CMA survey finds rampant health plan payment abuses Despite a California law passed in 2000 to address widespread payment abuses by health care service plans, many payors continue to flout the law. A recent survey by the California Medical Association (CMA) confirms that health plans regularly engage in unfair payment practices, with two-thirds of physician practices reporting routine payment abuses in violation of state law. The Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) has been slow to address provider complaints and has taken few enforcement actions against health plans that unlawfully underpay providers. When DMHC has acted, the penalty ... April 10, 2018 DMHC, Insurance Department of Managed Healthcare, DMHC, unfair payment practices 0 0 Comment Read More »
House passes 'right to try' drug bill The House passed “right to try” legislation on experimental drugs largely along party lines Wednesday, sending a bill backed by President Trump to the Senate. Last week, House Republican leaders put the bill on the floor under suspension of the rules. Democrats objected, expressing safety concerns over how the measure would bypass the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and it fell short of the necessary two-thirds support it needed. Read More March 22, 2018 legislation, Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
The Other Opioid Crisis: Hospital Shortages Lead To Patient Pain, Medical Errors Even as opioids flood American communities and fuel widespread addiction, hospitals are facing a dangerous shortage of the powerful painkillers needed by patients in acute pain, according to doctors, pharmacists and a coalition of health groups. Read More... March 19, 2018 Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
Raise taxes or ration health care? Why single-payer won't work in California. Yet Betty Doumas-Toto's health insurance premium rose nearly 48 percent in January, to $800 per month for an Affordable Care Act plan. She and her husband are both Los Angeles freelancers in the film industry and are draining their savings trying to keep up with their monthly payments. A Pomona mother of five named Claudia, who is undocumented, can't get health insurance because of her immigration status. She's losing her hearing, but can't afford tests a doctor ordered because the costs are too high. At an elder care home in the Sacramento ... March 13, 2018 Insurance 0 0 Comment Read More »
Villaraigosa is right, single-payer healthcare in California is a political pipe dream Antonio Villaraigosa thinks he has a solid weapon to hammer Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom with as they run for governor. And he probably does. It's Newsom's strong support for creating a state-run, single-payer health insurance program. Read More... March 13, 2018 General, Medicare, Public Health 0 0 Comment Read More »
