How to Avoid Surprise Bills — And the Pitfalls in the New Law

Patients are no longer required to pay for out-of-network care given without their consent when they receive treatment at hospitals covered by their health insurance since a federal law took effect at the start of this year. But the law’s protections against the infuriating, expensive scourge of surprise medical bills may be only as good ...

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Health District Investigating Discrepancy With CDC COVID Data

The Southern Nevada Health District is looking into a data discrepancy that shows Clark County in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “high” transmission tier, a health official said Wednesday. CDC data showed the county in the highest transmission tier on Tuesday because it had a case rate over 100 per 100,000 people. Cassius ...

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Site That Lets Consumers Compare Hospital Prices Goes Live

Dive Brief: * An online tool that allows patients in markets across the country to compare prices for hundreds of hospital services before getting treatment has launched in its beta development stage. * Turquoise Health’s platform uses cost data from machine-readable files made public by hospitals as part of compliance with a federal price transparency rule that ...

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Congress To Grant 5-Month Extension For Pandemic Telehealth Flexibilities With Omnibus Bill

The extension would leave the flexibilities in place for 151 days after the end of the federal public health emergency, which currently expires in April but is expected to be extended into July.

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California Employers Without Retirement Plans Must Enroll In State Program By 6/30/2022

California enacted a new law in 2016 requiring employers that do not already sponsor an employee-retirement plan to participate in a state-run retirement program called CalSavers. Employers with 5 or more employees (of any type – full time, part time, seasonal) must enroll in the program by June 30, 2022.

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California Unemployment Rate Holds Amid Inflation Worries

California’s unemployment rate held steady in January as the nation’s most populous state added 53,600 jobs in a sign the economy is slowly returning to pre-pandemic levels.

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California Aims To Limit Health Care Costs With New Office

Now, instead of relying on the market or the courts to keep health care prices in check, California Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to order the state’s hospitals, doctors’ offices and insurance companies to keep their costs below a certain level. If they don’t, the state could impose a hefty fine.

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Sacramento’s Sutter Health Defeats Federal Antitrust Challenge Filed By Employers, Patients

Sacramento-based Sutter Health successfully defeated a class-action lawsuit alleging that it had used its market power to negotiate higher rates from major insurers, thereby assuring inflated premiums for roughly 3 million employers and individuals. Jurors returned a verdict Friday in the antitrust trial before Federal Magistrate Laurel Beeler in U.S. District Court in San Francisco. ...

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Flexible Work Schedule Bill Gets Support from Chambers

The California Chamber of Commerce and a coalition including numerous local chambers of commerce are supporting legislation that allows for an employee-selected flexible work schedule. AB 1761 (Voepel; R-Santee) relieves employers of the administrative cost and burden of adopting an alternative workweek schedule per division, which accommodates employees, helps retain employees, and allows the employer to invest these ...

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Top Pfizer and Moderna Executives Diverge on Need for Fourth Covid Shot

Top executives at two of the biggest Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers are split over how necessary a fourth dose is for most of the world’s population. Pfizer Inc. Chief Executive Officer Albert Bourla said in a CBS interview on Sunday that protection from three shots will wane and a fourth dose is needed “right now”. Then, ...

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