Politics, Government and Business in Southern California's Inland Empire
Lori Fowler, Staff Writer
Posted: 06/14/2013 06:43:52 PM PDT
Updated: 06/14/2013 08:36:55 PM PDT
RANCHO CUCAMONGA – When John Bolds’ wife was having a hard time breathing last year, he took her to the emergency room at the Chino Valley Medical Center.
By Chris Megerian and Anthony York, Los Angeles Times
June 14, 2013, 9:25 p.m.
SACRAMENTO — California lawmakers passed a budget Friday that lays the groundwork for the largest expansion of public healthcare in the country, placing the state at the leading edge of President Obama’s federal overhaul.
By Chad Terhune
May 23, 2013, 9:36 a.m.
After weeks of negotiations, California said it has selected 13 health plans for a new state-run insurance marketplace where as many as 5 million people will shop for coverage next year.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
May 20, 2013
The California Senate passed a bill today that would shield pot shops following state guidelines for dispensing medical marijuana from prosecution for marijuana possession or sale.
By J.D. Harrison
Published: May 12, 2013
Many small-business owners worry that a new tax on insurance providers in the health-care law will mean higher premiums for them, undermining the law’s capacity to lower their health-care costs.
By Billy House
Updated: May 13, 2013 | 3:37 a.m.
May 12, 2013 | 12:00 p.m.
With tensions over fiscal issues building, and the three-month suspension of the nation’s debt limit set to expire Sunday, lawmakers this week will be rehashing on the House floor their messaging war over repealing President Obama’s three-year-old health care law.
By Susan Abram and Peter Fullam, Staff Writers
Posted: 05/09/2013 05:50:17 PM PDT
Database: Average charges for procedures by California hospitals
Data released this week by the federal government that show a wide variation of what hospitals charge Medicare for everything from pacemakers to hip replacement to obstructive pulmonary disease may bolster a discussion on fair pricing but does little to help the average consumer understand what they are paying for, health policy experts said.
By Sandra Emerson, Wes Woods II and Ryan Hagen, Staff Writers
Posted: 05/08/2013 02:49:30 PM PDT
Updated: 05/08/2013 04:05:02 PM PDT
Special Section: Medical Marijuana
Now that the more than 180 cities and counties up and down the state have the state’s highest court on their side, many local government officials are actively seeking the closure of medical marijuana dispensaries operating in violation of their zoning laws.
By Dan Morain
dmorain@sacbee.com
Published: Sunday, May. 5, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 1E
Last Modified: Sunday, May. 5, 2013 – 7:22 am
Rep. Ami Bera, one of two Democratic physicians in the House, doesn’t want Obamacare to fail.
But the freshman member of Congress is worried about President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement.
By Dale Kasler
dkasler@sacbee.com
Published: Thursday, May. 2, 2013 – 4:58 pm
Last Modified: Thursday, May. 2, 2013 – 8:34 pm
The powerful Service Employees International Union said today it defeated a challenge from the upstart National Union of Healthcare Workers and will continue to represent 45,000 Kaiser Permanente workers.
By Dan Walters
dwalters@sacbee.com
Published: Tuesday, Apr. 30, 2013 – 12:00 am | Page 3A
Last Modified: Tuesday, Apr. 30, 2013 – 7:57 am
Senate Bills 491, 492 and 493 won approval of a Senate committee Monday and we should all be afraid – very afraid – because once again, state legislators are voting on “scope of practice.”
By Ed Mendel
Monday, April 29, 2013
With pensions presumably shored up by Gov. Brown’s reform and a CalPERS rate hike, will the problem-solving trend spread to what is, by some measures, an even bigger retirement debt: health care promised state workers?
By Michael Catalini
Updated: April 26, 2013 | 1:30 p.m.
April 26, 2013 | 11:27 a.m.
The influential conservative website Red State does not score key-vote legislation.
But Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s Helping Sick Americans Now Act nearly changed that. The bill would have insured thousands of Americans with pre-existing conditions who would be dropped because of a provision in the Affordable Care Act, Cantor argued. The bill was supposed to be a savvy way to make the GOP seem softer and score political points by tweaking Obamacare.
