Blogs

Bridge to Health Reform 'undoable' in San Luis Obispo

By John Gonzales | May 16, 2012

Forty-seven California counties have provided health care to more than 335,000 people through the “Bridge to Reform” program.  San Luis Obispo is a case study in one county that has decided not to participate.

We have reported on the Bridge to Reform, also known as the Low Income Health Program, or the Health Care Coverage Initiative, since its early phases. I was the reporter of our first piece, which looked at Kern County’s efforts to build the bridge. A follow-up examined the challenges of implementing the program in the far reaches of rural California.

Health care costs slow in California - what's it mean?

By Kelley Weiss | May 16, 2012

When it comes to health care in California, low cost is not the first thing that comes to mind. But it turns out that the Golden State spends less than most others on health care.

That’s according to a new report from the California HealthCare Foundation. California’s per-capita spending on health care is the ninth lowest in the nation.

California’s growth in health care spending is slowing as well. In 2003 it peaked at 9.7 percent; in 2009 spending growth was 4.5 percent, in line with the national average.

A triangle of health misery

By Richard Kipling | May 9, 2012

Recently, I blogged about beautiful Humboldt County’s depressing health statistics, the worst in the state.

Since then, I’ve done a little more digging into the state health department’s newest health status profiles to see how California’s other 57 counties are faring. It doesn’t take long to discover that three other California counties are also consistently in the bottom tier, with health statistics almost as alarming as Humboldt’s.

Two other far northern California counties make up, with Humboldt, what appears to be a triangle of health misery.

Brawley book skewers ‘gluttony’ of over-diagnosis, treatment

By Deborah Schoch | May 8, 2012

The man known as Ralph DeAngelo had just turned 70 when his wife spotted a local hospital’s newspaper ad for free prostate cancer screening, billed as a test that saves lives.

To appease her, he went for a free PSA test, and was mailed a letter stating that his results were “significantly abnormal.”  In clockwork fashion, Ralph received12 biopsies, a cancer diagnosis, prostate removal, radiation, a hole between his rectum and his bladder, a colostomy. He died of a related urinary tract infection.

U.S. delivers too many preemies. California does too

By Lauren M. Whaley | May 2, 2012

If California were a country, it would tie with Fiji for the percentage of babies born too early. In 2010, nearly 10 babies out of every 100 were born before 37 weeks of gestation. If placed on the global list, California would rank 88th -- behind Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Rwanda and Tunisia.

But California, the hypothetical country, is doing much better in reducing preterm births than the United States as a whole. 

Consumer's guide to high-deductible health plans

By Kelley Weiss | May 1, 2012

If you work at a small business and have health insurance, odds are about 50-50 that you’ll have a high-deductible health plan according to a Kaiser Family Foundation survey.

This kind of coverage asks employees to pick up more of the tab for their health care costs. Workers pay out-of-pocket for health care expenses until they reach the deductible. Then the insurance kicks in.

The idea is to make consumers savvier about health care costs by asking them to spend their own money first. At the same time, the employer can save money by shifting more of the costs to the consumer.

Humboldt County – Amid stunning beauty, a sad health profile

By Richard Kipling | April 26, 2012

 

I don’t want to beat up on Humboldt County. I’ve driven through it a few times and it’s quintessential far northern California -- beautiful, alluring, with Redwoods everywhere (the county motto is The Home of the Redwoods), a scenic coastline, pretty towns, friendly folk. The kind of place that sets an urban mind to wondering:  Could I live in this lush green paradise?

I’d like to spend more time there, for sure. But after a close look at the latest California Department of Public Health statistics, I might want to remain a visitor and not a resident. The county’s astounding beauty and apparent serenity disguise some truly disturbing health numbers.

Does California need a state dental director?

By Emily Bazar | April 19, 2012

In our ongoing coverage of Sacramento County’s dental plan for poor kids, we’ve reported on proposals to fix its performance, including a measure in the Legislature that would fundamentally change the way the Medi-Cal program works there.

But there’s another, earlier bill that advocates say would have statewide impact, especially for Californians who live in places where dental treatment is difficult to access.

A California Assembly bill takes on frequent emergency services use

By John Gonzales | April 18, 2012

Health Care 911, our five-part series with U-T San Diego, has received lots of feedback since its publication last month. Thoughtful comments came from residents and stakeholders alike, all of whom recognized the human and financial toll taken by frequent emergency services use.

A particularly intriguing note came from the Corporation for Supportive Housing, which pointed to efforts to leverage funds from health reform as a way to reduce frequent use of 911.

The Corporation has supported a California-specific proposal, state Assembly Bill 2266, that would create “health teams” – including social service and housing providers to offer coordinated care to frequent users.

Reshuffling Medicare costs, does it add up?

By Kelley Weiss | April 17, 2012

The debate in Washington over how to find savings in the mammoth Medicare program has been going on for years. In its latest incarnation, the agency that assists Medicare in making policy recommendations – the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission or MedPAC – is focusing on out-of-pocket expenses.

MedPAC commissioners have universally approved a plan for Congress now to consider:

--A limit on out-of-pocket costs.

--Combining deductibles for in-patient and outpatient services.

--Creating flat rate “copayments” for certain services, instead of a percentage of the cost of care called “coinsurance.”

--Charging supplemental insurance plans.

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