its high-profile test of whether bundled payments for chemotherapy can help slow rising cancer treatment costs, part of a growing effort by insurers to find new ways to pay for care. Results from United’s initial pilot test – reported last year – were puzzling: The overall cost of cancer care for patients in the study dropped by 34%, even as spending on chemotherapy drugs spiked significantly.
Departure Of Two Kansas Plans From Exchange Raises Concerns Free
Nov 2, 2015
Groups working to boost health insurance enrollment in Kansas are concerned their efforts could be undermined by the last-minute departure of one of the state’s largest insurers. Coventry Health Care of Kansas Inc. and Coventry Health & Life Insurance Co. — both subsidiaries of Aetna — abruptly decided to stop offering policies to Kansas consumers in the federal marketplace. The decision, made two weeks before the start of the open enrollment period, surprised state insurance regulators.
Big Stumble For State’s Hottest Startup Premium Content
Oct 28, 2015
Little more than a week ago, Theranos was California\'s hottest healthcare startup. Now it is on the hot seat. The Palo Alto-based Theranos was poised to transform the laboratory business with a proprietary technology aimed at all but eliminating the practice of using needles to draw blood, and doing so at a fraction of the cost of standalone and hospital labs.
CDPH Holds Rare Vaccination Study Premium Content
Oct 28, 2015
As more state residents eschew vaccinations out of fear of harming their children, the California Department of Public Health conducted a rare study regarding the results of vaccinating against whooping cough/pertussis. CDPH officials examined the records of 690 newborns in California who suffered from pertussis.
In Brief: Anthem Settles Class Action Suit; Scores of Hospitals Receive High Grades From Leapfrog Premium Content
Oct 28, 2015

Anthem Settles Class Action Suits Over Mid-Year Policy Changes

Anthem Blue Cross of California has agreed to settle two class-action lawsuits accusing the insurer of making mid-year changes to insurance policies that impacted the out-of-pocket costs for enrollees.

State Has Huge Drop In Uninsured Kids Premium Content
Oct 28, 2015
California provided insurance to more than 176,000 additional children last year -- the single biggest increase in the nation, according to a study by the Georgetown University\'s Center for Children and Families.
Kansas GOP Now Clashing Over Medicaid Expansion Free
Oct 26, 2015
Kansas Senate Vice President Jeff King is taking issue with Gov. Sam Brownback’s reasons for opposing Medicaid expansion. Melika Willoughby, Brownback’s deputy communications director, outlined those reasons in an Oct. 6 email to supporters. Referring to expansion as a “masquerading component of Obamacare,” Willoughby said the governor believes it would be “morally reprehensible” for the state to provide health coverage to low-income Kansans “who choose not to work” before providing support services to all of the disabled Kansans now on waiting lists.
Feds May Make It Easier To Sue Nursing Homes For Neglect Free
Oct 26, 2015
As Dean Cole’s dementia worsened, he began wandering at night. He’d even forgotten how to drink water. His wife, Virginia, could no longer manage him at home. So after much agonizing, his family checked him into a Minnesota nursing home. “Within a little over two weeks he’d lost 20 pounds and went into a coma,” says Mark Kosieradzki, who was the Cole family’s attorney. Dean Cole was rushed to the hospital, says Kosieradzki, “and what was discovered was that he’d become totally dehydrated. They did get his fluid level up, but he was never, ever able to recover from it and died within the month.”
Telemedicine Poised For Big Breakthrough Free
Oct 26, 2015
Telemedicine has been praised as a cost-effective way to link doctors and patients, enabling physicians to monitor their medical conditions and consult with specialists in a way that overcomes time and distance. But despite a half-century of technological advances, the ready availability of interactive devices, and the full-throated encouragement of the Obama administration, advocates say telemedicine has failed to reach its full potential, due largely to policies in some states that make it difficult to practice, and pay for, such care.
Full Hospital Quake Compliance Nears Premium Content
Oct 21, 2015
California\'s hospitals have made huge strides in updating their infrastructure to be compliant with seismic regulations, data released last week show. According to figures issued by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHD), nearly 91 percent of the 2,976 acute care hospital-operated buildings are now seismically compliant.
DMHC Fines SF Health Plan $30,000 Premium Content
Oct 21, 2015
The Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) has issued a $30,000 fine against the San Francisco Community Health Authority (SFCHA) for mishandling payments of provider claims. The SFCHA operates the San Francisco Health Plan, which provides Medi-Cal managed care coverage to low-income residents of San Francisco.
Prime Continues Its Acquisition Spree Premium Content
Oct 21, 2015
The Prime Healthcare hospital chain has continued its expansion outside of California with an entrance into the eastern Ohio market.
In Brief: Jones Says Aetna\'s Rate Increase Is Unreasonable; CMA Installs Inland Empire Physician As President Premium Content
Oct 21, 2015

Jones Says Aetna Rate Increase Is Unreasonable

California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones declared last week that a rate increase filed by Aetna for its small business group was unreasonable.

Aetna plans to increase the premiums for the book of business an average of 27.4%.

Two Insurers Pull Out Of Kansas Exchange Free
Oct 19, 2015
A major provider of health insurance in Kansas is pulling out of the Affordable Care Act marketplace. Two companies under the Aetna corporate umbrella — Coventry Health & Life Insurance Co. and Coventry Health Care of Kansas Inc. — are withdrawing from the marketplace just two weeks before the Nov. 1 start of the next open enrollment period.
A State\'s Major Overhaul Of Medicaid Free
Oct 19, 2015
North Carolina is in the process of overhauling its Medicaid program. The governor and state lawmakers are using a mixture of healthcare models to put the major players — doctors, hospitals and insurers — all on the hook to keep rising costs in check. For many of the Republicans who control the state legislature, the reason for the change is simple: budget predictability.
HHS Makes Enrollment Estimates For 2016 Free
Oct 19, 2015
Department of Health and Human Services officials last week predicted that about an additional 1 million Americans would sign up for coverage under the federal health law next year and acknowledged that prospective enrollees are worried about the cost of health insurance, even with the law’s financial help.

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