Los Angeles Times
April 17, 2013, 4:44 p.m.
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System picked four new HMO plans for five-year health insurance contracts starting next year, a blow to incumbent carrier Blue Shield of California.
By John M. Gonzales
CHCF Center for Health Reporting
Posted: 04/13/2013 03:33:16 PM PDT
Updated: 04/13/2013 04:13:57 PM PDT
Related story: Obamacare has Southern California health care officials scrambling
April 13, 2013; 03:33 PM
Rep. Gary Miller, R-Rancho Cucamonga, met with officials of Loma Linda University Health on April 2 to hear about developments on campus and the challenges of an academic medical center to remain a global leader in clinical care, education and research.
To read contributed content in The Press Enterprise, click here.
By Brian Charles, Staff Writer
brian.charles@sgvn.com @JBrianCharles on Twitter
Posted: 04/09/2013 04:04:20 PM PDT
Updated: 04/09/2013 06:36:15 PM PDT
State Treasurer Bill Lockyer announced Tuesday the approval of $1.9 billion in bonds to aid in the construction of six Kaiser hospitals, including several in Southern California.
Lori Fowler and Sandra Emerson, Staff Writers
Posted: 03/29/2013 05:10:03 PM PDT
Updated: 03/30/2013 12:56:37 AM PDT
A group of Inland Valley doctors who say they have not been able to fully treat their patients have filed a lawsuit against Chino Valley Medical Center and its director James M. Lally.
By Chad Terhune
March 27, 2013, 10:23 a.m.
Kaiser Permanente was the only HMO to earn a top four-star rating for providing recommended care on California’s annual report card, while Cigna and UnitedHealthcare led the way with three-star ratings among PPO plans.
March 26, 2013 9:30 PM
Jim E. Winburn, Staff Writer
VICTORVILLE • Rep. Paul Cook spoke to local leaders Tuesday about the impact of federal budget cuts to High Desert communities and the prospects of living with the Affordable Care Act.
U.S. NEWS
Updated March 22, 2013, 8:04 a.m. ET
By ANNA WILDE MATHEWS and LOUISE RADNOFSKY
Health insurers are privately warning brokers that premiums for many individuals and small businesses could increase sharply next year because of the health-care overhaul law, with the nation’s biggest firm projecting that rates could more than double for some consumers buying their own plans.
March 19, 2013; 06:29 PM
SACRAMENTO – For several years, the state’s deep budget problems have thwarted attempts by supporters of a school of medicine at UC Riverside to get the Legislature to appropriate $15 million for the school.
To read story by Jim Miller in The Press Enterprise, click here.
March 18, 2013; 05:45 PM
If Riverside County’s public hospital were a patient, it might qualify for intensive care.
Right now, Riverside County Regional Medical Center is expected to end the fiscal year with a budget shortfall of around $10 million. The hospital’s shaky footing worries county officials already anxious about how national health care reform will be implemented in California.
To read story by Jeff Horseman and Jim Miller in The Press Enterprise, click here.
By Susan Abram, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/11/2013 08:00:00 AM PDT
Updated: 03/11/2013 10:01:18 PM PDT
Special report: Dollars for Docs
Regional snapshots: South Bay | Long Beach | Pasadena | Inland Empire
Drug money runs deep in the Golden State.
It comes from the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies and leads to a mental health clinic in Granada Hills, an anesthesiologist’s office in Santa Monica, and to a cardiologist with practices in Glendale, Pasadena, and Long Beach.
Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/11/2013 09:31:17 PM PDT
Updated: 03/11/2013 09:47:50 PM PDT
At least three San Bernardino County physicians have earned more than $100,000 in speaking fees from pharmaceutical companies, according to new data.
By Chad Terhune, Los Angeles Times
March 6, 2013, 4:56 p.m.
Despite objections from regulators, health insurers Blue Shield of California and Aetna Inc. are proceeding with double-digit rate increases that state officials said were unreasonable.
