KHN on the Air This Week
October 30, 2020
KFF Health News Original
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
California’s Reboot of Troubled Medi-Cal Puts Pressure on Health Plans
By Bernard J. Wolfson
Photos by Heidi de Marco
September 21, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The nine commercial insurers in Medi-Cal must reapply by submitting bids for new contracts. The state hopes the process will improve care for low-income residents and tighten accountability, something critics say has been missing.
KHN on the Air This Week
October 16, 2020
KFF Health News Original
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Vaccination Chaos in California Fuels Push to Recall Gov. Newsom
By Angela Hart
January 29, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The growing public backlash over California’s messy vaccine rollout is putting immense pressure on Gov. Gavin Newsom, a first-term Democrat facing a Republican-driven recall effort.
California Budget Reflects ‘Pandemic-Induced Reality,’ Governor Says
By Angela Hart
January 12, 2021
KFF Health News Original
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2021-22 budget blueprint would direct billions in state covid assistance to schools, businesses and the state’s vaccination effort. But he didn’t propose more funding for the state’s 61 local health agencies, which have taken on increased responsibility for testing, contact tracing and enforcement of health orders.
California’s COVID Enforcement Strategy: Education Over Citations
By Angela Hart
December 22, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Gov. Gavin Newsom said in July that California would target businesses that flagrantly violate public health orders. But the state’s strategy of education over enforcement means that businesses that don’t comply face few — if any — consequences.
California Lawmakers to Newsom: Give All Immigrants Health Coverage
By Angela Hart
December 7, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Given the pandemic’s disproportionate hit on minority communities, two Democratic lawmakers are pushing Newsom to agree to offer health care to all unauthorized immigrants. They planned to unveil legislation Monday — and a new strategy to make it happen.
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 Pulitzer Prizes Public Service, Finalist: David Hilzenrath of KFF Health News and Jodie Fleischer of Cox Media Group for “Overpayment Outrage” series AHCJ Award for Excellence in Health […]
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.
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.
It’s Not Just QAnon. Democrats and Independents Also Want to Recall California’s Governor.
By Angela Hart 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.
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.
Blue Shield Spent Years Cultivating a Relationship with Newsom. It Got the State Vaccine Contract.
By Samantha Young 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 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.
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.
New Single-Payer Bill Intensifies Newsom’s Political Peril
By Angela Hart 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.
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.
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.
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.
