State Highlights: Medi-Cal Paid $4 Billion For People Who Were Possibly Ineligible, Audit Finds; As Suicides Rise, Minn. Depression Treatment Gets Low Marks

Los Angeles Times: California Spent $4 Billion On Medi-Cal For People Who May Not Have Been Eligible, Audit Finds
California spent $4 billion on Medi-Cal coverage between 2014 and 2017 for people who may not have been eligible for the government-funded health plan, according to a state audit released Tuesday. Medi-Cal provides health coverage to 13.1 million Californians, approximately one-third of the state’s population. To qualify, a single adult must make less than $16,754 annually. County workers typically determine whether someone is eligible for health coverage under Medi-Cal, then send that information to the state. But the records don’t always match up. (Karlamangla, 10/30)

MPR: Minnesota's Depression Treatment Outcomes Are, Well, Depressing
Minnesota's mental health system is largely ineffective at treating depression and hasn't improved, according to a new report from Minnesota Community Measurement. ...After 6 months of treatment only 8 percent of Minnesota patients have no symptoms — or at least fewer symptoms — of depression. The remission rate has been stuck at 8 percent for years. (Catlin, 10/30)

The Star Tribune: Minn. Business Leaders Urge Employers To Step Up On Depression Care
A group of Minnesota business leaders called on fellow employers Tuesday to upgrade their benefits packages and workplace attitudes in an effort to improve the treatment of depression and reduce the state's rising suicide rate. Citing reduced productivity and increased prescription drug costs, leaders with the Minnesota Health Action Group said companies have both economic and moral reasons to take on mental health. (Olson, 10/30)

Governing: How A Tiny Office In Ohio Is Transforming Health Care
The office was initially only meant to be a temporary solution to kick off [Gov. John] Kasich’s health agenda. “We were only supposed to be an 18-month strike team, get the right people working together, and then get out,” Moody says. But eight years later, the office is still alive. To be sure, it faces an uncertain future: Kasich will step down in January, thanks to term limits, and Moody left for a job at Ohio State University in August. The office itself is down to only two employees. But as Kasich’s administration comes to a close, it’s clear that the office he created has lived up to its name as a truly transformational force in health care. “The work of department heads is incredibly complex. It’s hard to get your head above the day-to-day,” says Trish Riley, executive director of the National Academy for State Health Policy. “When you have an office like this that respects and supports them to think big, it’s incredible -- especially as health care continues to cut across so many sectors.” (Quinn, 10/30)

The New York Times: In Echo Of Flint, Mich., Water Crisis Now Hits Newark
For nearly a year and a half, top officials in Newark denied that their water system had a widespread lead problem, despite ample evidence that the city was facing a public health crisis that had echoes of the one in Flint, Mich. ... But this month, facing results from a new study, the officials abruptly changed course, beginning an urgent giveaway of 40,000 water filters across the city of 285,000 people, targeting tens of thousands of residences. (Leyden, 10/30)

Sacramento Bee: Sutter Expands To Serve More Of Sacramento’s Frailest Seniors
The Sutter health care team that serves the Sacramento region’s frailest senior citizens on Tuesday opened a $11.6 million center that will allow staff to care for roughly three times the patients now seen in two smaller facilities. ...The new Sutter facility, at 444 N. Third St. in Sacramento’s River District, is part of a federal health initiative known as PACE, Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly, that treats the whole person rather than their set of medical conditions. (Anderson, 10/30)

The New York Times: A Novel Solution For The Homeless: House Them In Backyards
Now, as part of an unusual arrangement, Ms. Chavarria may soon be welcoming some of those homeless people into her backyard. Ms. Chavarria is one of several Los Angeles residents who are building additions to their homes that would be used by people emerging from homelessness. Faced with a major housing crisis, Los Angeles is trying out an idea that some hope is so wild that it just might work: helping homeowners build small homes in their backyards and rent them to people who have spent months living in their cars, in shelters or on the streets. (Medina, 10/29)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Two Years After It Started, San Diego Declares End To Deadly Hepatitis A Outbreak
Two years in, San Diego’s hepatitis A outbreak is finally over. Dr. Wilma Wooten, the county’s public health officer, said Monday that enough time has now passed to formally declare a curtain call for the contagion that killed 20, sickened nearly 600 and spurred a complete re-think of how the region handles homelessness.“ Last Thursday, it was officially 100 days since the most-recent case, and, for hepatitis A, that’s the threshold we use that allows us to say it no longer meets the definition of an outbreak,” Wooten said. (Sisson, 10/30)

The Associated Press: San Diego Hepatitis A Outbreak Ends After 2 Years
Local health authorities detected the infectious disease in February 2017. Investigators determined the first likely case occurred during the week of Nov. 22, 2016. The outbreak led to a focus on unsanitary living conditions among San Diego’s homeless population. City and county governments promoted vaccination, washed streets, installed portable toilets and hand-washing stations, and put up temporary shelters capable of housing 700 people at a time. (10/30)

Seattle Times: Seattle Tech Startup 98point6 Raises $50 Million For Virtual Doctor’s Visits 
Seattle startup 98point6, whose app lets consumers consult with a primary-care doctor via text messages, has raised $50 million from investors. The company launched its virtual primary-care service to the public this spring, allowing people to schedule consultations with 98point6’s full-time staff doctors and communicate with health-care providers mostly through messaging, with video and voice calls if necessary. The service costs $20 for the first year, then increases to $120 annually, and does not require insurance. (Lerman, 10/30)

The Star Tribune: Minn. Employer Health Costs Rise 5 Percent, With Small Businesses Feeling Squeezed
Employer-sponsored health plans in Minnesota are reporting a 5 percent increase in benefit costs for active employees, according to survey results released Tuesday, as small employers nationally say they are feeling more cost pressures. The survey from the consulting firm Mercer found that the average health benefit cost per active employee in Minnesota is now $13,228, with workers covering one-fourth of the total premium cost. (Snowbeck, 10/30)