FROM THE FOUNDATION

Quality of Care Woes Persist in California

Despite a heightened focus on patient safety in recent years, a new CHCF Almanac report finds that although incremental gains have been made, California is still grappling with quality improvement.

HIT Adoption Among California Dentists

What's the level of interest among California dentists in adopting health information technology, such as electronic dental health records, and how many are already making use of such systems? This snapshot of survey data provides some answers.

Health Care Reform's Formidable Challenge

A new Health Affairs analysis and commentary finds that while federal health care reform promises to overhaul the U.S. health care system, it does not adequately address growing Medicare spending.

Capitol Desk

Friday, September 10, 2010

Medicaid Waiver Bills Still in Play at Capitol

The legislative deadline passed more than week ago, but at least two health care bills are still at play in the Legislature.

Not only are two bills dealing with Medi-Cal waiver certain to get a vote when the legislature reconvenes to take up the budget, the legislation has several big factors in favor of its passage, according to health care expert Peter Harbage of Harbage Consulting.

"At the end of the day, the policy changes in the waiver and its funding are too valuable for California to pass up."...more

Thursday, September 09, 2010

End of Session Winners Wait on Governors Desk

The governor is expected to sign legislation into law that would create the state Health Benefits Exchange legislation. He has till the end of September to make up his mind about the exchange and other health care-related issues.

This is some of what's pending:

• Seven other bills related to the pending federal health care law and coverage issues are before the governor (in addition to the two exchange bills, SB 900 and AB 1602)....more

Wednesday, September 08, 2010

California Set To Insure High-Risk Patients

On April 29, Governor Schwarzenegger signed legislation that established the state's federally funded high-risk insurance pool. This week that insurance pool is accepting its first enrollee applications.

That means the government set up a complicated government program in about four months. In state bureaucracy terms, that is the blink of an eye.

"We've been working nights and weekends trying to make this happen," Deputy Director for Legislative and External Affairs at the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board Jeanie Esajian said....more

Tuesday, September 07, 2010

How Budget Morass Could Spring One Bill From Limbo

The Assembly and Senate both passed a bill on the last day of the legislative session, but it ended up being put on hold after Republicans closed ranks and refused to approve it on concurrence.

According to the state's Chief Clerk, E. Dotson Wilson, it is currently the only bill that could get a re-vote when the Legislature gathers to decide on the budget. AB 1542 by Dave Jones (D-Sacramento) would encourage establishment of patient-centered medical homes.

"Because it has an urgency clause, it is eligible to be taken up again when the legislature votes on the budget," Wilson said. "There is a window there."...more

Friday, September 03, 2010

Single Payer Goes Quietly Into That Last Night

All night long, Assembly watchers waited and wondered: When would the bill be presented to vote on establishing a single payer health system?

The answer was: Not this night. Not in this legislative session.

Political insiders sat around and wondered why Assembly speaker John Perez decided not to present a vote on SB 810 by Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), which had been passed in the legislature twice before, and vetoed twice before by Governor Schwarzenegger....more

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