Health
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- Written by: Editor
LAKEPORT – The urology group associated with Sutter Medical Group of the Redwoods (SMGR) has begun a urology practice in Lakeport at Sutter Lakeside Hospital.
This group provides the finest in patient care in treating diseases of the urinary tract for men, women and pediatric patients, as well as in addressing conditions associated with the male reproductive system.
“We are very excited to welcome the SMGR urology group to Sutter Lakeside,” stated Dr. Diane Pege, Vice President of Medical Affairs at Sutter Lakeside Hospital. “We have needed local expertise in urology for many years and we are elated they are on our team.”
Dr. Uzay Yasar, Dr. Robert James and Dr. Thomas Duckett have combined expertise in treating urological and genitourinary disorders such as bladder pain treatment, prostate and bladder cancer surgery, complex kidney and urethral stone removal, impotence and infertility, and male and female incontinence to name a few.
To expedite procedures and speed recovery, the SMGR urologists use state-of-the-art, minimally invasive robotic and laparoscopic techniques for prostate and kidney surgery that replace a majority of formerly open surgical processes.
The urology group will see patients on Fridays, with expanded office hours as demand increases. Their office is located on the Sutter Lakeside Hospital campus at 5150 Hill Road East, Suite C (this is the same office Dr. Anne Tait uses from Monday to Thursday).
For more information, or to make an appointment, call 707-263-3520.
Visit www.sutterlakeside.org to learn about all of the services available at Sutter Lakeside Hospital and to hear from patients and physicians in our new testimonial video. We are: With You. For Life.
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- Written by: Lake County Public Health
LOWER LAKE – Lake County Public Health will offer free H1N1 vaccinations on Wednesday, March 3, at Lower Lake Elementary School.
The clinic will take place from 2:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the school, located at 9430 Lake St.
People of any age (over 6 months) are welcome, but children who need a first or second dose are especially encouraged to come to this clinic.
Children under age 10 years need two doses of H1N1 vaccine separated by at least one month.
Coming soon are additional opportunities to get vaccinated. Designated pharmacies throughout Lake County will soon be able to offer vaccinations free-of-charge, primarily for older children and adults.
Information about locations, dates, hours and any age restrictions will be advertised in the near future.
In addition, Lake County Public Health on 922 Bevins Court will offer vaccinations from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays throughout the month of March. Families with young children are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity.
People of all ages are strongly encouraged to get vaccinated against H1N1 influenza. This will help prevent a resurgence of disease over the coming months and will prepare for the upcoming influenza season.
The H1N1 vaccination is recommended for protection throughout the spring and summer. The seasonal influenza vaccine that will be available in the fall will also be recommended because it will protect against other strains of influenza and will strengthen immunity against H1N1 in people who were previously vaccinated.
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- Written by: Office of the California Attorney General
Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr., who has an ongoing investigation into possibly illegal practices by some California health insurers, has subpoenaed financial records and other documents from California's seven largest health insurance companies.
"We have been looking at these companies for a number of months and are very concerned that some of them are unjustly raising premiums and denying payment of legitimate claims," Brown said. "Not only are the rate increases devastating to Californians strapped by the economy, but in some cases, they are possibly illegal."
"Our best attorneys are going to get to the bottom of this, and where we find violations of California's unfair business laws, we intend to stop them," Brown added.
Brown subpoenaed records from Aetna Health, Anthem Blue Cross, CIGNA, Health Net, Blue Shield of California, Kaiser Permanente and PacifiCare.
The subpoenas cover pay-for-service health plans, which are health plans that reimburse doctors and hospitals for services performed instead of a health maintenance organization (HMO) approach.
Brown revealed that his office served subpoenas to those same companies last month regarding their managed care plans, known as HMOs.
Brown said the insurance companies have 30 days to hand over their financial and other records.
The attorney general began an official inquiry last September into HMO practices of reviewing and paying insurance claims submitted by doctors, hospitals and other medical providers.
The investigation was prompted by reports that California's five largest health insurance providers were denying insurance claims at rates of up to 39.6 percent.
Recently, Anthem Blue Cross announced to its members that it planned to hike premium rates by as much as 39 percent. Brown's investigation will probe whether the other health plans are planning similar rate hikes and will consider whether Anthem's steep rate increases for individual California consumers are fair under California law.
The investigation will include an examination of how much the plans are spending on health care versus non-health care costs such as marketing, administration and profits. The plans have been asked to provide detailed information on how they spend policy-holders' premiums and how they review claims and decide whether and how much to pay the doctor or hospital for the service.
The investigation also will examine:
Member and medical provider complaints against the health plans describing payment delays, reduced payments and denials of payment claims, and the health plans responses to those complaints;
How health plans determine doctor and hospital rankings and whether those rankings mislead customers on quality;
Whether the health plans intend to raise premiums, and, if so, whether the plans disclosed the amount and frequency of the premium increases at the time of enrollment;
Whether the health plans offer alternative policies to members when they increase premiums and whether the plans may deny enrollment in the alternative policies based on preexisting conditions.
Brown's investigation will look for violations of law, including California's Unfair Competition Law (Business & Professions Code section 17200) and False Advertising Law (Business & Professions Code section 17500). These laws prohibit "any unlawful, unfair or fraudulent business act or practice" and the use of "false or misleading statements" to the public.
The attorney general is authorized to prosecute violations of the Unfair Competition Law criminally or file a civil law enforcement action to obtain an injunction forcing the company to stop the business practices, restitution of money to affected consumers and civil penalties beyond those available to private parties.
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- Written by: Office of Congressman Mike Thompson
WASHINGTON, DC – On Wednesday, North Coast Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA) voted to help lower health insurance costs by ending health insurers’ exemption from federal antitrust laws.
The Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act, H.R. 4626, would subject health insurance companies to federal antitrust laws, holding them to the same standards as everyone else.
“We need to bring down the cost of health care and make quality health care accessible to more people. By eliminating this exemption, it will make it more difficult for health insurance companies to avoid competition,” said Congressman Thompson. “And increased competition will benefit consumers. Recent rate hikes in California by Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield underscore the need for health insurance reform. It’s absurd that consumers will face up to 39 percent increases in their rates, and we must do all we can to make sure that there is fair regulation of the health insurance market. This bill is a good step forward in the health reform process.”
Since 1945 health insurance companies have been exempt from all federal antitrust laws. According to a recent study by the American Medical Association, there have been more than 400 mergers among health insurers in the past 14 years.
As a result, in 94 percent of the metropolitan areas in the U.S., the health insurance markets are now “highly concentrated,” according to long-established antitrust standards, and lack meaningful competition.
Under the bill, health insurers will no longer be shielded from legal accountability for price fixing, bid-rigging, unfair division of market territories, and other anti-competitive practices.
This act will also allow the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission to investigate any suspicion of collusion and hold the insurance companies accountable.
While this bill removes the antitrust exemption, it does not change any state-based systems of regulation or taxation.
This legislation will hold health insurers subject to both federal antitrust law and state regulations, and will force insurance companies into increased competition with one another and move the United States toward a fair and affordable health insurance market.
The bill now heads to the Senate for consideration.
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