Tens of thousands of people with modest incomes are at risk of losing health insurance subsidies in January because they did not file income tax returns, federal officials and consumer advocates say.
Florida bragging rights are not the only issue, however. Tepid growth this year at Covered California raises budget questions because starting next year, the program must be self-sufficient. That means making it on revenue from a fee paid by health plans per member per month.
Forty-four percent of exchange policyholders surveyed said it’s somewhat or very difficult to afford their premiums. That’s compared with 25% of adults who had employer-based or other private health insurance.
Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to make more managed care organizations pay a state tax – one likely to be passed on to consumers – is meeting resistance at the Capitol.
Major insurers in some states are proposing hefty rate boosts for plans sold under the federal health law, setting the stage for an intense debate this summer over the law’s impact.
With one in three Californians — more than 12 million — now covered by Medi-Cal, payment reform is a huge issue. Medi-Cal rates rank 48th in the nation. It pays about half what Medicare does for primary care. Supporters say a hike in rates would stabilize provider networks and boost access to care for people on the Medi-Cal program.
The Obamacare exchange had hoped to enroll 1.7 million Californians this spring, but the final tally was about 1.4 million, virtually the same as last year. Now its board is considering a plan to cut spending next fiscal year by 15 percent — or $58 million — compared to the current fiscal year. It also plans to slash its significant marketing and outreach budget by 33 percent, to $121.5 million.
Mr. Lee’s disquieting assessment actually jibed with a 2013 report by the state auditor, which stated that, until the state’s health insurance exchange actually started enrolling Californians in health plans, its “future solvency” was ”uncertain.” Thus, Covered California was listed as a “high-risk” issue for the state.
Revenue at health-care and social-assistance companies climbed 4.2% in the fourth quarter from the prior three months, up sharply from the third quarter’s 0.3% growth, the Commerce Department said Wednesday in its Quarterly Services Survey. The data weren’t adjusted for seasonal variations or price changes.
California officials have no plans to make up for an expiring federal pay incentive designed to entice doctors to treat low-income patients..
A strike during the past two days by 18,000 nurses at Kaiser Permanente facilities in northern and central California, including three major Sacramento-area hospitals, was the latest salvo by a powerful union that says it is intent on improving the lot of nurses nationwide.
In the next decade, the state will need nearly 450,000 more workers in all areas of healthcare – from lab technicians to dental hygienists to medical support positions, according to, “California’s Health Workforce Needs: Training Allied Workers,” a report released last week from the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC).
The purpose of this report is to provide information on 31 key health care occupations in California. The occupations are those with one or more of the following criteria: expected strong growth, anticipated high demand due to employees leaving the health care workforce, and occupations in demand due to the needs of underserved communities.
Presentation from December 2012 Economic Outlook Conference