Wednesday, May 16, 2012
The Legislative Analyst's Office says its revenue projections for California are similar to those included in Gov. Brown's revised budget plan. Previously, LAO had found the projections included in Brown’s initial budget plan to be too optimistic.
Sacramento Bee's "Capitol Alert."
Standard & Poor's recommends that lawmakers forgo Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg's idea to use state budget reserves to aid social service programs. S&P says that lawmakers should pursue "credible" budget solutions.
Sacramento Bee's "Capitol Alert."
A new report finds that the number of credentials issued for public school nurses decreased by 26.4% between the 2006-2007 and 2010-2011 school years. According to the report, the number of nurses employed in public schools declined by 13.3% during that time.
California Watch.
If the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the federal health reform law, health insurers stand to lose nearly $1 trillion in new revenue and nearly $174 billion in profits between 2013 and 2020, according to a recent report by Bloomberg Government.
The Hill's "Healthwatch" et al.
A Milliman study finds that the average annual health care costs for a family of four with an employer-sponsored preferred provider plan is $20,728, a 6.9% increase from 2011. The study found that workers on average pay about 41% of those costs.
Los Angeles Times,
CQ HealthBeat.
AROUND CALIFORNIA
On Tuesday, the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors unanimously endorsed Proposition 29, a June ballot initiative that would increase California's tax on cigarettes by $1 per pack to raise $855 million annually for cancer research and smoking prevention and cessation programs. Representatives of the American Cancer Society had urged the board to join other backers of the ballot measure. Contra Costa Times.
Gov. Brown's revised fiscal year 2012-2013 budget plan includes deeper cuts to health and welfare programs than his initial proposal, some of which would affect hospitals and social service agencies in the Central Valley. For example, Kaweah Delta Medical Center would lose $16.6 million, or about 14.5% of its Medi-Cal revenue, in the next fiscal year under the revised budget plan, according to Kaweah Delta CEO Lindsay Mann. Fresno Bee.
Orange County Budget Office Director Frank Kim says that the $5.6 billion fiscal year 2012-2013 county budget plan is balanced and free of major cuts. However, he warns that three factors could alter the plan: the overall economy, the state budget crisis and pending lawsuits and claims against the county. KPCC's "KPCC News."
ACROSS THE NATION
Researchers say that mobile phones can help connect residents in remote areas with health care providers in nearby cities. A project at the Johns Hopkins Global mHealth Initiative involves about 60 faculty members and 120 students, who are working on 51 projects examining how mobile technology could improve health care. New York Times.
OPINION MAKERS
In an Orange County Register opinion piece, columnist Dan Walters argues that Gov. Brown's revised fiscal year 2012-2013 budget plan "is as much a political document as a fiscal one, clearly aimed at persuading voters to approve new sales and income taxes next November." Walters also suggests that "[Brown's] goal, quite obviously, is to prove to voters that he isn't just asking them to pay more taxes, but is also slashing health and welfare services" and other spending categories. Orange County Register.