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CMA Releases 2008 Health Plan Expenditures Report
Private health insurance companies regulated by the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) spend $6 billion each year on administration, and divert an additional $4.3 billion to profit, according to a report released today by the California Medical Association (CMA). Prepared using data obtained under the Knox Keene Act, the report breaks down how private health insurance companies spend their revenues.
CMA Releases 13th Annual Health Plan Expenditures Report
For the fifth year running, Blue Cross of California has spent less than 80 percent of premium dollars on patient care according to CMA’s 13th annual report examining annual health plan expenditures. Blue Cross, the state’s largest health insurer, spent 78.9 percent of its premium dollars on patient care in fiscal year 2004-2005, with 21 percent going to profits and administration.
Members, c lick on the "download" button below to download and view the report. Nonmembers can purchase this report for $15 from the CMA bookstore. (Members of the media, call CMA Media Relations at (916) 444-5532 for a complimentary copy.
Where Do Patients Go? Separating the Neediest from Health Care
The California Medical Assn. released a report calling on the State Legislature to make Medi-Cal a budgeting priority in conjunction with a request by CMA and The Alliance for Patient Care, a broad coalition of health care advocates, to increase Medi-Cal reimbursement rates. The white paper, "Separating the Neediest From Health Care," addresses the growing problem for Medi-Cal patients in finding care as escalating health care costs combine with declining reimbursements to leave fewer and fewer providers able to treat Medi-Cal patients.
Click on the "download" button below to download and view the report.
Hostile to Physicians, Harmful to Patients: Workers' Comp…Reform?
The Workers' Compensation reforms that took effect in 2004 were supposed to cut costs without harming patients or reducing care. The California Medical Association surveyed its membership this year to gauge how these reforms are working. CMA began compiling those responses this summer and they are issued now in the final report: “Hostile to Physicians, Harmful to Patients: The Workers' Compensation …Reform?”
Click on the "download" button below to download and view the report.
CMA Releases 12th Annual Health Plan Expenditures Report
CMA this week released its 12th annual “Knox-Keene Health Plan Expenditures Summary,” detailing the financial status of California's HMOs. This year's report shows that in 2003-2004 Blue Cross of California again continued to spend less than 80 percent of each premium dollar on medical care. Just 79.9 percent of its revenue went to patient care, with 20.1 percent going to administrative costs and profit.
Click on the "download" button below to download and view the report.
A System in Continued Crisis: CMA's 4th Annual ER Losses Report
Emergency department losses at hospitals throughout the state continued their upward surge as uncompensated care totaled $635 million in Fiscal 2002 – an 18 percent increase from the year before, the California Medical Association said today. In its fourth annual ER Loss Report, the CMA found that hospitals reporting data provided $460 million in uncompensated care in FY2002, according to filings with the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. Adding to that, physicians provided another $175 million in uncompensated care to patients during that fiscal year, which ended in June 2002. In FY2001, the total losses for physicians and hospitals had totaled $540 million.
Click on the "download" button below to download and view the report.
The ER Crisis: The Impact of the Uninsured on Emergency Care
In the past few years, the emergency rooms and trauma centers, which we all rely on for lifesaving care, have become the only source of medical care for millions of Californians. At the same time, scores of hospitals are losing money and closing, putting a greater burden on those hospitals that remain. The safety net is fraying. Today in California, the critically ill or injured are no longer assured of immediate, high quality emergency care. Unless something is done, the situation will only get worse.
Click on the "download" button below to download and view the report.
CMA Releases 11th Annual Health Plan Expenditures Report
CMA this week released its 11th annual “Knox-Keene Health Plan Expenditures Summary,” detailing the financial status of California's HMOs. This year's report shows that in 2002-2003, Blue Cross of California continued to spend less than 80 percent of each premium dollar on medical care. Just 78.9 percent of its revenue goes to caring for patients. The rest of the revenue went to administrative costs and profit.
Click on the "download" button below to download and view the report.
