The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
Barbara Feder Ostrov was a senior correspondent for KFF Health News until 2020.
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No longer able to get exemptions for personal beliefs in California, parents opposed to inoculations seem to be obtaining medical exemptions for their children, according to a new study.
With limited federal subsidies under the GOP health care bill, experts say states like California and New York would be under pressure to cut costs. That could mean shrinking benefits and dropping the prohibition against charging sicker patients higher premiums.
They want the state’s new tobacco tax to help pay for a raise in Medicaid rates, but so far Gov. Jerry Brown has other plans for that money.
More than 6,000 workers had levels in their blood that could lead to heart, kidney or cognitive disease, according to state findings.
Medi-Cal has become the payer of first resort for many Californians unable to afford the long-term care they need.
Mental illness is common — and so are misperceptions about it. These too-often-believed myths can be harmful to you and your loved ones.
A small group of advocates and entrepreneurs is using mobile phones and digital scales to make a difference in the health of poor people, too.
The experiment in private partnership begins in Palo Alto, Calif.
But the authors caution against concluding that folic acid is ineffective.
Vomiting, breathing problems, lethargy, unconsciousness result from pirate pills laced with fentanyl.
They recognize the responsibility, but some may need training.
Seniors slammed with big premium increases face tough choices.
Researchers say tests could be faster, cheaper, more accurate.
A better way to communicate with patients and track their progress?
Faced with the possibility of a tax penalty, many people scrambled to enroll, and the exchange extended the deadline for those who officially started the process as of Jan. 31.
The proposed compromise would avert $1 billion in budget cuts but still must be approved by a two-thirds majority in the legislature.
Poverty and mental illness are among problems keeping about two-thirds of those infected — mainly minorities — from receiving treatment.
Tuesday is the deadline to sign up for health coverage that begins in January, so Covered California is boosting enrollment efforts in certain underserved communities.
The move signals growing recognition of HIV/AIDS’ transformation from a death sentence to a serious but manageable disease.
Federal policy requires that California broaden taxes on insurers to fund Medicaid, but state insurers and many Republican legislators are opposed.
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