A Billionaire Tax Is on California’s Ballot. Can It Make Up for Federal Healthcare Cuts?
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California Bureau
Visit californiahealthline.org for an archive of reporting prior to October 2025.
1-20 of 1,979 results
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Next Governor To Face Thorny Choices After California’s Rapid Medicaid Expansion
Medi-Cal, the nation’s largest Medicaid program, was in trouble even before the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Rapid expansion, spiraling costs, and billions in federal funding cuts will mean tough challenges for California’s next governor. On the campaign trail, the two men running for the job have offered few answers.
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Hidden Help
What Texas Reveals About the Obstacles to Getting Hospital Financial Aid
Hospitals can prevent medical debt by offering financial help before sending big bills. A Tradeoffs investigation found that nearly half of nonprofit facilities in Texas say they will bill patients before screening them for aid. And most will not offer refunds to patients who pay and are later found to qualify for free care.
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California’s Billionaire Tax Promises Healthcare Relief. The Fine Print Is Murkier.
An initiative on the California ballot would levy the nation’s first wealth tax on billionaires. Supporters say the proceeds would help offset President Donald Trump’s sweeping healthcare cuts. But critics argue that the temporary infusion of cash is a giveaway to politicians.
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Hidden Help
Medical Debt Is Crushing Hospital Patients in Los Angeles. Health Officials May Have a Fix.
In Los Angeles County, the nation’s most populous, a new system could screen hospital patients for financial aid, preventing hundreds of thousands from getting bills they can’t pay.
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Midterms Have Revived Universal Healthcare Debate. These States Are Ahead of Everyone.
While Democratic congressional candidates are floating the restoration of federal Affordable Care Act subsidies and Medicaid funding, Oregon officials are crafting a more ambitious plan to implement universal coverage in their state.
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Hidden Help
Hospitals Have a Little-Known Tool To Prevent Medical Debt. Here’s How It Works.
Getting financial assistance from hospitals often involves filling out cumbersome forms. Some states now require hospitals to identify and automatically enroll patients eligible for charity care.
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US Poised To Boot Legal Immigrants From Medicaid, Including Refugees and Sex-Trafficking Victims
The Congressional Budget Office estimated 100,000 more immigrants will be uninsured by 2034 because of Medicaid eligibility changes under President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act that take effect Oct. 1. A KFF Health News survey of nine states found many more are at imminent risk of losing health coverage.
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Journalists Discuss What RFK Jr. Recently Told the Anti-Vaccine Group He Founded
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
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Cost-Saving Medicaid Meal Deliveries Threatened by Cuts, Policy Uncertainty
An experiment to provide meals to some Medicaid recipients shows food can be cost-effective medicine. But even as federal officials tout the power of nutrition, Medicaid budget cuts could lead states to think twice about covering healthy food for sick residents. One has already reconsidered.
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California Eyes Prison Heat Protections That Fall Short of Workplace Standards
California is crafting weaker heat protections for prisons than other workplaces, citing billions in costs to cool aging institutions as climate and health risks increase. It’s a second-class standard, health and safety advocates say, and would leave correctional workers more susceptible to heat illness.
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Growing Up Scared
A Generation of Kids Suffer as Trump Destabilizes Immigrant Families
Children in immigrant families are facing health threats from President Donald Trump’s policies: separation from parents detained or deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, economic and housing instability, withdrawal from health and nutrition programs, and an overarching environment of fear.
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Indigenous Groups Are Exempt From Medicaid Work Rules, but Native Hawaiians Aren’t
Native Hawaiians will have to comply with the new work requirements in President Donald Trump’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act, despite facing significant obstacles to employment and healthcare.
By Ashley Mizuo -
Rural Americans Wait After Judge Delivers Mixed Ruling on Digital Equity Dollars
A federal judge ruled that President Donald Trump can’t unilaterally kill the $2.75 billion Digital Equity Act, but he also sided with the administration by saying using race as a factor in awarding the grants is unconstitutional. The split decision has halted digital-skills programs for ethnic and racial minorities.
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When a Friend Becomes a Caregiver
People outside the family frequently step into helping roles when older adults need assistance.
By Paula Span -
‘It’s Triage’: California’s Next Governor Will Face Destabilizing Surge in Uninsured
The nation’s uninsured rate hit a historic low when Xavier Becerra was health secretary. Now he wants to be California’s next governor as states stare down the biggest rise in the uninsured rate in a generation.
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The New Old Age
Why Older Pedestrians Fare Worse in Car Crashes
People age 65 and up are more likely than other age groups to die after being hit by a vehicle.
By Paula Span -
In Toss-Up House District, Voters Crave Leadership To Fix Broken Healthcare
Voters in California’s 22nd Congressional District call healthcare a top priority in November’s midterm elections. Although challenger Randy Villegas has built a following among residents craving change, undecided voters say they want to hear more from the Democrat and from GOP incumbent Rep. David Valadao on their affordability plans.
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California Weighs Penalties for Healthcare Providers That Don’t Rein In Costs
About half of U.S. adults say they can’t afford healthcare. California is among at least eight states that have set spending growth targets for the healthcare sector. It may soon impose enforcement penalties aimed at pushing hospitals and other providers to meet those goals.
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How Much of a Cancer Drug Is Too Much? Patients, Researchers Challenge FDA-Approved Dosages
Patients and researchers point to evidence that many cancer drug dosages are excessive, and that reducing the amount and frequency could save billions of dollars and prevent some of the worst side effects.
By Arthur Allen