Posts Tagged: payment

Insurer’s new policy limits access to cataract surgery

An ophthalmologist performs eye surgery on a patient. (Photo: PRESSLAB, via Shutterstock)

by CRAIG H. KLIGER posted 08.02.2021

OPINION: “I’ve fallen, and I can’t get up!” proclaims an elderly woman in a 1980’s commercial for LifeCall, a home system that summoned emergency care, but became the subject of derision and perhaps a bit of schadenfreude over time, spawning parodies. Of course,  it might seem funny until it’s you or a loved one, perhaps the victim of a fall due to poor eyesight.

PPIC: Who is losing ground in distance learning?

Two children receiving instruction via the internet. (Photo: adriaticfoto, via Shutterstock)

by NIU GAO, JULIEN LAFORTUNE and LAURA HILL posted 10.20.2020

The resurgence of COVID-19 over the summer and the predicted fall increase in cases means that many districts will continue some form of distance learning for months to come. Our findings show that distance learning has widened gaps for children of color, children in low-income families, and children of less-educated parents. More specifically, we find:

CalSTRS eyes hike in death benefit

Students in a classroom get instruction from a teacher. (Photo: Areipa.It, Shutterstock)

by ED MENDEL posted 09.09.2015

Because the system is underfunded, the CalSTRS board has made no inflation adjustment in the death benefit since 2002. The board was told that it could have increased the death benefit by about 34.7 percent during the period.

Brown, lawmakers hunt Medi-Cal money

Demonstrators seeking more funding for health care coverage gathered recently at the state Capitol. Inside, the Senate voted to expand coverage to undocumented choldren. (Photo: Alvin Chen, Capitol Weekly)

by VIRGINIA MCCORMICK posted 06.21.2015

Hoping to fill a “billion-dollar hole,” lawmakers were poised to gather in a special session to figure out new sources of funding for the state’s complex health care programs – including Medi-Cal.

Brain injuries in sports getting attention — finally

Young California football players practice for the big game. (Photo: bikeriderlondon, via Shutterstock)

by GEORGE VISGER and ERIC RATINOFF posted 05.19.2015

Over the years, traumatic brain injuries in sports were never really discussed and stories of career-ending accidents were often glossed over. However, the winds are changing. Individuals suffering from serious head injuries are gaining a voice and have begun raising awareness through both the media and legislative efforts. As more and more stories of career-ending injuries pepper the news, the topic is finally getting the attention it deserves.

Stockton out of bankruptcy, but pension legacy uncertain

A seal of the city of Stockton, Calf. (Photo: Astudio, via Shutterstock)

by ED MENDEL posted 03.02.2015

On the day that Stockton emerged from bankruptcy last week, ending 32 months of debt protection, the final court argument was about the “cram down” imposed on the only creditor that did not cut a deal.

Legislative legacy: Big bucks for retirees’ health care

Cannery Row workers of the 1950s depicted in an artistic cutout. (Photo: Mr. Interior/Shutterstock)

by ED MENDEL posted 12.22.2014

The debt or “unfunded liability” state Controller John Chiang reported last week for state worker retiree health care, $72 billion, is larger than the unfunded liability for state worker pensions reported by CalPERS in April, $50 billion. It’s a legislative legacy, a debt for state worker services received by one generation that lawmakers decided to let the next generations inherit.