New California Law Eases Aid-in-Dying Process
By Bernard J. Wolfson
December 3, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Nearly 2,000 terminally ill Californians have used a 2015 law to end their lives with a doctor’s assistance. A revision of the law will make it easier to do so.
Your Out-of-Pocket Health Care Costs Need Not Be a Mystery
By Bernard J. Wolfson
November 15, 2021
KFF Health News Original
A new California law requires health insurance companies to notify consumers how much remains on their deductibles and how close they are to their annual out-of-pocket spending limits.
Layers of Subcontracted Services Confuse and Frustrate Medi-Cal Patients
By Bernard J. Wolfson
December 22, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Many of the 14 million patients in Medi-Cal are in managed care health plans that outsource their care to subcontractors or sub-subcontractors. For patients with difficult health care needs, it can be hard to know where to turn.
California Law Aims to Strengthen Access to Mental Health Services
By Bernard J. Wolfson
November 1, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The law doesn’t take effect until July, but its passage should force insurers to expand their rosters of therapists. Here’s how you can challenge your health plan’s mental health services until then.
Nueva ley de California facilita el proceso de ayuda para morir
By Bernard J. Wolfson
December 3, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Una modificación a la ley vigente reduce el tiempo entre las peticiones necesarias para obtener los medicamentos para terminar con la vida. También protege más a los pacientes.
Wildfire Smoke Is Here to Stay. Here’s How to Clean the Air Inside Your Home.
By Bernard J. Wolfson
September 28, 2021
KFF Health News Original
There are many ways to cleanse indoor air of dangerous smoke particles, which are particularly harmful to people with chronic respiratory and cardiac conditions. Some are expensive, but cheap alternatives exist.
Tu gasto de bolsillo en atención médica no debe ser un misterio
By Bernard J. Wolfson
November 15, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Una ley de California firmada por el gobernador Gavin Newsom en octubre puede ayudar a clasificar una maraña de facturas médicas para entender qué cubre el plan de salud y cuándo comenzará la cobertura.
Shift in Child Hospice Care Is a Lifeline for Parents Seeking a Measure of Comfort and Hope
By Bernard J. Wolfson
Photos by Heidi de Marco
September 22, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Terminally ill children, unlike adults, can get hospice services while continuing to receive life-extending or curative care. More than a decade after the inception of the federal policy, it is widely credited with improving the quality of life for ailing children and their families, even as some parents find themselves in a painful stasis.
Atención primaria directa con un toque de Robin Hood
By Bernard J. Wolfson
October 26, 2021
KFF Health News Original
St. Luke’s Family Practice es una respuesta local a los problemas sistémicos de la sanidad estadounidense, como el agotamiento de los médicos, la insatisfacción de los pacientes y el hecho de que millones de personas sigan careciendo de asistencia.
Effort to Decipher Hospital Prices Yields Key Finding: Don’t Try It at Home
By Bernard J. Wolfson
July 9, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Your dutiful columnist tried to make use of a federal “transparency” rule to compare the prices of common medical procedures in two California health care systems. It was a futile exercise.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The Abortion Pill Goes Back to Court
May 18, 2023
Podcast
A three-judge appeals court panel heard testimony this week about revoking the FDA’s 22-year-old approval of a key pill used in medication abortion and miscarriage management. The judges all have track records of siding with abortion foes. Meanwhile, as the standoff over raising the federal debt ceiling continues in Washington, a major sticking point is whether to impose work requirements on recipients of Medicaid coverage. Victoria Knight of Axios, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more.
Being Vaccinated Doesn’t Mean You Must Go Maskless. Here’s Why.
By Bernard J. Wolfson
June 15, 2021
KFF Health News Original
It won’t hurt to remain cautious, even as California reopens for business in response to mass vaccinations and diminishing cases of covid.
KHN on the Air This Week
November 6, 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.
Providence-KP Team Up to Attract Patients in California’s Growing High Desert Region
By Bernard J. Wolfson
August 5, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Providence, the country’s 10th-biggest hospital chain, says it’s too expensive to upgrade an older hospital, so it will join forces with giant Kaiser Permanente to build a new one.
California abre el Medi-Cal a adultos mayores indocumentados
By Bernard J. Wolfson
Photos by Heidi de Marco
May 2, 2022
KFF Health News Original
El estado vuelve a ser pionero en su esfuerzo porque todos tengan seguro de salud, más allá de su estatus migratorio.
Can a Subscription Model Fix Primary Care in the US?
By Bernard J. Wolfson
June 10, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Medical subscriptions, a $199 million CEO payday and the race to fix primary care in the U.S. One Medical is betting big that a subscription model can fix primary care. But the firm faces competition from CVS, Target and large hospital systems.
So You’re Vaccinated Against Covid. Now What?
By Bernard J. Wolfson
March 22, 2021
KFF Health News Original
The vaccination rollout has been unsteady, but the vaccines seem very effective, raising hopes that the pandemic will subside by later this year if enough Americans get their shots. Meanwhile, remain cautious.
California Inks Sweetheart Deal With Kaiser Permanente, Jeopardizing Medicaid Reforms
By Bernard J. Wolfson Angela Hart 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.
Covered California dice que el seguro de salud se ha vuelto demasiado barato como para ignorarlo
By Bernard J. Wolfson
May 4, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Una nueva ley federal podría hacer que sea mucho más barato comprar tu propio seguro si no tienes cobertura a través de un empleador o un programa del gobierno como Medicare o Medicaid.
Covered California Says Health Insurance Just Got Too Cheap to Ignore
By Bernard J. Wolfson
May 4, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Californians who passed up health coverage in the past may be pleasantly surprised by the lower prices available thanks to the new federal relief act.
