Southern Inyo Hospital Administrator Lee Barron said her trip to Sacramento to save the hospital from devastating Medi-Cal cuts “did not go well.” She said she and officials from seven other facilities hoped the Department of Health Care Services would want to work with them. Barron said, “It was not like that at all.”
Assembly Bill 97 includes a 46% reduction in Medi-Cal reimbursements for Southern Inyo’s Skilled Nursing Facility. This would displace the elderly and frail residents and, as Administrator Barron said, “This could close our entire hospital. We are working on a contingency plan,” she said.
In addition to the reimbursement cuts, the State wants to retroactively collect $1.5 million from the small and struggling Southern Inyo Hospital. Barron said when she and other health care officials went to Sacramento recently for a meeting with the Secretary of the Department of Health Care Services, they were told the Secretary had another meeting to go to.
Two other Department representatives did meet with the group. Barron said officials in her group talked about the nearly complete lack of Medi-Cal beds anywhere close to their towns. The Department of Health bureaucrats did not show a desire to ease the pain of the threatened nursing facilities.
Barron said the whole situation is a matter of timing now. She said a lawsuit against the Medi-Cal cuts could go before the entire bench of the Ninth District Court of Appeals. That will not be known until the end of March. Also, another bill has been introduced to restore the Medi-Cal reimbursement rates. Word of that will also come out at the end of the month.
Barron said she and others are asking the Department of Health Care Services to wait until the legal process is done before they try to collect payments. Many are involved in this desperate problem – the California Medical Association, pharmacy groups, district hospitals, rural and urban facilities. Said Barron, “This could shut down facilities across the State.” She plans to go back to Sacramento next week to spread the word on what this would do to our area.
Barron said, “This will hurt our local economy, our health care and the personal side.” She pointed out that State government finances are much better than they were when AB97 was passed. Said the Administrator, “Just because a bill can be enacted does not mean it’s the right thing to do.” Barron urged local residents to continue to send letters to legislators whose aides told her that they were well aware of letters that have already arrived.
Emails:
Senator Jean Fuller email – <mailto:[email protected]>
[email protected]
Congresswoman Connie Conway – <mailto:[email protected]>
[email protected]
Letters can go to:
Diana Dooley
Secretary, DHCS (Department of Health Care Services)
PO Box 997413
Sacramento, CA 95889-7413
Toby Douglas
Director, DHCS
PO Box 997413 , MS:0000
Sacramento, CA 95889-7413
Senator Jean Fuller
18th Senate District
State Capitol, Room 3063
Sacramento, CA 95814
Fax: 916-322-3304
Fax: 661-323-0446
Assemblywoman Connie Conway
34th Assembly District
State Capitol Office Rm 2174
Sacramento, CA 94249-0034
Fax: 559-636-4484
I say we all call in sick and go fishing.
It’s OK Benett as I said before .. I consider the source. My reply to your post last night was not a slam, I did not mean to slam you or anyone, I was just making light of something I see that people seem feeel a need to do now… Read more »
While I may not agree with some things you say, I respect you for staying in balance and recognizing attacks.
BK
“Just be sure there’s not a bit of racism in your “Obummer” moniker. I don’t respect that.” Benett … where did I indicate any referral to his race in my comments on how I see him? I can and do take offense at that comment, it suggests that I am… Read more »
Unless a person is a card-carrying member of the Ku Klux Klan, it is doubtful anybody would openly admit they have a problem with a black president. You have to admit when an angry person like Big Al spouts off disrespectful slurs towards the President of the U.S. this may… Read more »
Tea Party revealed for the racists they are:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S38VioxnBaI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6aBGTqrfKg\
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHmxY7zE5uc&playnext=1&list=PLC3DE115E0D9C99EB&feature=results_main
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_m6XiOtla2o
No need to pick on Big Al. We’re just adults having conversations about our thoughts, right?
Benett
Sometimes it just hard to let Big Al go off without presenting a different point of view.
A lot of us don’t view our president as a “bummer.”
Childishly referring to the President of the United States as “Obummer” might be stretching it a bit as “adults having conversations.”
Unless you’re have a conversation with Rush Limbaugh.
