Health care - Sacramento Business Journal:

fugycyquwod.blogspot.com
The legislative plan backed by Gov. Arnoled Schwarzenegger will likely be adoptedthis month, but funding the $14.7 billion plan will be up to voters in sources say. It could all fall apart in between. The plan to covert almost 4 million Californians who now lack insurancer depends on shared responsibility by individuals and doctorsand hospitals, healtg plans and government agencies. All must take part for the plan to Gritty details on how to financde the plan must be hammered out while the state grapples with anestimated $14 billion budget defici that's likely to prompt broaxd cuts to government programs. Debat e over the 2007 state budgey stalled action on health care reformfor months.
There's momentujm now but the stakezs are higherand it's an election year. Hooplas over reform legislation approved by the Assembly in Decembet turned national attentionto California. Two weeks a federal judge in San Francisco ruled that employers cannott be required to provide or subsidize health benefits for a decision that could have ramifications for the state Inthe meantime, healt h care premiums continue to hit employers in the The average rise in the cost of employer-based healtyh insurance in California in 2007 was 8.3 percent, more than twicre the state inflation rate of 3.4 percent, accordingv to a survey by the and the .
Thesw figures and a softening economy will likely prompt some businessese todrop coverage, increasinbg the number of uninsured and pressure to come up with a fix, said Albertg Lowey-Ball, a Sacramento health economist. regulators and lawmakers are expectee to crack down on health plans that inappropriately deny coveragwe for those whohave insurance. , , and have been under scrutinuy and hit with fines in the past year forcancelint policies. The new state Department of Publicv Health, which started up in Sacramento onJuly 1, is expecte d to work closely with a proposed new Schoo of Public Health at , being considered by the university system. 1.
Healtg care reform, touted as a top polict issue, spins its wheelsx until late in the year and remains Thestate Assembly, with support from the governor, approved landmark legislation in December to extend coveragew to almost 4 millionh uninsured Californians, but the Senate has yet to vote and voterx would have to approve financing. 2. Statre regulators give California hospitalsa $4.6 billion reprievee from strict earthquake-safety standards by adoptint a new method of assessing Buildings that pass the test could keep operatinv until 2030 with minor fixes required by the Six out of 10, including all hospitals in Greater Sacramento, are expectede to qualify for the 3.
A bruising 10-month fight between rival healtj systems over lucrative trauma care in south Sacramento Countyended Dec. 11 when the Boarde of Supervisors choseKaiser Permanente's South Sacramento Medical Center over , an affiliate of .