Pauline Bartolone

Pauline Bartolone was a Sacramento correspondent for KFF Health News until September 2018.

@pbartolone

Shortage Of Insurance Fraud Cops Sparks Campaign Debate

KFF Health News Original

About a quarter of fraud investigator positions at the state Department of Insurance are open, and Steve Poizner has made the vacancies a focus of his campaign for insurance commissioner. His opponent, Ricardo Lara, says chasing criminals isn’t the only solution to rising health care costs.

Medicaid Expansion Making Diabetes Meds More Accessible To Poor, Study Shows

KFF Health News Original

The number of diabetes drug prescriptions filled for low-income people enrolled in Medicaid rose sharply in states that expanded eligibility for the program under the Affordable Care Act, according to a new study.

California’s ACA Rates To Rise 8.7% Next Year

KFF Health News Original

The average increase in California is smaller than the double-digit hikes expected around the nation, due largely to a healthier mix of enrollees and more competition in its marketplace. Still, health insurance prices keep growing faster than wages and general inflation.

In Health Care Arena, The Prize For Calif. Insurance Commissioner Is A Bullhorn

KFF Health News Original

The California Department of Insurance, headed by the commissioner, regulates only a small fraction of the market. But the job comes with a bully pulpit that amplifies its impact. Three of the four candidates would use it to push for a statewide single-payer system.

Safety Violations Compound Pain Of Painkiller Shortages

KFF Health News Original

California and federal officials have cracked down on a major compounding pharmacy they say posed a threat to public safety, but their actions are worsening shortages of medications that doctors rely on to keep their patients out of pain.

California To Drug Users: We’ll Pay For You To Test Your Dope

KFF Health News Original

Fentanyl, a significant cause of overdoses and deaths across the country, has begun showing up in California street drugs. State health officials have responded with a bold but controversial policy: paying for test strips so users can check their stash.

Drug Overdose Deaths Soar Nationally But Plateau In Some Western States

KFF Health News Original

Fatalities are climbing in states that have been flooded by the deadly opioid fentanyl, but are remaining flat — or even falling — in many Western states, where the drug has not yet been as common as other parts of the country.

Taking A Page From Pharma’s Playbook To Fight The Opioid Crisis

KFF Health News Original

Doctors and pharmacists in Northern California are emulating drug company sales reps with a fresh purpose in mind: They visit medical offices in the hardest-hit counties to change their peers’ prescribing habits and curtail the use of painkillers.

Hospitals Step In To Help House The Homeless. Will It Make A Difference?

KFF Health News Original

They say it will help reduce unnecessary ER visits and ensure better follow-up care. It’s also good P.R., and helps them meet their obligations to provide benefits to the community in exchange for significant tax breaks.

Estados extenderán la inscripción del Obamacare más allá del límite federal

KFF Health News Original

Varios estados evitarán este año una nueva regla de la administración Trump que reduce a la mitad el tiempo que los consumidores tienen para comprar un seguro médico individual en los mercados establecidos por ACA.