Big Al did not make a derogatory description of the president. Wow… 25% are racially resentful… what % of the green or democratic party are reverse racially resentful? Your arguments hold no credibility. 75% of Americans like pizza. What does that mean? Pizza is good? I guess it depends what… Read more »
A derogatory name applied to a person is a lot different than liking pizza.
Benett
Ace –
Please view “Where Big Al gets his “facts”
Also note where he gets his cute little “Obummer” racial slams.
But I suppose the Constitution permits racial intolerance.
I’m sure glad you know the place where you think I get my facts. Is that fantasy in your mind, or do you know for sure I get my facts from that link, good luck with that. “Also note where he gets his cute little “Obummer” racial slams. But I… Read more »
tourbillion- if you had ever seen the inside of our bigger city health dept’s, you would not be cheering them on so much. We have it good up here , compared to most. Just don’t have a heart attack up here.
The Urgency is now! Wolf-PAC.com! When It comes to really getting something done, we all see the negative effects the corruptive influence of money has on almost every Service/Policy/Entitlement/etc.. And to get results in your favor it will always take more money to make it happen, Unfortunately Money has become… Read more »
In the long-run, expenditures related to healthcare programs such as Medicare and Medicaid plus social security recipients are projected to grow faster than the economy overall as the population matures. That’s why I am baffled at our so-called “TeaPartiers,” whom the majority are older Americans, who foam-at-the-mouth as the label… Read more »
Yeah I don’t understand it either, medias and other organizations have been playing us for fools when it comes to having all the info to make a well informed decision. I have really stepped up to take on the Wolf-PAC.com goals and objectives, if you check out the website and… Read more »
Applause! Applause Jeremiah! For the last decade or so, the far-right has been very good at whipping their followers into a lunatic frenzy. They’ve even demonized the word liberal to mean: evil, communistic, socialistic. As if everyone does not know the word liberal is far-right code for Democrat (See how… Read more »
If the shoe fits .. then wear it.
It’s not that they hate those who depend on food stamps and other help they need, it is that they hate the entitled ones, who feel they are entitled to everything free, the ones who can work but choose not too, why the hell should they, there are those in… Read more »
How about the multi-millionaires who feel “entitled” to millions more, at the expense of the hard-working public. While millions remain out of work, struggling to keep a home, these wealthy entitled cook up gambling schemes to bet on the hard working man’s mortgage failure. They go so far with risky… Read more »
A flood of recent complaints have surrounded the German banking giant Deutsche Bank. It has taken over properties across America, and in many cases has left anxious renters living in filth and insecurity, not knowing if they’ll soon be kicked to the curb. Roach infestations, cracks in the walls, mold… Read more »
Big Al – Like the word liberal, the far-right, led by clever pundits, Limbaugh, Coulter, Fox, Rove … have taken hostage of the word “entitlement” and have demonized it to their angst-ridden and poor self-esteemed legions who insist they are the “true patriots” of America. Repeat the message enough times… Read more »
Entitlement does = bad!
And how do you view the entitlement, social security, Big Al?
How about Medicare. Medicaid?
Good/Bad?
Which of these are you giving a thumbs-down to, Big Al? All of them? These could be considered socialistic, you know? 529 or Coverdell Home Mortgage Interest Deduction Hope or Lifetime Learning Tax Credit Student Loans Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit Earned Income Tax Credit Social Security–Retirement & Survivors… Read more »
government programs that are full of fraud, misuse,overpayment, And are generally not considered the ideal examples of how efficiently OUR tax money is spent…keep trying though
You still don’t get what I am saying .. entitlement is not a helping hand, which is what it has become, a way for a slackers to just lay back and collect money .. for doing nothing. All you hear is me saying everyone on the programs is abusing it.… Read more »
Just curious Big Al, have you given up any of yours? If so could you share which ones?
Hmmm. Very interesting. Big Al appears to demonize the presentation of facts then turns around and becomes didactic and preaches:
“Try listening long enough to hear what people are saying”
Whoa there, Big! Try following you own advice and these exchanges will become a bit more civil.
Sounds to me like Big Al likes to control the meaning of words.
