Pricey precision medicine often financially toxic for cancer patients
by Liz Szabo When Kristen Kilmer was diagnosed with incurable breast cancer at age 38, her first thought was of her 8-year-old daughter. Kilmer lost her own mother as a…
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Health care tops guns, economy as voters’ top issue
By Phil Galewitz HEALTH care has emerged as the top issue for voters headed into the midterm elections, but fewer than half of them say they are hearing a lot…
Drugmakers funnel millions to lawmakers; a few dozen get $100,000-plus
Before the midterm elections heated up, dozens of drugmakers had already poured about $12 million into the war chests of hundreds of members of Congress. Since the beginning of last…
Fact check: Who’s right on protections for preexisting conditions? It’s complicated
by Julie Rovner Ensuring that people with preexisting health conditions can get and keep health insurance is the most popular part of the Affordable Care Act. It has also become…
Doctors give Medicare’s proposal to pay for telemedicine poor prognosis
by Phil Galewitz The Trump administration wants Medicare for the first time to embrace telemedicine across the country by paying doctors $14 for a five-minute “check-in” phone call with their…
New Medicare advantage tool to lower drug prices puts crimp in patients’ choices
by Susan Jaffe Starting next year, Medicare Advantage plans will be able to add restrictions on expensive, injectable drugs administered by doctors to treat cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, macular degeneration and…
California’s uninsured rate declined last year despite federal efforts to roll back ACA
by Phil Galewitz The percentage of people without health insurance continued to decline in California last year, according to a closely watched report from the Census Bureau released Wednesday. The…
Cancer, schmancer — In California, coffee is king
by Anna B. Ibarra SACRAMENTO, Calif. — It turns out that California and the Trump administration do agree on at least one thing: Don’t mess with coffee. Trump’s hand-picked food…
Over past 20 years, the percentage of children with adhd nearly doubles
by Rachel Bluth The number of children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has reached more than 10 percent, a significant increase during the past 20 years, according to a…
Californians living longer with cancer — some longer than others
by Anna Gorman AS he grew older, Dale Kunitomi paid closer attention to his health — and to his doctor’s advice. When he noticed rectal bleeding in 2010, he went…
Breathing ‘a chore’: California wildfires threaten the health of young and old
Debbie Dobrosky noticed a peculiar hue in the sky on Monday — “a very ugly yellow casting” — as she peeked outside. A large cloud of smoke had begun to cover…
Expansion of short-term health plans a non-starter in California
by Julie Appleby and Alex Leeds Matthews THE planned expansion of short-term health plans under a new Trump administration rule unveiled this week is on a crash course with a brick wall in…
For many college students, hunger can ‘make it hard to focus in class’
by Michelle Andrews As students enter college this fall, many will hunger for more than knowledge. Up to half of college students report that they were either not getting enough to…
How soon is soon enough to learn you have Alzheimer’s?
by Alex Smith Jose Belardo of Lansing, Kan., spent most of his career in the U.S. Public Health Service. He worked on the front lines of disasters in such other…
Top Trump health official takes swipes at ACA, single-payer in enemy territory
by Chad Terhune SAN FRANCISCO — Stepping into the land of the Trump resistance, Seema Verma flatly rejected California’s pursuit of single-payer health care as unworkable and dismissed the Affordable…
From crib to court: Trump administration summons immigrant infants
The Trump administration has summoned at least 70 children under 1 year old to immigration court for their own deportation proceedings since Oct. 1, according to new Justice Department data…
‘Like a ghost town’: erratic nursing home staffing revealed through new records
by Jordan Rau Kaiser Health News Most nursing homes had fewer nurses and caretaking staff than they had reported to the government, according to new federal data bolstering the long-held…
A hospital’s human touch: Why taking care in discharging a patient matters
by Judith Graham California Healthline THE kidney doctor sat next to Judy Garrett’s father, looking into his face, her hand on his arm. There are things I can do for…
Support circle: Family caregivers share stories and tips to ease Alzheimer’s toll
by Blake Farmer Nashvilla Public Radio VICKI Bartholomew started a support group for wives who are caring for a husband with Alzheimer’s disease because she needed that sort of group…
Money for housing Californians with mental illness heads to ballot box
Los Angeles County is facing a public health crisis: More than one-quarter of its 53,000 homeless residents struggle with mental illness. “When you’re homeless on the street, your life is…
ACA protections for sick patients still popular despite gop’s efforts to end them
by Jordan Rau Even as many Republicans continue to back a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, a majority of GOP voters want to retain a core consumer protection of…
Defendants in diapers? Immigrant toddlers ordered to appear in court alone
by Christina Jewett and Shefali Luthra As the White House faces court orders to reunite families separated at the border, immigrant children as young as 3 are being ordered into court for…
Under pressure, Calif. lawmakers ban soda taxes for 12 years
California’s cities and counties will be barred from adopting soda taxes for the next 12 years under a legislative deal that marks a big victory for the influential beverage industry…
1 in 5 immigrant children detained during ‘zero tolerance’ border policy are under 13
by Shefali Luthra and Marisa Taylor The Trump administration has detained 2,322 children 12 years old or younger amid its border crackdown, a Department of Health and Human Services official…
Calif. Exchange Chief Sees No Rate Impact From Latest Trump Challenge To ACA
By Barbara Feder Ostrov / California Healthline Covered California’s premiums are expected to rise significantly next year, but the head of the state’s insurance exchange said the Trump administration’s legal bid…
California’s Attorney General Vows National Fight To Defend The ACA
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra pledged on Friday, June 8, to redouble his efforts as the Affordable Care Act’s leading defender, saying attacks by the Trump Administration threaten health care…
Could California shape the fate of the affordable care act in November?
by Chad Terhune, Pauline Bartolone,Ana B. Ibarra and Alex Leeds Matthews IN the state that’s leading the opposition to many of President Donald Trump’s health policies, California voters will face a stark choice…
In health care arena, the prize for Calif. insurance commissioner is a bullhorn
by Pauline Bartolone The person who wins the four-way race to become California’s next insurance commissioner will inherit a job with broad authority over policies that cover homes, businesses, cars…
Health care looms large in race for California’s top cop
Attorney General Xavier Becerra uses a well-worn refrain to describe his role as the state’s chief law enforcement officer: to defend California’s values. “If that translates into fighting Donald Trump,…
‘Time’s Up’: Covered California to enforce quality and safety targets
by April Dembosky, KQED Covered California, the state’s health insurance marketplace under the Affordable Care Act, has devised what could be a powerful new way to hold hospitals accountable for…