By Chad Terhune, Los Angeles Times
February 15, 2013
In response to pressure from California regulators, Anthem Blue Cross agreed to a slightly lower rate increase for about 630,000 individual policyholders that will save consumers an estimated $54 million.
Health & Welfare | Daily Report | Decoding Prime
February 6, 2013 | Lance Williams
The Prime Healthcare Services hospital chain has acknowledged it is the target of two federal investigations: a U.S. Justice Department probe of its Medicare billings and an inquiry into alleged violations of patient confidentiality laws.
INSURANCE: Initiative would allow state to oversee health plans.
By Greg Mellen, Staff Writer
Posted: 01/31/2013 09:02:48 PM PST
Updated: 01/31/2013 09:17:35 PM PST
As about 730,000 California health insurance consumers’ rates rise an average 17.5 percent today, a consumer group is renewing its support for a ballot initiative to rein in costs.
By Chad Terhune, Los Angeles Times
January 18, 2013
Federal officials awarded California’s new health insurance exchange a $674-million grant, providing money for a crucial marketing campaign aimed at millions of uninsured consumers.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013 – 11:30 p.m.
What did Barack Obama voters expect when they reelected him President of the United States?
Published: Jan. 6, 2013 Updated: 6:22 a.m.
BY DANIEL WEINTRAUB / FOR THE REGISTER
As the new year dawns, California politicians find themselves in a strange position. The economy is improving, the public is growing more optimistic, and the Democrats’ control of supermajorities in the Legislature should reduce gridlock – the one thing guaranteed to sour voters on government.
Melissa Pinion-Whitt, Staff Writer
Posted: 12/18/2012 03:18:46 PM PST
Updated: 12/18/2012 06:42:19 PM PST
FONTANA – Registered nurses and other employees crowded street corners near Kaiser Permanente Medical Center on Tuesday, fighting against what union officials call unfair cuts in medical staffing.
By Michael A. Fletcher,
Friday, December 14, 2012
Just as state governments are healing from the deep fiscal wound inflicted by the Great Recession, they are confronted by the dual threat of reduced federal help and ever increasing health-care costs, according to a new report.
By Chad Terhune, Los Angeles Times
December 13, 2012
Health insurer Blue Shield of California wants to raise rates as much as 20% for some individual policyholders, prompting calls for the nonprofit to use some of its record-high reserve of $3.9 billion to hold down premiums.
By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press Writer
Posted: 12/10/2012 04:42:25 PM PST
Updated: 12/10/2012 07:40:05 PM PST
WASHINGTON – Your medical plan is facing an unexpected expense, so you probably are, too. It’s a new, $63-per-head fee to cushion the cost of covering people with pre-existing conditions under President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.
By Rick Orlov and Andrew Edwards, Staff Writers
Posted: 12/03/2012 07:22:16 PM PST
Updated: 12/03/2012 07:26:33 PM PST
Fueled by a Democratic supermajority and a bumper crop of new faces, California lawmakers launched their new two-year session on Monday, planning to turn their immediate attention to health care and the state budget.
California’s largest for-profit health insurer proposes an average rate hike of 18%, but some Anthem customers may see increase of as much as 25% in February.
By Chad Terhune, Los Angeles Times
November 28, 2012
California’s largest for-profit health insurer, Anthem Blue Cross, is seeking to raise rates an average of 18% for more than 630,000 individual policyholders, drawing scrutiny from regulators and the ire of consumers already struggling with soaring premiums.
Published: 19 November 2012 – 06:57 PM
Riverside County’s revenues appear stable, but its public hospital is facing a possible $14 million to $36 million deficit and future budgets will have to absorb new labor and jail costs amounting to hundreds of millions of dollars, according to a county report.
To read story by Jeff Horseman in The Press Enterprise, click here.
Canan Tasci, Staff Writer
Posted: 11/16/2012 08:38:06 PM PST
Updated: 11/16/2012 08:48:47 PM PST
Kaiser Permanente officials have confirmed 530 union employees in Southern California have been laid off.