CMA Sets Out Goals For Workers’ Comp Fix; Calls for Better Data
CMA on Tuesday released a report that calls on the Legislature and the Governor to act deliberately and fairly in their approach Workers’ Compensation reform. CMA in its report says that any update of the workers’ comp system must provide improved data integrity, increased accountability in expenditure reporting, equity for providers, and comprehensive occupational medicine programs. The report also details problems with workers’ comp data currently available to the public, pointing out that the format of such data is misleading, inconsistently reported, and poorly interpreted.
Click on the "download" button below to download and view the report.
Prop 103 vs. MICRA:
The Flawed Analysis by the Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights
The argument that Proposition 103, the insurance reforms passed by voters in 1988 targeted primarily at auto insurers, is directly or indirectly responsible for keeping malpractice liability premiums in California lower than in other states is based on convenience and coincidence rather than evidence. There is plenty of evidence, however, that California’s Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act of 1975 has been the driving force that has kept premiums one-half to one-third below those in states without caps on non-economic damages and similar reforms. Here are some commonly held misconceptions about Prop. 103 and the facts to refute them.
Click on the "download" button below to download and view the report.
CMA's 10th Annual Knox-Keene Health Plan Expenditures Report (April 2003)
This is the tenth report published by the California Medical Association in regard to Knox-Keene Health Plan expenditures. This report is a compilation of expenditure data reported from managed care plans to the Department of Managed Health Care, and from reports provided by publicly traded plans to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. (While we believe that cost comparisons are a valuable tool in evaluating the performance of a health plan, we recognize that not all plans are alike. Therefore, we note that the reader must be careful of the many differing factors which limit the ability to make comparisons with this data.
Click on the "download" button below to download and view the report.
A System in Crisis: ER Losses Mount (February 2003)
In January 2001, the California Medical Association issued its first report detailing losses in California’s emergency system. Since then, losses have escalated in a dramatic fashion further jeopardizing a fragile emergency medical system. According to the latest data, hospital emergency room losses during Fiscal Year 2000-01 reached $389,574,454, up from of $324,699,115 in FY 1999-00, and $316,576,503 in FY 1998-99. In FY 2000-01, physician losses in emergency departments statewide surpassed $150 million. Combined ER and physician losses for FY 2000-2001 total $541 million. The financial impact of this red ink was felt across the state as 80 percent of emergency departments reported losses.
Click on the "download" button below to download and view the report. (Additional details are available at the California Physician website.)
2000-2001 Knox-Keene HMO Profit/Loss Report (March 2002)
CMA's 9th annual report on Knox-Keene health plans highlights a further monopolization of the health care market, with the closing of five for-profit health plans in California in the period covered by report. The report also shows that a majority of the for-profit health plans, spend between 12 and 33 percent of every dollar on profits and administration rather than patient care. Blue Cross, the largest for-profit health plan in California with more than 4 million enrollees, spent only 76 cents of every health care dollar on medical care and saw its profits rise 14.8 percent in the year 2000.
... And Then There Were None: The Coming Physician Supply Problem (July 2001)
This CMA report takes the pulse of the state's physicians. It finds physicians are pessimistic about the future of medical practice in California, and feel frustrated by interference from managed care, low reimbursement and the spiking costs of delivering high-quality health care to their patients.
Emergency Room Crisis - 2nd Annual Financial Loss Report (November 2001)
More than 82% of California's emergency rooms reporting financial data lost money last year. This annual financial report on the state of California's emergency and trauma system found emergency rooms statewide, reporting data to Office of Statewide Health Planning Development, lost a total of $325 million in fiscal year 2000, $8 million more than in the previous fiscal year.
California's Emergency Services - A System in Crisis (January 2001)
This CMA White Paper reveals a startling 80 percent of the hospital emergency rooms lost money in fiscal 1999. More than 9 million patients were treated that year in emergency rooms at an average loss of $46 per visit. Hospitals statewide lost $317 million in their emergency departments. Emergency physicians provided an additional $100 million in uncompensated care.
Every Patient Deserves a Doctor (April 2001)
This CMA report shows California ranked last among the states and the District of Columbia in managed-care Medicaid payments and 40th among Medicaid fee-for-service programs. The report draws on a number of studies and concludes over half of all Medi-Cal recipients struggle to find physicians who will accept them.
