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.
Voters in Tight Recall Race Sound Off on California Gov. Newsom’s Covid Leadership
By Rachel Bluth and Samantha Young and Heidi de Marco and Angela Hart
September 2, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pandemic policies are effectively on California’s Sept. 14 recall ballot — and the electorate views them with a mix of resentment, gratitude and disillusionment.
Denied Care for a Dangerous Infection Because of Past-Due Bills
By Noam N. Levey
June 16, 2022
KFF Health News Original
One seriously ill Arizona man was denied care because of past-due bills. His only choice was to go to the ER, where he was stuck with thousands of dollars of additional bills he couldn’t pay.
Dialysis Industry Spends Millions, Emerges as Power Player in California Politics
By Samantha Young
December 10, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Over the past four years, the dialysis industry has spent $233 million on both political offense and defense in California. Most of it went toward protecting its revenues against ballot initiatives, but the industry also strategically worked the corridors of the state Capitol.
Justices Bound to See ACA as ‘Indispensable,’ Says Californian Leading Defense
By Samantha Young
November 9, 2020
KFF Health News Original
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday in a case that could overturn the Affordable Care Act. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who is defending the law with the backing of more than 20 other states, told California Healthline that he predicts the justices will uphold it.
Fiscal general de California: los jueces deben ver que ACA es “indispensable”
By Samantha Young
November 10, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Respaldado por más de 20 estados, Xavier Becerra defiende la ley contra el desafío presentado hace dos años por una coalición de funcionarios estatales republicanos.
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.
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 Bill Would Mandate HPV Vaccine for Incoming College Students
By Rachel Scheier
April 12, 2023
KFF Health News Original
A state lawmaker wants all incoming college students to get an HPV vaccine, as part of a push to drive up vaccination rates and prevent cervical cancer. At least four other states have enacted a similar mandate.
Democrats Link GOP Challengers to Trump’s COVID Record, Efforts to Undo Obamacare
By Samantha Young
October 30, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Democratic congressional candidates in California and beyond are linking their Republican opponents to the COVID-19 crisis and the survival of the Affordable Care Act, betting that health care could be a decisive issue for voters, especially in toss-up districts.
Déjà Vu for California Voters on Dialysis
By Samantha Young
October 26, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Californians are again being asked to weigh in on a dialysis ballot measure. This one purports to target patient safety, and dialysis industry giants are once again spending big to defeat it.
Cozy Images of Plush Toys and Blankets Counter Messaging on Safe Infant Sleep
By Colleen DeGuzman
September 6, 2023
KFF Health News Original
Unsafe sleep environments are among the main reasons accidental suffocation or strangulation is a hard-to-solve public health problem.
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.
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.
Schools Walk the Tightrope Between Ideal Safety and the Reality of Covid
By Laura Ungar and Samantha Young
February 8, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Across the country, politics have muddied the question of when and how to reopen schools. Even though teachers continue to fear for their safety, lawmakers and parents are demanding that schools take advantage of declining infection rates to open safely and quickly.
People With Down Syndrome Are Living Longer, but the Health System Still Treats Many as Kids
By Tony Leys
April 17, 2023
KFF Health News Original
The median life expectancy for a U.S. baby born with Down syndrome jumped from about four years in 1950 to 58 years in the 2010s. That’s largely because they no longer can be denied lifesaving care, including surgeries for heart defects. But now, aging adults with Down syndrome face a health system unprepared to care for them.
California GOP Consultant Rues ‘Big Mistake’ That Led to Family’s COVID Infections
By Samantha Young
August 3, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Richard Costigan, a well-respected fixture in state Capitol circles, has detailed his family’s ongoing experiences with COVID-19 on social media after catching the virus — he surmises — at a backyard gathering. The former Schwarzenegger aide wants people to know this virus doesn’t care who you are.
Medi-Cal Agency’s New Head Wants to Tackle Disparities and Racism
By Samantha Young
July 30, 2020
KFF Health News Original
Will Lightbourne, the new director of the California Department of Health Care Services, says government must address the racial disparities laid bare by COVID-19 and improve care for the state’s most vulnerable residents.
Head-Scratching Over Newsom’s Choice of Blue Shield to Lead Vaccination Push
By Bernard J. Wolfson
February 1, 2021
KFF Health News Original
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s surprising choice of Blue Shield to lead the state’s covid vaccination effort raised questions about the role politics played in the decision — and whether the insurer is up to the task.
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.