The Nation’s Health Secretary Has This Doctor on Call
By Samantha Young
May 2, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Carolina Reyes, a physician who specializes in high-risk pregnancies, says providers and health systems have a role in tackling systemic racism. She’s also married to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.
Watch: The Mysterious Death of a Congressman’s Wife
September 6, 2022
KFF Health News Original
KHN senior correspondent Samantha Young appeared on CBS News to discuss her reporting on the death of Lori McClintock, the wife of U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Calif.). She died after ingesting white mulberry leaf, according to the Sacramento County coroner. Young also explained her reporting process on Twitter and TikTok.
For California Teen, Coverage of Early Psychosis Treatment Proved a Lifesaver
By Samantha Young
May 1, 2023
KFF Health News Original
A Medi-Cal patient illustrates how early schizophrenia treatments can yield big benefits. Advocates want California to expand such services to more people living with severe mental illness, which they argue will not only improve lives but also save money over time.
Gov. Newsom Wanted California to Cut Ties With Walgreens. Then Federal Law Got in the Way.
By Samantha Young
April 6, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Gov. Gavin Newsom declared that California would cut ties with Walgreens after the company said it would not distribute abortion pills in some states. But federal rules make it difficult for the state to unwind its Medicaid prescription drug agreement, which paid Walgreens $1.5 billion last year.
Watch: California’s Top Health Adviser on Learning to Live With Covid
March 7, 2022
KFF Health News Original
KHN Senior Correspondent Samantha Young joined California Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly for an engaging conversation about how California moves forward in an environment in which covid persists, but at more manageable levels.
California Dangles Bonuses for Nursing Homes That Add Staff
By Samantha Young
February 24, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Rather than simply reward top-performing facilities, the state’s Medicaid program will hand bonuses to nursing homes — even low-rated ones — for hiring more workers and reducing staff turnover.
In California, Democrats Propose $25 Minimum Wage for Health Workers
By Samantha Young
February 14, 2023
KFF Health News Original
State Sen. María Elena Durazo and Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West want to give health facility support staffers a raise. Hospitals, nursing homes, and dialysis clinics are expected to resist.
California: proponen salario mínimo de $25 para trabajadores de salud
By Samantha Young
February 14, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Si los legisladores aprueban el proyecto de ley y el gobernador Gavin Newsom lo firma, un líder sindical estimó que 1.5 millones de trabajadores de California podrían obtener un aumento salarial en enero de 2024.
Centene Agrees to $215 Million Settlement With California for Alleged Medicaid Overbilling
By Samantha Young
February 8, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The nation’s largest Medicaid insurer denies wrongdoing after the California attorney general’s office investigated it for inflating prescription drug costs.
The Official Who Investigates Suspicious Deaths in Your Town May Be a Doctor — Or Not
By Samantha Young
December 20, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Across the country, there are no consistent requirements for the officials who investigate suspicious and unexpected deaths. Some have no medical training, others are doctors trained in forensic pathology. Washington, California, Illinois, and Georgia are among the states that have recently attempted to make changes — with mixed success.
Experts Question the Role of White Mulberry in the Death of Congressman’s Wife
By Samantha Young
September 14, 2022
KFF Health News Original
The Sacramento County coroner concluded that Lori McClintock, the wife of U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock, died of dehydration after ingesting white mulberry leaf. But some scientists, doctors, and pathologists are questioning that ruling, and are urging the coroner’s office, which hasn’t explained its reasoning, to reopen the case.
Expertos cuestionan el rol de la morera blanca en la muerte de la esposa del congresista
By Samantha Young
September 14, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Es una planta que se ha utilizado como remedio herbal durante siglos, y que el botánico consultor del forense llamó “no tóxica” en una carta a su oficina.
Journalists Review Hospital Penalties and Problems Riddling Medicaid Rx Program
February 19, 2022
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.
Congressman’s Wife Died After Taking Herbal Remedy Marketed for Diabetes and Weight Loss
By Samantha Young
August 24, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Lori McClintock, the wife of U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock of California, died after ingesting white mulberry leaf, according to the Sacramento County coroner. The plant is generally considered safe and is used in herbal remedies that claim to lower blood sugar, boost weight loss, and combat high cholesterol. Her death highlights the potential dangers of dietary supplements.
Esposa de congresista muere luego de tomar hierba medicinal para la diabetes y pérdida de peso
By Samantha Young
August 24, 2022
KFF Health News Original
La morera blanca, originaria de China se considera una hierba segura y se ha usado por siglos en la medicina no tradicional.
Lawmaker Takes on Insurance Companies and Gets Personal About His Health
By Samantha Young
June 9, 2022
KFF Health News Original
State Sen. Scott Wiener opens up about a weeklong stint in the hospital last year and what it’s like to live with Crohn’s disease. The San Francisco Democrat is pushing a bill that would require insurance companies to cover certain medications while patients appeal denials.
Heat Protections for California Workers Are in Limbo After Newsom Abandons Rules
By Angela Hart and Samantha Young
April 3, 2024
KFF Health News Original
Proposed rules to protect millions of workers from potentially dangerous heat inside workplaces are dead after Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration refused to sign off. Labor advocates and state regulators are calling for emergency regulations before temperatures soar this summer.
After the Pandemic Hit Nursing Homes Hard, California Lawmakers Push to Tighten Licensing Rules
By Samantha Young
May 16, 2022
KFF Health News Original
Legislators are proposing an overhaul of California’s licensing system for nursing homes that would make it the most stringent in the country. They argue that disreputable and unlicensed owners and operators have harmed residents. The industry describes the proposed requirements as excessive.
Industry Groups in California Vie for New Medicaid Money
By Angela Hart and Samantha Young
July 21, 2023
KFF Health News Original
State officials have promised to boost funding for California’s Medicaid program by $11.1 billion starting next year, with most of that money earmarked for higher payments to doctors, hospitals, and other providers. But the details have yet to be worked out, and powerful health industry groups are jockeying for position.
Health Care Coalition Jockeys Over Medi-Cal Spending, Eyes Ballot Initiative
By Angela Hart and Samantha Young
May 31, 2023
KFF Health News Original
California Healthline has learned that a coalition of doctors, hospitals, insurers, and community clinics want to lock in a tax on health insurance companies to draw in extra Medicaid funding. It also wants to make the tax permanent.