Vanessa G. Sánchez

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vsanchez@kff.org
@vanesanchez_g

Language Service Cutbacks Raise Fear of Medical Errors, Misdiagnoses, Deaths

KFF Health News Original

Federal cuts are hurting community organizations in California that provide language assistance services to people who speak limited English. Despite President Trump’s executive order declaring English the national language, millions in the U.S. need help navigating the health system.

Newsom’s Pitch as He Seeks To Pare Down Immigrant Health Care: ‘We Have To Adjust’

KFF Health News Original

Gov. Gavin Newsom said that he’s proud his state expanded health care to all low-income residents regardless of immigration status but that tough budget times call for some adjustments. The Democrat’s new budget proposes scaling back benefits to adults living in the country illegally, as well as charging them a $100 monthly premium.

California’s Primary Care Shortage Persists Despite Ambitious Moves To Close Gap

KFF Health News Original

The state has in recent years embraced several initiatives recommended in an influential health care workforce report, including alternative payment arrangements for primary care doctors to earn more. Despite increasing residency programs, student debt forgiveness, and tuition-free medical school, California is unlikely to meet patient demand, observers say.

Immigration Crackdowns Disrupt the Caregiving Industry. Families Pay the Price.

KFF Health News Original

Families, nursing facilities, and home health agencies rely on foreign-born workers to fill health care jobs that are demanding and do not attract enough American citizens. The Trump administration’s anti-immigration policies threaten to cut a key source of labor for the industry, which was already predicting a surge in demand.

Progressives Seek Health Privacy Protections in California, But Newsom Could Balk

KFF Health News Original

Democratic state lawmakers in California have proposed bills to protect women, transgender people, and immigrants in response to concerns that their health data could be used against them. If the measures reach his desk, Gov. Gavin Newsom could lay such legislation aside to focus on securing federal funds.

Health Providers Gird for Immigration Crackdown

KFF Health News Original

Different states are offering starkly different guidelines to hospitals, community clinics, and other health facilities for interacting with immigrant patients as President Donald Trump issues a flurry of executive orders on immigration.

As States Diverge on Immigration, Hospitals Say They Won’t Turn Patients Away

KFF Health News Original

California and Massachusetts are teaching immigrants their rights while Florida and Texas are collecting patients’ immigration status. As states offer differing guidelines for interacting with immigrant patients, hospitals around the U.S. say they won’t turn people away for care because of their immigration status.

Hospitales dicen que no rechazarán pacientes, mientras los estados se posicionan sobre inmigración

KFF Health News Original

Mientras Trump inicia la “operación de deportación más grande” en la historia de la nación, estados han emitido pautas marcadamente diferentes a los hospitales, clínicas comunitarias y otros centros de salud, sobre cómo actuar con pacientes inmigrantes.

Trump Threat to Immigrant Health Care Tempered by Economic Hopes

KFF Health News Original

Donald Trump’s second term is reigniting mistrust in health services among California immigrants, making it harder for community health workers to get people enrolled in Medi-Cal. Yet the president-elect is also seen as someone who could improve their lives with a better economy, even if that means forgoing health care.

Inmigrantes temen por su salud bajo Trump, pero tienen esperanzas en la economía

KFF Health News Original

Los inmigrantes sin papeles han temido durante mucho tiempo que participar en programas gubernamentales los convierta en blanco fácil de las autoridades migratorias, y la elección de Trump ha exacerbado estas preocupaciones, según defensores comunitarios.

Immigration Detention Center Contractor Sues Over California Health Inspections

KFF Health News Original

A private immigration detention center contractor has sued to block a California law allowing local public health officials to inspect facilities in response to allegations of medical neglect or unsanitary conditions.

California Sets 15% Target for Primary Care Spending Over Next Decade

KFF Health News Original

The state Office of Health Care Affordability has set a goal for insurers to direct 15% of their spending to primary care by 2034, part of a push to expand preventive care services. Health plans say it’s unclear how the policy will mesh with the state’s overarching goal to slow spending growth.

California Expanded Medi-Cal to Unauthorized Residents. The Results Are Mixed.

KFF Health News Original

California this year completed its Medi-Cal expansion to include income-eligible residents regardless of their immigration status. This final installment of the “Faces of Medi-Cal” series profiles three of those newly eligible patients and how coverage has affected their health.

Can a $10 Billion Climate Bond Address California’s Water Contamination Problem?

KFF Health News Original

California voters will decide in November whether to approve a $10 billion climate bond that supporters say is needed to jump-start water system repairs for residents without safe drinking water. Opponents say those repairs should be prioritized in the state budget, not put on a credit card.

Health Secretary Becerra Touts Extreme Heat Protections. Farmworkers Want More.

KFF Health News Original

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra has a plan to protect farmworkers from extreme heat and wildfire smoke, but farmworkers who pick California grapes say they need more, as climate change brings more extreme weather.