Thursday, October 17, 2002

Profusion of Health Care Laws Creates Compliance Problems for Health Plans
Feature article in Managed Care magazine - "For MCOs operating in more than one state, the push for local legislation has led to a complex patchwork of regulations, often rigged to explode with expensive fines for violators. Seeking to stay within the law, MCOs responded by constructing an expensive review process that often pits a state law against federal rules -- or one state law against another."  
  

Mental health gears for 'perfect fiscal storm' (California)
Eureka Times-Standard story on tyhe impact in Humboldt County of the recession that "this year pushed the state budget some $24 billion in the red, forcing lawmakers to make deep cuts to health and human services programs, which serve low-income families, as well as the elderly, disabled and those with drug or alcohol addiction." The story notes that Humboldt County "is one of only four counties in California that has consolidated its mental health, public health and social services branches into a single mega-department. This change, called realignment, allows the three branches to share revenues, which officials say helps deal with cuts during tight budget years."