There’s a new ‘Medicare-for-all’ bill in the House
by Shefali Luthra MEMBERS of the House on Wednesday, February 27 offered their version of a “Medicare-for-all” bill that is broader than what’s been put forth by Sen. Bernie Sanders…
Read More
Detention centers in California lack oversight and proper care, reports find
by Anna Gorman and Ana B. Ibarra Staff members at immigration detention centers in California delayed medical appointments for patients complaining of shortness of breath. They inadequately supervised suicidal youths….
The measles success story in California is showing signs of fading
by Harriet Blair Rowan A rash of recent measles outbreaks in New York, Texas and Washington state shines a light on California’s largely successful effort in recent years to suppress…
Trump highlights health agenda with vow to lower ‘unfair’ drug prices
by Julie Rovner and Ana B. Ibarra IT was not the centerpiece, but health was a persistent theme in President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address at the Capitol on Tuesday…
Community hospitals link arms with prestigious facilities to raise their profiles
by Sandra Boodman After seven years of a vigorous fight, Jim Hart worried he was running out of options. Diagnosed with prostate cancer at age 60, Hart had undergone virtually…
Trump zeroes in on surprise medical bills in White House chat with patients, experts
by Emmarie Huetteman PRESIDENT Donald Trump on Wednesday, January 23, instructed administration officials to investigate how to prevent surprise medical bills, broadening his focus on drug prices to include other…
Providers walk ‘fine line’ between informing and scaring immigrant patients
by Ana B. Ibarra While the Trump administration decides whether to adopt a controversial policy that could jeopardize the legal status of immigrants who use public programs such as Medicaid,…
Newsom diverges sharply from Washington with health care budget
by Samantha Young and Ana B. Ibarra Kaiser Health News SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday unveiled his first state budget, one that leads California down a very different…
Federal shutdown mostly spares health coverage, but other issues loom
The length of the shutdown will dictate how furloughed and unpaid workers will be affected by Julie Appleby Kaiser Health News As the partial government shutdown drags on, about 800,000…
En route to Congress, California democrats hit wall on ‘Medicare-for-all’
by Samantha Young WASHINGTON, D.C. — Each of the seven California Democrats who flipped Republican congressional seats in the midterm election campaigned for more government-funded health care — with most…
Covered California pops and locks through enrollment season
by Anna B. Ibarra SACRAMENTO, Calif. — What do hip-hop dancing and health insurance have in common? For one, you sure do hope that the break dancer busting backflips is…
No-go on drunken driving: States deploy breathalyzers in cars to limit road deaths
by Ana B. Ibarra Kaiser Health News ’Tis the season to be a little too merry, and law enforcement officials across the country are once again reminding revelers not to…
5 ways nixing the Affordable Care Act could upend the entire health system
by Julie Rovner Kaiser Health News If Friday night’s district court ruling that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional were to be upheld, far more than the law’s most high-profile…
Health care is where the jobs are: But what kind of jobs?
by Rachel Bluth More Americans are now employed in health care than in any other industry. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, which tallies job creation, says that for most of…
Need health insurance? The deadline is Dec. 15
The woman arrived at the University of South Florida’s navigator office in Tampa a few weeks ago with a 40-page document describing a short-term health insurance plan she was considering….
More than half of California nursing homes balk at stricter staffing rules
by Barbara Feder Ostrov | California Healthline MORE than half of California’s nursing homes are asking to be exempted from new state regulations that would require them to spend more time…
Medicare cuts payments to nursing homes whose patients keep ending up in hospital
by Jordan Rau The federal government has taken a new step to reduce avoidable hospital readmissions of nursing home patients by lowering a year’s worth of payments to 778 California…
After terribly deadly flu season, California aims to track deaths more closely
by Harriet Blair Rowan California’s Department of Public Health says the flu killed 329 people under age 65 in the last flu season, from October 2017 to August 2018. But…
Nonprofit bets Asian-American students can learn to avoid unhealthy gambling
by Katherine Kam The students listened attentively as Ryan Wong explained how casinos keep customers chasing that elusive jackpot. Labyrinthine layouts force guests to walk past card tables and slot…
Attention, marketplace shoppers: Don’t delay on 2019 enrollment
by Michelle Andrews Don’t procrastinate. Most consumers who buy their own insurance on the federal health insurance marketplace face a Dec. 15 deadline. Advocates are reminding these customers that if…
Smoke-filled snapshot: California wildfire generates dangerous air quality for millions
by Harriet Rowan At 11 a.m. last Friday, November 16, thousands of former Paradise, Calif., residents were taking stock of all they had lost to the worst wildfire in the…
Fish oil and vitamin D pills no guard against cancer or serious heart trouble
by Liz Szabo A widely anticipated study has concluded that neither vitamin D nor fish oil supplements prevent cancer or serious heart-related problems in healthy older people, according to research…
Covered California pops and locks into enrollment season
by Ana B. Ibarra SACRAMENTO — What do hip-hop dancing and health insurance have in common? For one, you sure do hope that the break dancer busting backflips is covered….
California dreamin’? With Newsom’s win, single-payer unlikely to follow anytime soon
by Samantha Young Californians on Tuesday, November 6, elected a governor who campaigned for a complete overhaul of how people get their health coverage — but they shouldn’t hold their…
Hello? It’s I, Robot, and have I got an insurance plan for you!
by Barbara Feder Ostrov “Anna” will not stop calling. She really, really wants to sell you health insurance. What a lot of consumers really, really want is to smack Anna…
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…
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…