It sounds as if to him, there are “good” entitlements and “bad” entitlements. And of course, typical of teabaggers, Big Al will dictate the “true” meaning of that word.
I wonder how he defines the word Liberal?
What our current president (“Obummer” as Big Al likes to put it) has accomplished … so far: •Obama has overhauled the food safety system •Advanced women’s rights in the work place •Ended Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT) in our military •Stopped defending DOMA in court. •Passed the Hate Crimes bill.… Read more »
As much as I can see President Obama being a part of the establishment that needs to be put in check, It’s nice to see he has worked hard, on key issues. Another fun fact for y’all; If we were to get all the taxes the country deserves from corporations… Read more »
I wonder if Big Al is a member of that angst-ridden Tea Party movement? I hope not. That group is a walking time bomb. You know a Teapartier as: Unproductive old people who obsess about “liberals” (code for Democrat), worship Sarah Palin, are drawing social security and medicare, and with… Read more »
One more thing though in case anyone is thinking this, I’m not for cutting medical for seniors or alike and I’m not a fan of the pharmaceutical industry by any means just for business in general. This is a huge subject that has many twists and turns which can’t be… Read more »
Perhaps it’s time to take a much closer look at the comparison of the health care systems in Canada and the United States. In spite of what some sources tell you (mostly from the AMA) I understand the majority of Canadians are pleased with their system. But or course, we… Read more »
A Canadian medical student visiting Bishop in recent times spoke at a dinner at Whiskey Creek which local doctors and other health care people attended. I was also there. He said that the Canadian people had either voted in large percentages or had responded to a survey (I can’t remember… Read more »
There is just something about those Canadians that I like. Like, before some events, when a few lines of “O Canada” are played, quite often the announcer will interrupt and say, “well, you know the rest of it … PLAY BALL!” If you tried that here, you might get arrested… Read more »
From the United Nations International Health Organization, 2011: Percentage of men and women who survived a cancer five years after diagnosis: U.S. 65% England 46% Canada 42% Percentage of patients diagnosed with diabetes who received treatment within six months: U.S. 93% England 15% Canada 43% Percentage of seniors needing hip… Read more »
As you may know, there are a lot of entries on the internet about this. People, including me, unable to find a United Nations International Health Organization or the Business News Daily article that supposedly quoted the statistics (??) With no verification of this, why not move on to the… Read more »
You are right. The U.S. has excellent health care — if you can afford it. But it’s not universal health care like the rest of the developed World has. And the U.S. is the ONLY country among the 38 so called “Developed” nations that does not have Universal health care.… Read more »
Tourbillion- your watching to much Fox News again.
Like Benett, I looked for “The International Health Organization” and couldn’t find it. There is the World Health Organization (WHO) but that’s not the organization you cited.
You can’t believe everything you read on the internet….
These statistics are readily available and have been widely quoted on the internet. The earliest reference is for 2009, and curiously enough, the numbers themselves are exactly the same. That, and the fact that there seems to be no “United Nations International Health Organization”, would seem to suggest that this… Read more »
I’m trying to understand why a person would view the goal of affordable healthcare for all its citizens as The Demon Socialized Medicine and therefore … “that’s that.”
Even more of a puzzlement is why those same types worship the rich.
Goodness, denial is not just a river in Africa, is it? OK, at the risk of utterly wasting my time doing a little research to educate ideologues desperately clinging to belief over fact, one more time (please unstop your ears one moment, education is not torture): As reported by the… Read more »
You’ll forgive me if I don’t accept your data, mostly unattributed. It is also difficult to compare procedures when not considering how many, how many individuals had the opportunity to have procedures, etc. No one is closing ears to fact. Here’s a fact – millions of Americans do not have… Read more »
Benett, the Blendon et. al. reference which Tourbillon does reference, is a legitimate source, whether you accept their data or not. The previously asserted data from the ‘United Nations International Health Organization’ is bogus, as is the reference.
I don’t know where Tourbillon gets his information from (I strongly expect it comes from The Rush Limbaugh Show, Fox News, Sean Hannity, or some other wacky far-right source) but this is from wikipedia (a non-political) source: Canadians strongly support the health system’s public rather than for-profit private basis, and… Read more »
We may have gotten a bit off track here but it’s a passionate subject for many here. I feel for the hospital workers big time and hope they get what’s deserved! Their service is vital to this part of the state and real lives are affected.
