In Brief: California Endowment Grants $9.2 Million; CIRM Grants $40.6 Million
California Endowment Grants $9.2 Million For ACA Outreach
The California Endowment has granted $9.2 million to the Health Consumer Alliance to get the word out to consumers about their healthcare coverage options under the Affordable Care Act.
HCA is a consortium of 11 legal aid organizations that operate throughout California. Last year it formed the California Consumer Assistance Program in conjunction with the Department of Managed Health Care to inform consumers about the ACA.
More than 5 million Californians are eligible to purchase insurance through Covered California, and well over 2 million will likely qualify for subsidies to reduce their premiums. But recent surveys suggest the public is still mostly unaware of how the ACA will function and whether or not they will be able to obtain coverage.
Officials with the Los Angeles-based California Endowment suggested the funding is meant to complement the $3.4 million grant Covered California recently gave to the HCA.
"With Covered California set to open for enrollment in October and the state's Medi-Cal expansion underway, millions of uninsured and underinsured Californians will be newly eligible for affordable, quality health coverage," said Robert K. Ross, M.D., the California Endowment's chief executive officer. “Successful
implementation of (the ACA) will depend on getting Californians enrolled. Our commitment, along with Covered California's, will help them access and understand their options through community-based assistance provided by (the) HCA.”
CIRM Provides $40.6 Million For Research
The California Institute of Regenerative Medicine approved 13 grants totaling $40.62 million to researchers looking for genetic keys to a variety of diseases, including prostate cancer, heart disease and HIV.
The money will be used to fund what is known as “early translation” research, wherein scientists are expected to develop a new experimental drug or cell therapy.
“These awards are moving discoveries into the clinical pipeline for patients” said CIRM President Alan Trounson. “The strategies are focused on problems where we think there is a very reasonable chance that they will evolve into clinical studies for treating some of the worst diseases we have in the community.”
Recipients include UC Irvine, whose researchers hope to replicate cells lost by victims of macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, and UCLA, which hopes to create a class of antibodies that will attack prostate cancer cells.
Kaiser Launches Cancer Website
Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente has launched a website intended to promote a more holistic viewpoint for cancer prevention and treatments.
The website, kp.org/cancercare, discusses options for preventative screenings, lifestyle changes and personalized care for those diagnosed with the disease.
"It is important to know what to look for in a cancer program before you need it," said Joanne Schottinger, M.D., a Kaiser oncologist.
