06/14/2013
Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones is urging Covered California to bar Anthem Blue Cross from the health exchange's small business market because the insurer imposed several "excessive and unreasonable" rate hikes. Los Angeles Times et al. (4)
06/13/2013
The president of Consumer Watchdog has criticized premium rates in Covered California for being too high. Meanwhile, observers are questioning Kaiser Permanente's reasons for having high premium rates in the health insurance exchange. Los Angeles Times. (4)
06/10/2013
Five GOP U.S. senators have sent a letter to HHS asking the agency to investigate whether California is inappropriately concealing details of contracts for its state health insurance exchange. HHS says it is reviewing the letter. AP/U-T San Diego. (4)
06/05/2013
Several lawmakers joined thousands of health providers, unionized workers, insurers and patients at a rally in Sacramento yesterday to oppose an impending 10% cut to Medi-Cal payment rates. Gov. Brown has included the cut in his revised budget plan. Sacramento Bee. (4)
06/18/2013
California acupuncture providers say they expect more patients following the state's decision to list the treatment as an essential health benefit under the Affordable Care Act. Some acupuncturists are worried that insurer payments will be lower than current payments. HealthyCal. (3)
06/07/2013
President Obama is expected to discuss California's progress in implementing the Affordable Care Act during a visit to San Jose this morning. His remarks likely will focus on outreach efforts and premium rates for Covered California. Los Angeles Times et al. (3)
06/19/2013
A CalPERS panel has recommended the lowest average health plan premium increase since 1998, at 3.03%. CalPERS' decision to award contracts to more insurers could have helped lower the increase. Sacramento Business Journal, Sacramento Bee's "The State Worker." (2)
06/17/2013
Last week, San Francisco's Health Service System voted 4-2 to approve Kaiser Permanente's proposed health premium rate hike of more than 5% for city workers in 2014 and immediately "begin negotiations for 2015." The board told Kaiser officials that more detailed financial accounting would be necessary. An analysis released by San Francisco last month found that the insurance company took in $87 million more from city workers and their dependents between 2010 and 2012 than it cost to serve them. Los Angeles Times. (2)
06/13/2013
Northern California leaders of the campaign to restore dental coverage for adult Medi-Cal beneficiaries consider this week's budget agreement between the governor and legislative leaders a partial victory. by Mari Edlin, California Healthline Regional Correspondent (2)
06/11/2013
Experts say there likely will be some initial glitches when health insurance exchanges open for enrollment on Oct. 1. Officials say that building the websites has been a complex task, as the exchanges need to communicate with numerous insurers and other systems. Wall Street Journal. (2)
06/10/2013
One of two bills detailing how the state should go about hiring some 20,000 new health care reform workers is generating some controversy, which worries Covered California officials who have deadlines to meet. by Angela Hart, California Healthline Contributing Reporter (2)
06/10/2013
A study published in Health Affairs predicts that about 30 million U.S. residents still will lack health coverage by 2016. However, that figure is expected to shrink gradually after 2016, as enrollment in state insurance exchanges increases. Washington Post's "Wonkblog," National Journal. (2)
06/06/2013
A state Department of Finance official says that a 10% cut to Medi-Cal payment rates could be implemented this summer. The official notes that the state can scale back or withdraw the cut for certain providers if it is deemed a barrier to care. Sacramento Business Journal. (2)
06/05/2013
A new study finds that U.S. workers visited their physicians and pharmacies less after their employers moved them into a high-deductible health plan. The study's authors say beneficiaries might forgo preventive treatment because they are confused about the plan's coverage. Modern Physician. (2)
06/07/2013
Nevada officials say that Rawson-Neal Psychiatric Hospital will retain its accreditation following a routine Joint Commission survey. The facility has been criticized for busing patients with mental illnesses to California and other states. Las Vegas Review-Journal, Sacramento Bee. (1)