Ana B. Ibarra

Ana B. Ibarra was a reporter for KFF Health News until February 2020.

@ab_ibarra

Low-Income Californians Feel Twice The Burn From Wildfires

KFF Health News Original

People living near highways and agricultural and industrial zones get hit with a “double whammy” when smoke blows into their neighborhoods, where the air is often polluted already.

Cáncer, qué importa. En California, el café sigue siendo el rey

KFF Health News Original

A pesar de la pasión de los californianos por el café, a los vendedores les preocupa que las advertencias sobre el cáncer publicadas en sus puertas no se vean exactamente como señales de bienvenida

Cancer, Schmancer. In California, Coffee Is King

KFF Health News Original

The Golden State, with the rare support of the Trump administration, is seeking to circumvent a court order that would require cancer warnings in every establishment that sells a hot cup of Joe.

Battle Lines Drawn As Abortion-Rights Activists Leave Their Mark Outside Clinics

KFF Health News Original

Armed with poster board and catchy advertising slogans, abortion-rights activists in California and elsewhere are taking to sidewalks, buses and mobile phone apps to fight a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling in favor of crisis pregnancy centers.

Health Care Simmers On Back Burner In California Heartland’s Hot House Races

KFF Health News Original

After rallies and protests in the San Joaquin Valley congressional districts, the urgency over protecting coverage under the ACA seems to have waned — at least in the primaries. Three of four seats in the region are likely to remain red, political forecasters say.

Calif. Leads Nation In Pushing Back Against Trump Administration Health Policies

KFF Health News Original

In the face of federal efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, policymakers in the largest state are proposing laws and other changes to counter them. Beyond that, they’re aggressively pushing measures to expand health coverage beyond what the ACA envisioned.

Dialysis Patients Sign Up For November Ballot Fight

KFF Health News Original

Frustrated by dialysis centers they call dirty and understaffed, patients and health care workers rallied across California Thursday before delivering more than 600,000 signatures to election offices in support of a ballot initiative intended to improve patient care.

The Juul’s So Cool, Kids Smoke It In School

KFF Health News Original

The teenage smoking sensation appearing on high school campuses across the country is an easy-to-hide, high-nicotine device called the Juul. Educators and health care advocates fear that vulnerable young people may become addicted.

The Dream Among ‘Dreamers’ To Become A Doctor Now ‘At The Mercy’ Of Courts

KFF Health News Original

In September, the Trump administration announced its plan to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, setting off an ongoing political and legal battle that could doom the dreams of immigrant doctors in training.

Campus Voices: Should Student Health Centers Offer Abortion Pills?

KFF Health News Original

California lawmakers are considering a bill that would require student health centers at all of the state’s four-year public universities to carry the abortion pill. Students at campuses across the state sounded off on the proposal.

State Pay Cut For Dental Hygienists Who Serve The Poor Was Illegal, Court Finds

KFF Health News Original

California officials should have obtained federal approval before they cut reimbursement rates for dental hygienists who serve frail Californians living in nursing homes and board-and-care facilities, a judge has ruled.

Hospitals’ Best-Laid Plans Upended By Disaster

KFF Health News Original

An onslaught of fires, shootings and storms across the country last year tested hospital readiness. Now, leaders are using their experiences to address shortcomings that surfaced amid the chaos.