By Kerry Picket – The Washington Times
November 8, 2012, 09:52PM
Freedom Works has put together a list of companies that will be laying off employees as a result of President Barack Obama’s health care law:
Welch Allyn
Friday, November 9, 2012 – 09:30 a.m.
The blame game is in full swing within the Republican political machinery.
Hope, despair, anger, etc….etc…
But in reality does it mean anything in the end game?
Company lays off 12 employees in Ontario and Fontana
Canan Tasci, Staff Writer
Posted: 10/31/2012 08:30:01 PM PDT
Officials at Kaiser Permanente are calling the laying off of 84 employees a “modest downsizing of staff” across Southern California.
The layoffs do not include physicians.
L.A. NOW
Southern California — this just in
October 2, 2012 | 8:00 pm
A national accrediting agency has approved UC Riverside’s plan to open a full medical school and to start enrolling future doctors next summer. It would be the sixth medical school in the University of California system and the first to open since the late 1960s.
By Rocardo Alonso-Zaldivar Associated Press
Posted: 09/19/2012 09:32:18 PM PDT
Updated: 09/19/2012 09:32:18 PM PDT
WASHINGTON — Nearly 6 million Americans — most of them in the middle class — will face a tax penalty for not carrying medical coverage once President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul law is fully in place, congressional budget analysts said Wednesday.
Neil Nisperos, Staff Writer
Posted: 09/09/2012 12:23:48 PM PDT
Officials with the San Bernardino-based Inland Empire Health Plan have set their sights on Rancho Cucamonga for their new home.
KPC must close deal by Sept. 30
September 04, 2012 4:58 PM
Diane Lee, Staff Writer
VICTORVILLE • The bankrupt Victor Valley Community Hospital is a step closer to new ownership, after the state’s Attorney General approved the sale to Riverside-based KPC Group.
Joe Nelson, Staff Writer
Posted: 08/12/2012 11:35:41 AM PDT
Nurses at Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton said patient care will likely decline if the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors imposes cuts to their pensions and the hospital continues expanding its use of registry nurses.
Report: Major cities not prepared for growing retiree health costs
August 10, 2012 | Corey G. Johnson
Most major California cities are failing to address the growing health care costs of government retirees, which have ballooned to more than $1 billion in some areas and soon could threaten municipalities’ ability to pay other expenses, according to a recent financial analysis by a nonprofit research group.
Eleven of 20 California cities with the biggest budgets do not set aside funds for future health care costs, the study by California Common Sense found.
AG delegate gets public input on VVCH sale
August 03, 2012 5:14 PM
Tomoya Shimura, Staff Writer
VICTORVILLE • The Attorney General’s delegate returned for the third time in two years Friday to get public input on the new ownership of Victor Valley Community Hospital — a divisive issue that’s split the desert community.
Deputy Attorney General Wendi Horwitz heard from 31 doctors, hospital administrators, politicians and community leaders on whether her boss should approve the sale of the nonprofit hospital to Riverside-based KPC Group.
Critics cite new buyer’s 2000 failure
August 02, 2012 10:40 AM
Tomoya Shimura, Staff Writer
VICTORVILLE • Bankrupt Victor Valley Community Hospital seems to have finally found a new owner after nearly two years of purchasing wars and smear campaigns.
The Victorville nonprofit hospital agreed in June to a $33.8 million offer by the Riversidebased KPC Group, which had once failed to close out a deal. Attorney General Kamala Harris will send a delegate to Victorville City Hall on Friday to hold a public hearing involving the proposed sale. Dr. Kali P. Chaudhuri, founder of KPC, is expected to attend the meeting, Executive Vice President Bill Thomas said Wednesday.
July 31, 2012 5:06 PM
Tomoya Shimura, Staff Writer
Editor’s note:
This is one in a series on the proposed sale of bankrupt Victor Valley Community Hospital. Watch for more on the buyer and future of the hospital in upcoming editions of the Daily Press.
VICTORVILLE • The California Attorney General’s office will hold a public hearing Friday involving the proposed sale of Victor Valley Community Hospital to Riverside-based KPC Global Care medical group, which had once failed to close out a deal.
