Unbiased Analysis of Today's Healthcare Issues
No, this is not coming nation-wide, but it may be on its way in California. Kaiser Health News reports: A provision in California’s newly approved state budget will eliminate the asset test for the 2 million Californians enrolled in both Medi-Cal and Medicare, the federal health insurance program for people 65 and older and people…
Health reform has expanded Medicaid access to millions of Americans. The question is, will the poor even want Medicaid insurance? As finances are tightening, many states are attempting to reduce the generosity of their current Medicaid benefits. In California, (where Medicaid is known as Medi-Cal), Governor Jerry Brown wants to reduce Medicaid’s benefit generosity. He…
In 2010, CMS approved California’s “Bridge to Reform” waiver request that authorized the state to expand its mandatory managed care to seniors and people with disabilities covered by Medi-Cal. Authorized under a Section 1115 waiver, the policy affected nearly 400,000 Medi-Cal enrollees, including 240,000 who were moved from fee-for-service into managed care between June 2011…
Health Reform made a number of changes for State’s health care policies. But states themselves have also been enacting legislation to alter health care payment policies and regulations. The CHCF describes some examples of legislative changes in California: Safety Net Care Pool (SNCP) – covers uncompensated costs in public hospitals and finances other state health…
Medicaid provides a safety net for the poorest Americans. Although eligibility criteria vary from state to state, the health service Medicaid provides are often life saving. One of the main problems Medicaid beneficiaries experience, however, is access to care. Many physicians do not accept Medicaid because the reimbursement rates are much lower than those paid…
The California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) reviews how California’s safety net residents receive medical care. Safety Net patients are considered those who have incomes below 300% of the federal poverty line. Below is a list of governmental and non-governmental programs which serve California Safety Net residents. State: Medi-cal (California’s Medicaid program) and Healthy Families (California’s CHIP…
The California HealthCare Foundation has an almanac entry on Children’s Health Coverage Facts and Figures. Eligibility requirements for these programs is described in this table. Other key findings include: The proportion of children without health insurance continued to decline through 2007, though the pace of improvement has slowed. Nearly 80 percent of California’s uninsured children…
California’s Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal, is the largest in the nation. The California Health Care Foundation offers some interesting facts about the program in this report. For instance: In just two years, Medi-Cal’s share of the state’s General Fund spending increased from 17% to 19%. If not for provisions in the federal stimulus bill that…