The trouble with this blog is that most of the bloggers are very one sided! They’re agains someone that’s risked their future for something better or against a man profiting from hard work while trying to keep what’s rightfully his. It’s crazy to see this many bothered by this. Is… Read more »
“Is this a left leaning blog?? Yes??” – SierraFan Now isn’t that funny? I would say this is a right-leaning blog.” Now what? Find out what we have in common? Realize we’re all in this thing together? Or cling to our postures and political positions and try our best to… Read more »
Meeting of the minds, Probably true but it sure seems that people are hoping that the top give freely to the lower income earners. And for what? More of a free ride. My point is, let’s work for what we want rather than looking for the op percent to hand… Read more »
SierraFan –
Please read “Disparity widens” post above.
Thanks.
The free ride is going to corporations, not workers. Food stamps and other forms of income support allow some very large corporations and a great many small businesses to pay below survival wages, knowing their workers can rely on public benefits to make up for their meager wages. Force firms… Read more »
SierraFan- So your saying I’m against a man keeping what is rightfully his, when your the one who spoke against people getting a pension.
I’m not against anybody who takes a risk and prospers legally. I’m against people who have a different set of standards for themselves then a second home owner who illegally rents.
Honesty isn’t a left or right issue and neither is greed!
Albert,
I think you’re looking for and commenting on a different subject!
Greed is pandemic in America today.
john – It went the people that need it the least. It’s called the trickle down theory.
Trickle-down economics – a rhetorical term for tax cuts on high incomes and business activity.
As labor continues to become seen as a globalized commodity, the power and earning ability of the average American worker will continue to decline. The gap between the rich and the poor will continue to expand. The giant international corporations and the elite power brokers of the world will continue… Read more »
This isn’t about solving the problems of the world. It’s about whether or not limited California funds can be redirected to save a critical access hospital. Since there aren’t enough funds to satisfy everyone some groups and individuals are going to be seriously hurt.
Before this last recession, wasn’t California the seventh or eighth largest economy in the world, just behind Russia? Where did all the money go?
In the preverbal pension river, subsidies, welfare, and on and on and on………
It used to be that we all worked for what we have but now it’s given away for free.
SierraFan –
Have you saved or are saving money each paycheck, etc. for your retirement?
I did, but I lost all of my employer contribution and earned interest in 2001, and again in 2008. Last quarter I finally grew back to the amount of money I had in 2001 before the stock market crash. That is twelve years of lost income and it is not… Read more »
I’m not hurting in that department because of wise business and investments, thank you.
Then what are you whining about?
SierraFan- Please tell what is wrong with working class people getting a pension? All the lost money has gone strait into the CEO’s , Board of Directors and stock holders personal bank accounts. The middle class working people in this country have been striped of almost all of their benefits… Read more »
It’s not given away for free. It’s taken from you by being forced to work for wages so low you can’t affort those things. And the workforce needs to be kept healthy so they can continue to work and create the wealth the top 20% think they are “entitled” to.… Read more »
“There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe… Read more »
Ken, Fair pay is needed, no doubt! That I don’t disagree with that. My argument is the inflated pensions these folks are afforded. I was a working class guy and burned by the CEO’s that you’re talking about but I decided to make a change and dos something about it!… Read more »
SierraFan –
I don’t know where you are getting your information from, but locally for example, Mono County employees contribute to their own pension from each paycheck.
Nothing is taken from your pocket or being given away.
I’m speaking of the bigger picture of California and area’s like Los Angeles, OC, SF, etc. not locally here. I should have clarified that point better.