The Victorville nonprofit hospital agreed in June to a $33.8 million purchasing offer by KPC after nearly two years of searching for a new owner.
July 15, 2012 1:00 PM
ShareThis| Print Story | E-Mail Story
Tomoya Shimura, Staff Writer
Prime Healthcare Services, which owns Desert Valley Hospital, has recently bought four distressed out-of-state hospitals after the California Attorney General denied its deal to purchase Victor Valley Community Hospital.
The medical group bought:
THE PRESS-ENTERPRISE
Published: 08 July 2012 07:42 PM
Beginning Monday, July 9, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee said it will run online ads portraying Rep. Mary Bono Mack and other GOP lawmakers as siding with insurance companies rather than their middle-class constituents in the ongoing national debate over health care.
By JENNIFER HABERKORN
6/28/12 10:08 AM EDT
Updated: 6/28/12 11:10 AM EDT
The Supreme Court upheld most of President Barack Obama’s health care law Thursday, ruling that Congress did not overstep its power by requiring nearly all Americans to buy health insurance.
Chief Justice John Roberts joined with the court’s four liberal justices in the ruling, which says Congress had the authority to impose the law’s individual mandate under Congress’s taxing power.
By Chad Terhune, Los Angeles Times
June 28, 2012
California’s biggest healthcare buyer isn’t happy about its $7-billion annual medical bill climbing almost 10% next year, and the state’s big insurers may be feeling the heat.
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System is preparing to rebid its health insurance business this fall for 1.3 million members, and two of its current plans, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of California, are likely to face intense competition as the giant pension fund considers its options.
Sunday, June 23, 2012 – 11:00 a.m.
News from across the transom this Sunday morning.
Arnett to challenge Shorett again
Joe Arnett is going to take another shot at unseating San Bernardino City Councilman Fred Shorett.
Capitol Alert
The latest on California politics and government
June 23, 2012
Gov. Jerry Brown and Democratic leaders called their budget deal Thursday a “conceptual agreement” for good reason.
With floor votes planned in three days, Brown officials and lawmakers are still filling out major details of cuts to welfare-to-work and health care for low-income children that will determine exactly how the budget will impact programs.
Thursday, June 21, 2012 – 08:45 a.m.
News coming across the transom this morning.
No healthcare ruling from Supreme Court
It looks like next week will be the week. Next Monday that is.
By Wes Woods II and Sandra Emerson
Created: 06/20/2012 06:08:08 PM PDT
UPLAND – City Manager Stephen Dunn this week pushed back against accusations that the city has asked the federal government to crack down on the G3 Holistic medical marijuana dispensary.
Attorney Roger Jon Diamond has said the city is out to get his client, G3 Holistic President Aaron Sandusky, for continuing to fight Upland over medical marijuana issues in court.
By Melissa Pinion-Whitt, The (San Bernardino County) Sun
Posted: 06/13/2012 11:29:27 AM PDT
COLTON – Carrying signs that said “Some Cuts Don’t Heal,” hundreds of nurses picketed in front of Arrowhead Regional Medical Center on Wednesday, seeking higher pay and more staff at the trauma center.
Members of the California Nurses Association have been trying to reach an agreement with San Bernardino County for more than three months, but the county hasn’t agreed to several demands made by the nurses.
By Dale Kasler
dkasler@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Jun. 13, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 4A
The California Public Employees’ Retirement System plans to raise health care premiums to its members by an average of nearly 10 percent next year, one of the biggest increases in recent years.
The increase of 9.6 percent would be more than twice as big as the rate hike that took effect for this year. It would have significant implications for health care affordability in California and beyond.
Jim Steinberg, Staff Writer
Created: 05/31/2012 07:29:20 PM PDT
By Jim Steinberg Staff Writer
COLTON – Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, the county’s hospital, stands to lose millions of dollars, if proposals under Gov. Jerry Brown’s revised budget become reality, county officials said.
Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Josie Gonzales said the proposals are “horrendous” because they could end up causing some to be denied care at a time when they need it most, after losing health insurance because they had become unemployed in the sagging economy.
PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
April 17, 2012 | 1:26 pm
A proposal by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco) that could make it easier to open medical marijuana shops in California was approved by the Assembly’s Public Safety Committee A proposal that could make it easier to open medical marijuana shops in California was approved Tuesday by the Assembly’s Public Safety Committee despite objections from cities and law enforcement agencies that it unreasonably ties their hands.
BY RICHARD K. De ATLEY
STAFF WRITER
rdeatley@pe.com
Published: 15 April 2012 02:18 PM
Advocates and opponents of California’s medical marijuana clinics are in a legal no-man’s land after a flurry of appellate court decisions that contradict each other on whether local governments can ban the dispensaries.
The decisions also conflict on how the clinics can supply themselves with marijuana.
Friday, April 6, 2012 – 06:00 p.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, April 7, 2012 – 12:00 p.m.
InlandPolitics. com has learned that Dr. Dev GnanaDev, medical director at San Bernardino County-owned and operated Arrowhead Regional Medical Center (ARMC), will step down from his position.
By Chad Terhune, Los Angeles Times
April 1, 2012, 9:42 p.m.
As doubts grow about the survival of the federal healthcare law, state officials are considering ways to keep key elements of the legislation alive in California.
Skepticism of the Affordable Care Act by conservative Supreme Court justices during oral arguments last week has raised the possibility the court will strike the individual mandate to purchase health coverage or throw out the entire law as unconstitutional.
Andrew Edwards, Staff Writer
Posted: 03/05/2012 02:28:28 PM PST
The latest development in the fight over medical marijuana could sharply limit cities’ power to prohibit marijuana dispensaries.
A recent opinion, from the division of the state’s Fourth District Court of Appeals that meets in Santa Ana, holds that since California law provides for dispensaries, cities cannot ban them by declaring them to be a public nuisance.
By Maura Dolan, Los Angeles Times
March 1, 2012, 7:48 p.m.
California cities may not ban medical marijuana dispensaries, but the operations may sell only weed that is grown on site, an appeals court ruled in an Orange County case.
PolitiCal
On politics in the Golden State
February 27, 2012 | 5:20 pm
Gov. Jerry Brown on Monday sounded still hopeful of gaining federal approval for more flexibility in administering the Medi-Cal health insurance program for the poor, even after having been rebuffed by the Obama administration.
Health & Welfare | Daily Report | Decoding Prime
February 23, 2012 | Christina Jewett
The president and chief executive officer of Prime Healthcare Services resigned yesterday, leaving as FBI agents are questioning former employees about the firm’s billing practices and state legislators prepare to question the company’s attorney in a Los Angeles hearing tomorrow regarding hospital reimbursement.
Prime confirmed the resignation in a statement released today.
By Peter Hecht
phecht@sacbee.com
Published: Monday, Feb. 6, 2012 – 12:00 am | Page 1A
Last Modified: Monday, Feb. 6, 2012 – 7:18 am
A proposed ballot initiative aimed for the November elections begs a key question looming over California’s medical marijuana industry: Can stricter state regulation keep the federal government from shutting it down?
January 21, 2012 10:13 AM
From Staff Reports
ONTARIO • Prime Healthcare Services, owner and operator of Victorville’s Desert Valley Hospital, was recently named one of the top 15 health systems in the United States by Thomson Reuters.
By Sandra Emerson, Staff Writer
Created: 01/19/2012 03:50:38 PM PST
RANCHO CUCAMONGA – G3 Holistic in Upland will be able to remain open.
A West Valley Superior Court judge ruled in favor of the medical marijuana cooperative because the case is under review by the California Supreme Court.
BY RICHARD K. De ATLEY
STAFF WRITER
rdeatley@pe.com
Published: 18 January 2012 03:51 PM
The California Supreme Court will review a city of Riverside medical marijuana case in which a lower court ruled that cities and counties have the right to ban dispensaries.
Local governments throughout the state have used that decision, issued in November by the Fourth District Court of Appeal, to shut down medical marijuana clinics within their boundaries.
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