Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/medicare/)
Holly Hagler and Bob Blancato write that Congress should amend the Affordable Care Act this month to prevent a panel, called the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), from being formed as a way to propose cuts in Medicare funding.
Orange County’s participation rate in a demonstration project that combines the resources and services for people dually eligible for Medi-Cal and Medicare is the lowest among the seven counties in the program.
Orange County has joined a handful of other counties statewide in a demonstration project designed to enhance care for residents eligible for both Medicare and Medi-Cal.
A letter sent late last month to the hospital warns that payments will be cut off in July unless it corrects a number of patient “deficiencies.”
Ceremony included former CalOptima executives who initiated the program but left amid Supervisor Janet Nguyen’s reorganization of the agency.
The eight-county test program for those covered by both Medicare and Medi-Cal is to be a test run before the Affordable Car Act goes into effect.
Officials from Orange and seven other California counties are awaiting approval of a demonstration project they hope will improve care of low-income, elderly and disabled patients while also cutting costs.
Valley fever is epidemic in parts of California. At more than $100,000 for a typical hospital stay, the disease is more costly to treat than any of California’s 25 most common conditions requiring hospitalization.
Its goals are to save money and create a better system for patients who are eligible for both Medi-Cal and Medicare.
An anonymous letter circulated last month made unsubstantiated conflict-of-interest claims against CalOptima’s board chairman.