I can use my dad’s experience as an example. If you work for the City of LA you do not pay into the Social Security payroll tax. That money is deducted from your pay, but it pays into the city pension plan. Same thing with CALPERS. In exchange, you do… Read more »
Funny you should mention California. It turns out that California has become the state that produces more jobs than almost any other state. And it’s tax rates are among the highest of any state. Coincidence or plan?? And all since Gov. Moonbeam took office. That’s got to hurt some of… Read more »
No. Californias overall tax burden as a percentage of it’s income is less than one percent from the national average. While the sales tax rate looks high, we do not tax foods, most pharmeceuticals, or any form of labor or services. Other states might claim a lower sales tax rate,… Read more »
We’re all thankful that that’s the case, now we need to get spending under control buy reducing or eliminating waste so we can do something with it.
California is a machine! We have the best overall climate, the ports, the most talent per capita and some of the cheapest labor (where most of the jobs are). We can go into all the reasons California might have the most job growth but “The Thesis” would be way too… Read more »
Nicely said SierraFan!
This may come as an utter surprise to you Ken Warner, but I have no problem whatsoever paying taxes. I like the services I get. In fact, I wouldn’t mind a uniform rate of tax on the income of individuals payable at the rate of say 12 -13% for an… Read more »
We still are the eight largest economy in the world.
On a National to a Local level we feel the corruptive influence of money hurting the small communities and business’s that have no lobbyists like those with deep pockets. Wolf-PAC.com !!!! How many of you actually contacted a rep?? To content to feel the need huh? LOL Just kidding. .… Read more »
Jean Fuller and Connie Conway are among the Republicans who oppose Medicare and want benefits cut. Good luck appealing for mercy from the likes of them. They are the ones stiffing small counties like ours, but you keep voting them in. Cognitive dissonance.
people in government care about 1 thing and 1 thing only.
PENSIONS
government gone wild…
Uh – oh! Sounds like upthecreek did not plan adequately for life after retirement and is now … um … up the creek.
But why the sour grapes towards those working in the public sector who have a pension plan?
That’s because the citizens are paying for their inflated retirement with our hard earned money. Just look at what is troubling the Los Angeles, FD, PD, Teachers, etc. I appreciate what they do but at the same time the system needs to be adjusted so it can’t be abused. Some… Read more »
SierraFan – In the United States, public sector pensions are offered by federal, state and local levels of government. They are available to most, but not all, public sector employees. These employer contributions to these plans typically vest after some period of time. These plans may be defined-benefit or defined-contribution… Read more »
Contribution pension plans,
I’m speaking of specific fields and NOT the military! Our vet’s deserve much more than what they’re currently receiving.
You sound a little bitter, poor career choice? You could always take a shot at being elected to the town council and collect their retirement package.
And some people whine about one thing and one thing only.
PENSIONS
whiners gone wild … wgw
Big Al, It’s not just the pensions but the abuse they use to improve what they’re going to be paid! These folks I mentioned deserve a pension but not at the rate and how many of them achieve it! On the backs of you and I. I guess if you… Read more »
If you know of abuse report it, but that a bit like the pot calling the kettle black!
If the present administration really cares about health care, then they can avert this, is it just me .. or does it seem like they want it to fail? That’s a terrible thought, but would we be surprised? OMG I hope not. Keep your eyes open. We need to work… Read more »
I wonder where Big Al was when the Bush Administration in 2004, signed a new Medicare prescription drug bill into law, President Bush presided over the largest entitlement expansion since the Great Society? But politics is (as they say) politics – and sometimes facts are completely forgotten trying to ace… Read more »
OK so I will expand on that post Dr. Facts .. lol .. So yeah “We didn’t start the fire .. the fire was always burning since the world was turning”. Obummer didn’t start this .. but his whole campaign was run on “Change” He was supposed to change things,… Read more »
Besides Dr. Facts ….. do you really believe obummer care is about us .. about helping Americans? Doesn’t anyone see how much more it is going to cost us all .. especially the middle class? People think that the pharmaceutical companies are raking it in now! … Wait till you… Read more »
Big Al, Where’s the proof for your statements? Attempts at reform of our health care system are not the bad guys. The pharmaceutical companies and health insurance companies are a big part of the problem. But, it’s far worse than this. It’s deep-seated and in serious need of examination. There… Read more »
