Government

Calif., Conn. governors offer universal health coverage plans

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Jan. 22, 2007

Print  |   Email  |   Respond  |   Reprints  |   Like Facebook  |   Share Twitter  |   Tweet Linkedin

A trend in the making has reached both coasts as two more governors have offered universal health insurance programs.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's plan calls for mandatory insurance purchasing with graduated rates; incentives for healthy lifestyles; increased reimbursements for Medi-Cal, the state's Medicaid program; and increasing Medi-Cal's eligibility to poor adults. Employers with 10 or more employees not offering insurance will contribute 4% of their payroll toward the cost of employees' health coverage. Companies with fewer than 10 employees are exempt.

In exchange for increasing payments to doctors and hospitals by at least $10 billion, physicians will pay 2% of revenues and hospitals 4% of revenues back to universal coverage.

Conn. Gov. M. Jodi Rell's "Charter Oak Plan" calls for a partnership between the state and private insurance companies to develop health insurance costing less than $250 a month for adults ages 19 to 64. Rell also announced the state's Healthcare for Uninsured Kids and Youth will waive program fees for newborns for their first two months. The program covers uninsured children younger than 19 with sliding scale fees based on income.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/01/22/gvbf0122.htm.

Back to top


ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISE HERE


Featured
Read story

Confronting bias against obese patients

Medical educators are starting to raise awareness about how weight-related stigma can impair patient-physician communication and the treatment of obesity. Read story


Read story

Goodbye

American Medical News is ceasing publication after 55 years of serving physicians by keeping them informed of their rapidly changing profession. Read story


Read story

Policing medical practice employees after work

Doctors can try to regulate staff actions outside the office, but they must watch what they try to stamp out and how they do it. Read story


Read story

Diabetes prevention: Set on a course for lifestyle change

The YMCA's evidence-based program is helping prediabetic patients eat right, get active and lose weight. Read story


Read story

Medicaid's muddled preventive care picture

The health system reform law promises no-cost coverage of a lengthy list of screenings and other prevention services, but some beneficiaries still might miss out. Read story


Read story

How to get tax breaks for your medical practice

Federal, state and local governments offer doctors incentives because practices are recognized as economic engines. But physicians must know how and where to find them. Read story


Read story

Advance pay ACOs: A down payment on Medicare's future

Accountable care organizations that pay doctors up-front bring practice improvements, but it's unclear yet if program actuaries will see a return on investment. Read story


Read story

Physician liability: Your team, your legal risk

When health care team members drop the ball, it's often doctors who end up in court. How can physicians improve such care and avoid risks? Read story

  • Stay informed
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • LinkedIn