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…
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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…
Children’s hospitals look to voters for financial aid
California’s children’s hospitals say they’re struggling to keep up with advances in medical care and a growing demand for their services, and they’re asking taxpayers to help — again. The…
LA County unlawfully terminated thousands of Medi-Cal recipients, court rules
By Anna Gorman Los Angeles County unlawfully dropped an estimated 22,000 people from California’s Medicaid program, including low-income seniors and disabled residents who couldn’t get vital medications and medical care…
Gubernatorial hopefuls look to health care for election edge
by Pauline Bartolone California’s leading gubernatorial candidates agree that health care should work better for Golden State residents: Insurance should be more affordable, costs are unreasonably high, and robust competition…
Inadequate oversight allows poor care at California nursing homes to go unchecked, state audit finds
by Anna Gorman California health regulators have allowed poor care to proliferate at nursing homes around the state, and the number of incidents that could cause serious injury or death…
Family caregivers finally get a break – and extra coaching
WASHINGTON — For today, there are no doctor’s visits. No long afternoons with nothing to do. No struggles over bathing — or not. At the National Gallery of Art in…
‘A persistent puzzle’: Californians embrace Medicaid — but food stamps? Not so much
by Anna Gorman and Harriet Rowan Millions of low-income Californians eligible for food stamps are not receiving the benefit, earning the state one of the lowest rankings in the nation for its…
4 new ways you can avoid fines for not having health insurance
There are already more than a dozen reasons people can use to avoid paying the penalty for not having health insurance. Now the federal government has added four more “hardship…