Healthcare

‘Bait & Switch’ Suit Alleges Health Insurers Mislead Consumers

September 25, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p><strong>SANTA MONICA (CBSLA.com)</strong> — Two of America’s biggest health insurance companies allegedly misrepresented their physician and hospital networks in order to boost sales during the Affordable Care Act’s “open enrollment period”, a consumer advocacy group said Thursday.</p>

No on Proposition 46 Campaign Tries to Start a Hacker Panic

September 25, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Even by the political world's low standards of truthiness, a new commercial being aired by the No on Proposition 46 campaign is jaw-droppingly deceptive.</p>

Why I Support Prop 45: I’m Paying Double, and Can’t See My Doctors

September 25, 2014  ·  rob

<p align="center" style="margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: 1.5em; word-wrap: break-word;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><strong style="font-size: 16px;"><em style="font-size: 16px;">"Not one doctor that I have recently spoken with even knows what an EPO Health Plan is."</em></strong></span></span></span></p>

Blue Shield, Cigna Accused Of ACA Plan ‘Bait And Switch’

September 24, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Blue Shield of California and Cigna Health and Life Insurance Co. policyholders filed putative class actions in California state court on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively, alleging the companies engaged in "bait and switch" schemes by misrepresenting doctor availability in their Affordable Care Act plans.</p>

Prop 46 Calls for Physician Drug Testing, $1.1 Million Lawsuit Cap

September 20, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="http://abc7.com/video/embed/?pid=315940" width="476"></iframe></p>

New Study Shows That The Savings From ‘Tort Reform’ Are Mythical

September 20, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Tort reform," which is usually billed as the answer to "frivolous malpractice lawsuits," has been a central plank in the Republican program for healthcare reform for decades. </p> <p>The notion has lived on despite copious evidence that that the so-called defensive medicine practiced by doctors merely to stave off lawsuits accounts for, at best, 2% to 3% of U.S. healthcare costs. As for "frivolous lawsuits," they're a problem that exists mostly in the minds of conservatives and the medical establishment.</p>

Patient Safety, Malpractice Costs At Issue In Proposition 46

September 18, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<div class="page" style="display: block;"> <p>A years-long battle between doctors and trial lawyers is coming down to Proposition 46 on the November ballot, leaving voters to sift through a mass of conflicting claims in an effort to pick the winner in what will be the most expensive race of the fall.</p>

Prop. 46 Campaign Blasts Opponents For Payment To Official’s Committee

September 15, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>Supporters of a Nov. 4 ballot initiative to increase medical malpractice awards blasted a Los Angeles County supervisor Monday for scheduling a board vote to oppose the measure after a group he founded accepted a $75,000 donation from opponents.</p>

Prop. 45 Booster Takes Aim At Dignity Health Over Sponsorship Of Levi’s Stadium

September 15, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>San Francisco-based Dignity Health, which operates Mercy hospitals in the Sacramento region, is attracting some criticism for spending money on Levi's Stadium.</p> <p>In Sunday's Chronicle, Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross report that the nonprofit health system not only has a luxury suite, costing at least $2.5 million, but also paid for naming rights for a plaza in the new complex for the 49ers.</p>

Two Not-For-Profit Health Insurers Spending Big Bucks At Levi’s Stadium

September 15, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>The San Francisco 49ers' financial health is being aided by two not-for-profit health insurers.</p> <p>Blue Shield of California and Dignity Health each own luxury suites at Levi's Stadium that go for at least $2.5 million apiece, according to a <a href="http://m.sfgate.com/bayarea/matier-ross/article/Dignity-Health-spends-big-at-Levi-s-Stadium-5753830.php">story in the Matier & Ross column in the San Francisco Chronicle</a>.</p>

‘Not-For-Profit’ Insurer A Big Spender At Stadium

September 14, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>If you're wondering why health care costs are going sky high, one reason may be the multimillion-dollar skyboxes that two of the Bay Area's biggest "not-for-profit" insurers have bought at the 49ers' new stadium.</p> <p><a href="http://www.sfgate.com/?controllerName=search&action=search&channel=bayarea%2Fmatier-ross&search=1&inlineLink=1&query=%22Blue+Shield+of+California%22">Blue Shield of California</a> and Dignity Health each own Levi's Stadium luxury suites, which go for at least $2.5 million apiece.</p>

Prop 46: Coachella Valley An Important Voting Bloc

September 14, 2014  ·  Mark Reback

<p>The Coachella Valley is becoming a political battleground for a controversial health care ballot initiative that would raise the cap on medical malpractice damages and require drug and alcohol testing of doctors.</p> <p>Supporters of Proposition 46 include U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, a prominent Rancho Mirage Democrat.</p> <p>They say the measure would improve patient safety and fairly compensate people who have experienced negligent or improper treatment, raising potential damages from the $250,000 limit that was set in 1975 to more than $1 million.</p>