I find it amazing that people believe the lies and distortions of reality that are propagated thorough various media. What you hear about the Affordable Health Care for America Act is largely sourced from large corporations trying to preserve or even increase their profits — that they hide in offshore… Read more »
First, it’s disrespectful to refer to our president as Obummer. Second, under Bush, Cheney mostly ran things including getting us into a war based on an untruth – WMD. The Patriot Act followed as did massive spending on the war that put us into huge debt with China. Warrantless searches… Read more »
Benett – Applause! Applause! It’s become obvious that a certain political element has infiltrated this otherwise useful and factual blog. The exchange of ideas and facts is good and even sometimes educational. You know them by their sophomoric-sounding bashing and childish name-calling. Their political agenda is obvious as some of… Read more »
Hi Bennett- I challenge you to find a country with universal healthcare where the majority of its subjects (citizens) still support it. If one is in favor of their tax rates jumping to 40% + then such a country is for them. I have talked to a number of Canadian… Read more »
I like your approach. But we must do something. In a country as wealthy as ours, there is no excuse for people suffering without care. Our government might think about ending the $2 billion a month or so expenditures on Afghanistan and Iraq (We still have thousands over there doing… Read more »
The financial cost of the War on Iraq (which no WMDs were ever found)has been more than $845 billion to the U.S. government. Critics have argued the total cost to the U.S. economy estimated to be as high as $3 trillion. Defense contractors Halliburton and Lockheed Martin made the most… Read more »
One more note on all of this. Curious about who actually owns Lockheed Martin, I googled it and found that basically the mega-banking, financial industry owns it – State Street Corporation, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, T. Rowe Price Associates, Charles Schwab Investment Management, etc. – The ones… Read more »
It’s a American problem! The sooner we get away form making the Left wing Vs Right wing arguments, and acknowledge the real problems (money in politics) and pick up the real solution to our problems (Wolf-PAC.com). If you haven’t clicked on the Wolf-PAC.com link I will explain the objective, It… Read more »
Joe’s challenge is absurd. Essentially all legitimate independent study of other countries reveals the superiority of centralized medicine, both in terms of care delivery AND citizen satisfaction. And I personally have innumerable international friends, and not ONE of them would trade their “socialized” care/benefits for a place in our so-called… Read more »
I don’t know where Joe gets his data from. But according to Wikipedia, this is how Canadians view their healthcare program: Canadians strongly support the health system’s public rather than for-profit private basis, and a 2009 poll by Nanos Research found 86.2% of Canadians surveyed supported or strongly supported “public… Read more »
Lockheed Martin is an American global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technology company with worldwide interests. It was formed by the merger of Lockheed Corporation with Martin Marietta in March 1995. It is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, in the Washington Metropolitan Area. Lockheed Martin is one of the world’s largest… Read more »
Critics of capitalism associate it with social inequality and unfair distribution of wealth and power; a tendency toward market monopoly or oligopoly (and government by oligarchy); imperialism, counter-revolutionary wars and various forms of economic and cultural exploitation; materialism; repression of workers and trade unionists; social alienation; economic inequality; unemployment; and… Read more »
Totally agree. There is just so much money, and if 1% or so have figured out how to corner it, others will suffer. Plain and simple. Will likely continue until crises occur and then people come to realize we’re all in this together – a fact that will assert itself… Read more »
Two important and easy things to do: 1) Take the influence of the money of big corporations out of politics by no longer holding that corporations have the same rights as people WRT campaign donations. We see what we get for all that money — a disfunctional government. 2) Don’t… Read more »
Hi again Bennett- I don’t see some of the names you mention “owning” Lockheed such as JP Morgan or Schwab but please understand that they do not own Lockheed as you suggest. They have purchased shares of LMT for their mutual funds which the public buys and owns, not the… Read more »
Here is my source. Check it out – http://stockzoa.com/ticker/lmt/
BK
Benett, if I felt he deserved my respect then I would give it to him. As far as I am concerned he has done nothing to credit the office he holds! If you feel that is respectful or disrespectful, that is your opinion and I respect that, even if I… Read more »
Just be sure there’s not a bit of racism in your “Obummer” moniker. I don’t respect that.
Benett
What the hell are our tax dollars going to? My Grandpa always said that men are supposed to take care of the women and children in this world. Not leave them dying in the street!