Covered California to Cut Patient Costs After Democratic Lawmakers Win Funding From Gov. Newsom
By Angela Hart
July 27, 2023
KFF Health News Original
California’s health insurance exchange will reduce how much some patients pay for care next year, including hospital deductibles, appointment copays, and prescription drugs. Lawmakers pressed Gov. Gavin Newsom to make good on a four-year-old pledge to use proceeds from a tax penalty on uninsured people to help people pay for treatment.
Estudio revela que el mismo estado es responsable de la crisis de los sin techo en California
By Angela Hart
June 20, 2023
KFF Health News Original
La crisis de los sin techo en California es un problema estatal que se está agravando por la escasez de vivienda asequible y refugios de emergencia.
California’s Homelessness Crisis Is Homegrown, Study Finds
By Angela Hart
June 20, 2023
KFF Health News Original
University of California researchers found at least 90% of adults experiencing homelessness became homeless while living in the state, and many suffer depression and anxiety living without stable housing.
On the Brink of Homelessness, San Diego Woman Wins the Medi-Cal Lottery
By Angela Hart
June 13, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Annie Malloy, of San Diego, is among the first to receive a new housing move-in benefit from Medi-Cal, California’s Medicaid program. It’s an effort to help homeless and near-homeless people who might otherwise rack up huge medical bills.
GOP Lawmaker Calls for Tracking Homeless Spending, Working With Democrats on Mental Health
By Angela Hart
March 29, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Republican state Sen. Roger Niello wants to know whether taxpayers are getting their money’s worth before spending more. Yet the fiscal conservative from the suburbs of Sacramento sees opportunities for bipartisanship on mental health.
Gobernador de California y legisladores demócratas discrepan sobre el uso de miles de millones de dólares en fondos de salud
By Angela Hart
May 30, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Los líderes demócratas dijeron que la táctica de Newsom de retener el dinero para el fondo general es una “estafa”.
California Governor and Democratic Lawmakers at Odds Over Billions in Health Care Funds
By Angela Hart
May 30, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Gov. Gavin Newsom is getting pressure from his political allies to begin spending money on health care that the state raised by fining Californians who go without health insurance. But Newsom says the state can’t afford to.
California’s Medicaid Experiment Spends Money to Save Money — And Help the Homeless
By Angela Hart
April 19, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s ambitious experiment in health care is supposed to cut costs as it fills the needs of hard-to-reach people. The program’s start is chaotic and limited, but it shows promise.
Prescription for Housing? California Wants Medicaid to Cover 6 Months of Rent
By Angela Hart
March 22, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Gov. Gavin Newsom is making a bold push for Medicaid health plans to provide more housing support. He argues it’s cheaper to pay for rent than to allow homeless people to fall into crisis, which requires costly care in hospitals, nursing homes, and jails.
California eligió a la compañía de genéricos Civica para producir insulina de bajo costo
By Angela Hart
March 18, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Civica está desarrollando tres tipos de insulina genérica, conocida como biosimilar, que estarán disponibles tanto en viales como en plumas inyectables, a un costo de entre $30 y $55.
California Picks Generic Drug Company Civica to Produce Low-Cost Insulin
By Angela Hart
March 18, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Gov. Gavin Newsom, who blasted pharmaceutical companies for gouging Californians, is moving ahead with state-branded insulin. He’s also eyeing other generic drugs.
Two Counties Square Off With California Over Mental Health Duties
By Angela Hart
March 15, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The state wants to stop paying Kaiser Permanente for treating severely mentally ill Medi-Cal patients in Sacramento and Solano counties and force the counties to take on the task. The counties’ leaders say they can’t afford it.
‘The Country Is Watching’: California Homeless Crisis Looms as Gov. Newsom Eyes Political Future
By Angela Hart
February 9, 2023
KFF Health News Original
As Gov. Gavin Newsom enters his second term, his legacy as governor and path forward in the Democratic Party hinge on his making visible headway on California’s homeless crisis. We lay out the possibilities — and challenges — as he unleashes an $18 billion battle plan.
California’s Mental Health Crisis: What Went Wrong? And Can We Fix It?
October 19, 2021
KFF Health News Original
KHN’s Angela Hart leads a lively discussion on the challenges facing California’s mental health care system and potential solutions. The panel was part of a broader symposium on mental health and addiction hosted by the Sacramento-based publication Capitol Weekly.
California acumula multas de residentes sin seguro en lugar de reducir los costos de la atención
By Angela Hart
November 14, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Se suponía que los ingresos por estas multas ayudarían a financiar los subsidios estatales para los californianos de ingresos medios y bajos que compran cobertura a través de Covered California.
California Stockpiles Penalties From Uninsured Residents Instead of Lowering Care Costs
By Angela Hart
November 14, 2022
KFF Health News Original
California is collecting hundreds of millions of dollars a year in tax penalties from uninsured residents. The state was supposed to use the money to help lower costs for Californians who couldn’t afford insurance but hasn’t distributed any of the revenue it has collected — citing uncertain economic times.
KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: A World Without ‘Roe’
June 30, 2022
KFF Health News Original
The Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade has created far more questions than it has answered about the continued legality and availability of abortion, as both abortion rights supporters and anti-abortion activists scramble to put their marks on policy. Meanwhile, Congress completes work on its gun bill and the FDA takes up the problem of the next covid-19 booster. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Victoria Knight of KHN join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Angela Hart, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR “Bill of the Month” episode about two identical eye surgeries with very different price tags.
‘Separate and Unequal’: Critics Say Newsom’s Pricey Medicaid Reforms Leave Most Patients Behind
By Angela Hart
October 12, 2022
KFF Health News Original
MLK Community Hospital in South Los Angeles is surrounded by poverty, homeless encampments, and food deserts. Even though California Gov. Gavin Newsom is funneling billions of taxpayer money into an ambitious initiative to provide some low-income patients with social services, hospital executives and other critics say it won’t improve access to basic care.
‘He Stood His Ground’: California State Senator Will Leave Office as Champion of Tough Vaccine Laws
By Angela Hart
September 6, 2022
KFF Health News Original
California state Sen. Richard Pan, who spearheaded some of the country’s most ambitious vaccine mandate legislation, is leaving office this year because of term limits. A pediatrician, he plans to practice medicine full time but has not ruled out a future run for office.
California Gov. Newsom Pins Political Rise on Abortion, Guns, and Health Care
By Angela Hart
August 10, 2022
KFF Health News Original
As California Gov. Gavin Newsom claims the role as the national Democratic Party’s political attack dog, he is trolling red-state governors over their positions on guns and abortion. He’s also making a case for himself — with health care front and center.