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State, insurers, doctors in battle over billing
Ventura County Star - 09-12-2008 - ...It's called "balance billing" and has spawned a turf battle among state officials who are trying to outlaw the practice, insurers who support the ban and doctors who fight it and see themselves as victims. "Legislate, regulate and litigate. We'll do whatever it takes," said California Medical Association President Richard Frankenstein, before a meeting with Ventura County doctors this week. He laid responsibility for balance billing on insurers trying to protect their profits by underpaying doctors.
Health Net to reinstate 926 dropped policyholders in California
Los Angeles Times - 09-12-2008 - Continuing California's crackdown on health insurers, Health Net Inc. has agreed to offer new coverage to 926 people whose policies it canceled after they got sick. Health Net signed a first-of-its-kind agreement with the California Department of Insurance, agreeing to pay $3.6 million in penalties, plus as much as about $14 million in reimbursements for medical charges that the insurer had refused to pay. The company did not admit to any wrongdoing, however.
Healthcare issue, not quite hot, remains strong
New York Times - 09-12-2008 - While energy and the economy consume more of the country's political discourse, healthcare is an issue that can seem to vacillate in importance by the day. Polls do not show that concern about healthcare has faded significantly, but that concerns surrounding energy and the economy have become more important to voters. Some analysts of healthcare politics argue that because Democrats are more associated with the issue, any de-emphasis may help Republicans. They are quick to warn, however, that the Presidential candidates ignore healthcare at their own peril.
Detailed Study on Spread of H.I.V. in U.S.
New York Times - 09-11-2008 - An unusually detailed study of people newly infected with H.I.V. in the United States has confirmed that the majority of new cases occur among gay and bisexual men and that blacks are most at risk. But the data show that whites and blacks tend to be infected at different times in their lives with the virus that causes AIDS.
Experts Call on Governor Schwarzenegger to Sign AB 1894 to Prevent the Spread of HIV/AIDS
PharmaLive - 09-12-2008 - Today, California's leading HIV/AIDS and healthcare experts called on the Governor to sign AB 1894 (authored by Assembly Member Paul Krekorian) in light of new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This August, the CDC announced that the United States has been under-estimating HIV infections by more than 40 percent (per year) for the past decade... Richard Frankenstein, MD, President, California Medical Association: "It is estimated that 40,000 Californians are HIV positive and don't know it. Governor Schwarzenegger should sign AB 1894 to equip our doctors and health care providers with a critical tool to help all Californians know their status..."
Congress, AMA Mull Better Ways for Medicare to Pay Doctors
Wall Street Journal - 09-12-2008 - The way Medicare pays doctors is a mess. Every year or so, an automatic pay cut looms, and Congress scrambles to come up with a last-minute, temporary patch to block the cuts. The most recent scramble ended in July, when Congress overrode a presidential veto to pass a patch that runs through the end of next year.
Unreliable Answers From Medicare Call Center, if You Can Get Through
Wall Street Journal - 09-12-2008 - Medicare and Medicaid patients who have questions about their coverage are encouraged to call 1-800-Medicare for answers. But don’t get your hopes up. Lots of callers face long wait times, many are cut off while on hold, and others receive information that is either incomplete or wrong.
