05/22/2012
A new Government Accountability Office report finds that the health reform law's small business tax credit is not large enough to incentivize employers to offer health benefits. According to the report, the credit was claimed by 170,300 employers in 2010, far short of estimates. The Hill's "Healthwatch" et al.
05/10/2012
A study by Families USA and the Small Business Majority finds that millions of small businesses have not taken advantage of a tax credit under the federal health reform law designed to help them provide health coverage to their employees. The Hill's "Healthwatch," CQ HealthBeat.
05/09/2012
The Senate Finance Committee has started investigating ties between drugmakers, advocacy groups and organizations that set painkiller prescription guidelines. Meanwhile, the American Pain Foundation said it will dissolve for financial reasons. New York Times, Washington Post.
05/07/2012
Dev GnanaDev plans to resign as medical director of Arrowhead Regional Medical Center at the end of June after serving in the role since 2000. Gov. Brown has appointed Lora Connolly -- former chief deputy director of the California Department of Aging -- as director of the agency.
05/02/2012
A report by House Republicans contends that the largest U.S. companies could save billions of dollars by dropping coverage and shifting workers into the federal health reform law's insurance exchanges. Democrats called the report's predictions "cynical." The Hill's "Healthwatch" et al.
05/01/2012
San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee and 27 city public employee unions are locked in contract negotiations that would affect about 21,000 workers. Service Employees International Union Local 1021, San Francisco's largest union, wants the taxes on businesses to be raised to help keep city workers' wages and health care benefits at 2011-2012 levels. San Francisco Chronicle.
04/20/2012
Yesterday, UnitedHealth Group reported a 3.1% rise in earnings, a 7.3% rise in revenue and an increase of more than one million members for the first quarter of 2012. The health insurer noted that medical costs are its biggest expense. Wall Street Journal, AP/New York Times.
04/19/2012
Kaiser Permanente has released a toolkit that seeks to help employers create a wellness committee for workers. The toolkit provides a checklist for creating the committee, a member recruitment email template, a guide for conducting initial meetings and a pledge for prospective committee members to sign. All employers are able to acquire the toolkit, regardless of whether they offer Kaiser Permanente as a health plan. Sacramento Business Journal.
04/10/2012
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' monthly employment report, the health care sector added 26,000 jobs in March, or 22% of the total number of jobs that the U.S. economy added last month. Hospitals added 8,100 jobs, the report found. Modern Healthcare.
04/02/2012
Laura Landry is taking on the role of CEO at Cal eConnect -- the agency that oversees health information exchange in California -- after Ted Kremer withdrew from the position. Meanwhile, Earl Greenia resigned from his post as CEO of the Gold Coast Health Plan last month.
03/29/2012
Most small businesses that qualify for a tax credit under the federal health reform law are unlikely to claim it. According to several industry experts, many small employers are unaware the credit is available, while others say health benefits are too costly even with the credit. U-T San Diego.
03/26/2012
On Friday, the Office of the California Attorney General Kamala Harris announced that pharmacy benefits manager Medco Health Solutions has agreed to pay $2.7 million to settle allegations that it made improper payments to a former CalPERS board member. Medco did not admit any wrongdoing under the deal. AP/U-T San Diego, Sacramento Bee.
03/26/2012
On Friday, Sutter Health reported a 2011 net income of $634 million, down 27.8% from its 2010 net income of $878 million. Meanwhile, operating revenue for 2011 grew by 3.4%, from $8.8 billion in 2010 to $9.1 billion in 2011. Sutter officials said the decline in net income stemmed partly from "changes in net unrealized gains and losses from investments." Sacramento Business Journal, San Francisco Business Times.
03/22/2012
Members of the Screen Actors Guild and the American Federation of TV and Radio Artists have until March 30 to return ballots on a proposed merger of the two unions. A pending lawsuit against the merger argues that SAG's board has breached its fiduciary duty because it has not analyzed how the merger would affect members' pensions and health plans. KPCC's "KPCC News."
03/21/2012
Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled that companies cannot obtain patent protection for screening tests that help doctors determine dosages, treatment options or disease risks. The case stems from a lawsuit that Prometheus Laboratories filed against Mayo Clinic. Reuters et al.