Emily Bazar's blog

Debut of health exchange promises "new day" in California health care

By Emily Bazar | February 6, 2013

January 1, 2014.

“That is the date that is equivalent to when Medicare took effect 50 years ago,” said Peter Lee, executive director of the California Health Benefit Exchange.

“It’s a new day. … It’s a BFD, to quote the Vice President,” he added.  

On that day, the exchange will debut as a new health insurance marketplace for millions of Californians.

The exchange is a major piece of President Obama’s signature health care law, and will provide federally subsidized health coverage to individuals and families making between 138 and 400 percent of the federal poverty level, which was up to $92,200 for a family of four in 2012.

How many California dentists accept poor kids with Medi-Cal? A new report says one in four.

By Emily Bazar | December 3, 2012

I’ve spent many months reporting on dental care for poor California children, looking into what kind of access they have to treatment.

(Answer: About half of kids in the Medi-Cal dental program see a dentist annually, although figures vary wildly by county.)

But I haven’t focused as much on the dentists who participate in the program, called Denti-Cal.

A new report by health care consultant Barbara Aved does just that. Based on her research, Aved concludes that 25 percent of California’s general dentists participate.

Health care unions growing in membership, political clout

By Emily Bazar | November 2, 2012

The California Nurses Association has had a busy week: On Thursday, it launched a one-day strike against seven Bay Area hospitals associated with Sutter Health, part of an ongoing contract dispute with the health system.

New state laws add momentum to creation of insurance exchange

By Emily Bazar | October 12, 2012

Not that you’re planning on getting a divorce, but should it happen, what if you lose your health insurance in the process?

Soon, courts and health plans will be required to tell Californians who are divorcing or experiencing other major life changes – such as adoption and job loss – that some insurance options may be available to them under President Obama’s health law.

Health data may signal the success – or failure – of the federal health care law

By Emily Bazar | September 20, 2012

Every year, California’s community health clinics are required to report important data to the state, including details about their finances, their patients and the type of care they provide.

But county-run health clinics, a key piece of the state’s health care safety net, don’t have to do the same.

"It’s definitely a gap,” said Jonathan Teague, manager of the Healthcare Information Resource Center at the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD).

That and other gaps in state health care data could gain more significance as the state implements President Obama’s health care law.

Health coverage for Californians will look very different come 2014

By Emily Bazar | August 30, 2012

Acupuncture to treat pain and nausea will be covered. So will tobacco cessation and vision screening.

But the jury’s still out on chiropractic care.

The California Legislature sent two bills to the governor’s desk Wednesday that identify the services health insurance plans must cover starting in 2014 for individuals and small businesses.

Data show that where you live matters to your health

By Emily Bazar | July 25, 2012

Medicare users in the Santa Cruz area boast the lowest rate of avoidable emergency room visits in the state. They also happen to have the lowest rate in the nation.

This statistical tidbit comes from the health-focused Commonwealth Fund’s “Scorecard on Local Health System Performance,” released earlier this year, which offers a treasure trove of data on numerous health measures, from rates of uninsured residents to infant mortality. The data can be compared across states and regions.

Interesting, right? But so what?

Not all children's groups oppose Healthy Families transition

By Emily Bazar | July 9, 2012

As the Legislature debated – and ultimately approved – a budget-cutting plan to transfer nearly 900,000 California children on the Healthy Families program into Medi-Cal next year, dozens of groups joined in opposition.

They ranged from the California Medical Association, a professional organization that represents the state’s doctors, to the California Primary Care Association, which represents community clinics.

Which state laws will stand – or fall – if the Supreme Court strikes health law down?

By Emily Bazar | June 20, 2012

As I reported earlier this week, California rushed to implement the Obama administration’s health care overhaul after it passed in 2010, adopting about 20 state laws that replicate or build on the federal measure.

They range from a law that created a state health insurance exchange to one that requires insurers to cover maternity-related services in the individual market.

How – and why – do some parents choose dental managed care for their kids? Confusion reigns.

By Emily Bazar | June 1, 2012

Fact: Dental managed care for poor kids in Los Angeles County has a disappointing record: Fewer than one in four LA County children on Medi-Cal managed care saw a dentist last year.

Fact: Dental managed care is voluntary in Los Angeles County and parents must actively sign their kids up for the program. If they don’t, children default into the traditional “fee-for-service” system.

Question mark: Given that this poor-performing program is voluntary, how did 154,000 kids get on it in the first place? And why do they stay?

Syndicate content