California Inks Sweetheart Deal With Kaiser Permanente, Jeopardizing Medicaid Reforms
By Bernard J. Wolfson and Angela Hart and Samantha Young
February 3, 2022
KFF Health News Original
The backroom deal with politically connected Kaiser Permanente, which infuriated other Medi-Cal health plans, allows the health care giant to continue selecting the enrollees it wants.
KFF Health News Awards and Honors
By Kathleen Hayden
January 28, 2021
Page
KFF Health News has been recognized repeatedly by our peers in journalism with an increasing number of awards honoring our reports on the American health care system. 2024 AHCJ Award for Excellence in Health Care Journalism Health Policy, large division: David Hilzenrath of KFF Health News and Jodie Fleischer of Cox Media Group for “Overpayment […]
California Stands to Lose Big if US Supreme Court Cancels Obamacare
By Angela Hart
November 11, 2020
KFF Health News Original
California has more at stake than any other state should the U.S. Supreme Court strike down the Affordable Care Act. Millions of people could lose their health coverage and the state could lose billions in federal money each year.
As the Vulnerable Wait, Some Political Leaders’ Spouses Get Covid Vaccines
By Laura Ungar
January 8, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Spouses of governors and federal leaders are getting early access to scarce doses of covid-19 vaccines. Some officials have argued their inoculation sets an example for the public and shows the vaccines to be safe and effective. But critics say those doses should go to more vulnerable people first.
California’s Progressive — and Expensive — Health Care Ambitions Rely on Biden Win
By Angela Hart
November 2, 2020
KFF Health News Original
There couldn’t be more at stake for California’s Democratic health care agenda in the presidential race. State lawmakers are already penning big-ticket legislation they hope to pursue should Democrat Joe Biden win, from single-payer to a new wealth tax.
Vaccines Go Mobile to Keep Seniors From Slipping Through the Cracks
By Rachel Bluth
February 16, 2021
KFF Health News Original
A strike team of nurses and others is vaccinating Contra Costa County’s hardest-hit populations right where they live.
Health Care Groups Dive Into Property Tax Ballot Fight, Eyeing Public Health Money
By Angela Hart
October 19, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Health care leaders say Proposition 15, a ballot initiative that would raise property taxes for large-business owners, could help boost revenue for chronically underfunded public health departments.
Public Health Officials Are Our COVID Commanders. Treat Them With Respect.
By Angela Hart
September 1, 2020
KFF Health News Original
This pandemic is like war, and California’s local health officers are leading the state’s response. Yet unlike war heroes, who are lionized, they are facing unprecedented attacks and death threats.
California Expands Privacy Protection to Public Health Workers Amid Threats
By Anna Maria Barry-Jester
September 24, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom expanded a confidential address program to public health officials in the wake of ongoing threats made against them tied to pandemic safety precautions such as masks and stay-at-home orders.
It’s Not Just QAnon. Democrats and Independents Also Want to Recall California’s Governor.
By Angela Hart and Samantha Young
March 29, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Gov. Gavin Newsom is painting the effort to remove him from office as a partisan power grab. But among the tens of thousands of Californians who signed the recall petition are Democrats and independent voters frustrated by his pandemic policies, from school closures to vaccine distribution.
Mientras los vulnerables esperan, cónyuges de políticos reciben la vacuna contra covid
By Laura Ungar
January 8, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Los políticos que recibieron la vacuna junto con sus cónyuges dijeron que querían dar el ejemplo y generar confianza. Pero algunos cuestionan esta razón.
Blue Shield Spent Years Cultivating a Relationship with Newsom. It Got the State Vaccine Contract.
By Samantha Young and Angela Hart
March 19, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Insurance giant Blue Shield of California has made millions in charitable and political donations to Gov. Gavin Newsom over nearly two decades, largely to his dearly held homeless initiatives. In turn, Newsom has rewarded the insurer with a $15 million no-bid contract to lead the state’s covid vaccination distribution.
California’s Top Hospital Lobbyist Cements Influence in Covid Crisis
By Samantha Young
January 26, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Carmela Coyle, who represents California’s hospitals in the state Capitol, is a power player whose clout has grown during the pandemic. Though she hasn’t won every battle, she has helped shape the state’s response to the crisis.
A Biden Win and Republican Senate Might Lead to Gridlock on Health Issues
By Julie Rovner
November 4, 2020
KFF Health News Original
If Democrat Joe Biden is successful in his bid for the presidency but the Senate remains in GOP control, Democrats’ plans for major changes in health care may be curbed.
New Single-Payer Bill Intensifies Newsom’s Political Peril
By Angela Hart and Rachel Bluth
February 19, 2021
KFF Health News Original
With the introduction of a single-payer bill Friday, a group of California Democratic lawmakers set the terms of the health care debate in the Capitol this year. The move puts Gov. Gavin Newsom in a delicate political position, threatening to alienate voters as he faces a likely recall election.
Pregnancy Care Was Always Lacking in Jails. It Could Get Worse.
By Renuka Rayasam
February 23, 2024
KFF Health News Original
A lack of oversight and standards for pregnancy care in jails is becoming more problematic as the number of incarcerated women rises and abortion restrictions put medical care further out of reach.
Hard Lives Made Harder by COVID: Homeless Endure a ‘Slow-Moving Train Wreck’
By Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Angela Hart
October 8, 2020
KFF Health News Original
This was supposed to be the year California finally did something about its homelessness epidemic. COVID-19 upended that promise, along with the cobbled-together services many homeless people rely on for survival. Interviews across the state reveal a new magnitude of hardship and indignity for tens of thousands of people living on the streets.
With Becerra as HHS Pick, California Plots More Progressive Health Care Agenda
By Angela Hart and Samantha Young
December 10, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Gov. Gavin Newsom said he has already begun discussing California health care priorities with Xavier Becerra, tapped this week by President-elect Joe Biden to serve as his Health and Human Services secretary.
Long-Fought Nurse Practitioner Independence Bill Heads to Newsom
By Rachel Bluth
September 1, 2020
KFF Health News Original
The measure caps one of the most contentious health policy debates in recent memory, potentially altering how Californians get their medical care. Gov. Gavin Newsom has until the end of September to sign or veto it.
At A Time Of Great Need, Public Health Lacks ‘Lobbying Muscle’
By Angela Hart
June 15, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Public health officials are asking for more money in California’s state budget. But unlike some rich and powerful health care interests, they don’t have an army of lobbyists to curry favor with lawmakers.