Healthcare Roundup: Healthcare Workers Bonuses, Mental Health Funding, Gender Affirming Care & More

CA Lawmakers Budget Bonus for Health Care Worker

The massive $300 million budget approved by California lawmakers last week has generally been acknowledged as a placeholder that technically meets the June 15^th constitutional deadline for getting a spending plan in place, thus allowing pols to keep getting paid while they work toward an agreement by the July 15^th hard deadline. But while that means a lot of haggling is still to be done on many fronts, it seems assured that roughly 600,000 Golden State health care workers will divvy up around $933 million as a bonus for their work during the pandemic.

Details are pending, but state health officials said the incentive pay would be exempted from taxes. Bonuses are expected to be $1,000 for full-time workers and $750 for part-time workers. (SACRAMENTO BEE, SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS)

TX House Speaker Pitches Mental Health Funding

In the wake of a mass shooting at an Uvalde elementary school that left 19 students and two teachers dead, Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan (R) proposed redirecting more than $100 million in state funding to mental health and school safety programs before school starts again in the fall. Lawmakers are out of session until January, so shifting the dollars will require undertaking a special process called budget execution. (TEXAS TRIBUNE, DALLAS MORNING NEWS)

HI To Require Coverage for Gender Affirming Care

Hawaii Gov. David Ige (D) signed legislation (HB 2405) that requires Aloha State health insurers to cover gender-affirming care. The law also applies to mutual benefit societies and health maintenance organizations. (HAWAII NEWS NOW)

 --Compiled by RICH EHISEN