01/30/2012
The Obama administration earlier this month announced its initial set of health care quality measures in accordance with the Affordable Care Act. A California group recently released its suggestions for meaningful and usable measures. We asked California policymakers and stakeholders how California should measure quality in health care.
01/12/2012
State officials face a key decision in orchestrating a shift into managed care for more than one million Californians who are beneficiaries of both Medicare and Medi-Cal: How to enroll people in the new plans. We asked stakeholders and experts to discuss pros and cons of various enrollment options.
12/19/2011
With a new law in the books this fall -- the California Telehealth Advancement Act -- California is poised to move audio-visual technology into the medical mainstream. We asked experts what California policymakers and health care providers can do to make the transition proceed smoothly and effectively.
11/28/2011
We asked experts and policymakers how the state can best take advantage of competition and consolidation in the health care industry to ensure that the entire system -- and ultimately California consumers -- benefit.
10/17/2011
San Francisco's previously uninsured residents seem to be getting healthier, and health care providers generally are satisfied with the country's first effort to provide government-sponsored health care access to all residents, according to a new report. We asked policymakers and experts what the rest of the state might glean from Healthy San Francisco.
09/09/2011
Obesity rates in California have more than doubled since 1990, and if current trends continue, more than half of the state's adults will be obese by 2030, according to new research. We asked legislators and policy analysts how the state should deal with the problem.
08/08/2011
California is the only state with two bureaucracies keeping tabs on health insurers. Should California consolidate health care regulation in one agency? If so, how and when? We asked experts and stakeholders to weigh in.
07/11/2011
California -- like many parts of the country -- is facing a shortage of family physicians on the eve of a significant expansion of the health care system. We asked experts and stakeholders what California policymakers can do to encourage a healthy supply of care providers.
06/20/2011
What will it mean for Californians if the Legislature passes and the governor signs a bill giving state government the authority to reject health insurance premium increases it deems unjustified?
05/26/2011
We asked experts and stakeholders to weigh in on a bill in Congress that would exempt insurance brokers' fees from being classified as administrative costs under the Affordable Care Act's medical loss ratio provisions.
05/02/2011
California counties' role in delivering health care using a patchwork of federal and state programs and funding is about to become more complex, if not more difficult, because of health care reform and budget constraints. We asked stakeholders and experts how policymakers could best navigate new waters.
04/11/2011
We asked stakeholders and experts what steps state policymakers could take to address questions surrounding eligibility for Medi-Cal long-term care coverage.
03/21/2011
We asked experts and stakeholders to suggest strategies in the building and operation of California's new health insurance exchange that would minimize beneficiaries' moving in and out of coverage -- known as "churning."
02/22/2011
If efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act are successful -- either in Congress or the Supreme Court -- what happens next in California? We asked stakeholders and policymakers what direction health care reform might take if the current path is blocked.
01/31/2011
Health care consumers have a new tool launched in January by the federal government -- a website allowing head-to-head comparisons of physicians. We asked experts how comparison tools like this might change the way health care is delivered.