When High Deductibles Hurt: Even Insured Patients Postpone Care
The number of Americans with high-deductible health plans is growing, along with the fear that even insured people won’t get the care they need because it’s too costly.
Pauline Bartolone
Pauline Bartolone was a Sacramento correspondent for KFF Health News until September 2018.
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California Valley Fever Cases Highest On Record
Nearly 5,400 cases of the soil-borne fungal disease were reported in 2016, the largest number since the state began tracking the illness in 1995, according to public health officials.
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The Union That Roars: Nurses Aren’t Giving Up On California’s Single-Payer Push
The California Nurses Association, representing some 100,000 registered nurses, is regarded statewide and nationally as a progressive political powerhouse. “Politicians are afraid” of the activists they turn out, said one critic.
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Do Best-Selling Drugs That Calm Stomachs Damage Kidneys? The Answer’s Unclear.
With flawed systems for tracking the side effects of prescription drugs, a link between proton pump inhibitors and kidney disease suggested by research cannot be proven. Patients who swear by the drugs hope it won’t be.
By Sydney Lupkin and Pauline Bartolone -
To Save On Medi-Cal Costs, A Bid To Help Homeless Patients With Rent Money
California lawmakers consider a bill to use state money to help homeless Medi-Cal patients pay rent — shifting their focus from sheer survival to wellness. The move could save taxpayers millions, advocates say.
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Negotiating Drug Prices: Should State Agencies Band Together?
A California lawmaker wants to strengthen collaboration among public agencies to bring down costs to taxpayers.
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California Lawmakers Consider Mandatory Labels On Salon Products To Protect Workers
Bill would require disclosure of potentially harmful chemicals used in hair treatments, nail polish and other substances used in salons.
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Can We Tax Away The Opioid Crisis?
Lawmakers in California, like their counterparts in Congress, are considering a tax that would pay for addiction prevention and treatment efforts.
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While Washington Fiddles, Calif. Leaders Forge Ideas For Universal Health Care
But it could take years to achieve coverage for everyone — if it happens at all.
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To Save On Drug Costs, Insurer Wants To Steer You To ‘Preferred’ Pharmacies
Blue Shield of California is hoping to steer consumers to "preferred" pharmacies where drugs are cheaper and copays lower.
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Repeal & Replace Watch
For California’s Smallest Businesses, Obamacare Opened The Door
The state has one of the highest rates of small business owners who get health coverage through the Affordable Care Act.
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Drug Prices, Opioids, And Obamacare: A Conversation With Assemblyman Jim Wood
Wood, who chairs the Assembly Health Committee, lays out his priorities for 2017.
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Repeal & Replace Watch
‘Not Turning Back’: California Governor Vows To Protect State’s Health Care
Gov. Jerry Brown said he will work with other governors and lawmakers to prevent a loss of federal health dollars that could “devastate” the state’s budget.
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Repeal & Replace Watch
One GOP Plan Says Calif. And Other States That Like Their Obamacare Can Keep It
States could continue to cover people under the ACA or create new approaches, according to a bill introduced Monday. Many Democrats fear such state options won’t draw enough federal funding and will fragment coverage nationwide.
By Chad Terhune and Pauline Bartolone -
Amid Sign-Up Surge, Covered California Extends Enrollment Deadline
Despite health law uncertainty, more than 25,000 new consumers chose new plans in just two days this week.
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Environmentalists Offer To Help Protect Health Care Under Trump
After the recent election of Republicans who have vowed to repeal the Affordable Care Act, one of the nation’s oldest environmental groups says it’s on board to help save it.
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In House Majority Leader’s Calif. District, Many Depend On Health Law He Wants To Scrap
Some of Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s constituents fear his vow to repeal Obamacare now and replace it later could rob them of coverage.
By Pauline Bartolone and Emily Bazar -
California Braces For Medi-Cal’s Future Under Trump And The GOP
California officials jumped at the chance to cover millions more low-income people by expanding its Medicaid program. Now, health policymakers and advocates fear the Trump administration and a Republican-ruled Congress will roll back the state’s progress.
By Anna Gorman and Pauline Bartolone -
Back To The Future: Insurance Pools For High-Risk Patients Could Be Revived
Trump and leading Republicans like the idea. Some policymakers and experts say it wasn’t viable in the first place.
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California’s Drug Price Initiative: Will Voters ‘Send A Signal To Washington’?
Despite heavy opposition from the pharmaceutical industry and skepticism from policy experts, many voters see Proposition 61 as a way to protest the nation’s mounting drug prices.
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