First Edition: October 5, 2018
October 5, 2018
Morning Briefing
THE CANCER DIVIDE: Tune in to our next Facebook Live on Friday, Oct. 5 at 11 a.m. PST/2 p.m. EST, as we discuss disparities in cancer care and outcomes. Kaiser Health News senior correspondent Anna Gorman and UC Davis professor Kenneth Kizer will explain that people overall are living longer with cancer, but some communities are faring better than others. Join the discussion here, and please bring your questions.
For Low-Income Drug Users, Medi-Cal Offers A Fresh Start
By Anna Gorman
September 8, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Under a five-year agreement with the federal government, California is using Medicaid dollars to expand drug treatment, including more inpatient care and a broader range of medications.
La administración Trump busca frenar el creciente negocio de la marihuana
By Phil Galewitz and Anna Gorman
January 5, 2018
KFF Health News Original
El fiscal general de Estados Unidos, Jeff Sessions, anuló una norma de la era Obama con la cual se desalentó a los fiscales federales a tomar medidas enérgicas contra la venta y el consumo de marihuana.
Cloud Of Uncertainty Over Legalized Pot As Feds End Obama-Era Accommodation
By Anna Gorman and Phil Galewitz
January 5, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Officials in marijuana-friendly states reacted strongly to new guidance from U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions giving federal prosecutors leeway to crack down on cannabis.
Lag In Brain Donation Hampers Understanding Of Dementia In Blacks
By Anna Gorman
August 9, 2017
KFF Health News Original
A long history of racism and cruel experimentation in health care are among the reasons African-American families oppose donating patients’ brains for study.
Move To End DACA Leaves Some Young Immigrants Fearing For Their Health
By Barbara Feder Ostrov and Anna Gorman
September 6, 2017
KFF Health News Original
The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program made it possible for young adults who came into the country illegally as children to get jobs with insurance and, in some states including California, Medicaid. Now that coverage is in peril.
Health Care Revamped At L.A. County Jails
By Anna Gorman
Photos by Heidi de Marco
March 8, 2018
KFF Health News Original
The effort, overseen by the county’s health services department, aims to improve care for a population with high rates of chronic disease, mental illness and drug addiction.
Hospitals With History Get A Second Life
By Phil Galewitz and Anna Gorman
November 30, 2017
KFF Health News Original
The number of hospitals across the country has plummeted, but many old buildings are being resuscitated as apartments and condos.
Putting Money Where Its Mouthpiece Is: Calif. Outspends U.S. To Market Obamacare
By Ana B. Ibarra and Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
November 27, 2017
KFF Health News Original
The state insurance exchange is committing nearly five times more money than the federal government on ads urging people to sign up for health insurance, reflecting conflicting attitudes toward the Affordable Care Act.
Con el fin de DACA, jóvenes inmigrantes temen por su salud
By Barbara Feder Ostrov and Anna Gorman
September 6, 2017
KFF Health News Original
La polémica decisión de la administración Trump de eliminar el programa DACA hace más que poner a casi 800.000 “dreamers” bajo el miedo a la deportación. Amenaza el cuidado de salud de miles de adultos jóvenes.
Con visitas a domicilio ayudan a nuevos padres a criar hijos más saludables
By Anna Gorman
August 21, 2017
KFF Health News Original
A nivel nacional, un programa financiado por la Ley de Cuidado de Salud Asequible (ACA), envía trabajadores de salud a domicilio que aconsejan sobre crianza y paternidad.
Enriched By The Poor: California Health Insurers Make Billions Through Medicaid
By Chad Terhune and Anna Gorman
November 6, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Medicaid is rarely associated with getting rich. But some insurance companies are reaping spectacular profits off the taxpayer-funded program in California, even when the state finds their patient care is subpar.
Women With High-Risk Pregnancies Far More Prone To Heart Disease
By Anna Gorman
July 12, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Mothers who develop diabetes or high blood pressure during pregnancy, or whose babies are born prematurely or precariously small, often are unaware of the long-term risk. So are their doctors.
Calif. Hits Nerve By Singling Out Cardiac Surgeons With Higher Patient Death Rates
By Anna Gorman
July 17, 2017
KFF Health News Original
The controversial practice — done by just a few other states — recently cast a spotlight on some prominent doctors. Supporters say it improves performance; detractors warn it discourages taking on complex cases.
How Medicaid Became A Go-To Funder For Schools
By Anna Gorman and Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
Photos by Heidi de Marco
March 9, 2018
KFF Health News Original
Begun as a health care safety net for children and low-income families, Medicaid increasingly underwrites a range of services in America’s public schools.
Calif. Officials Sound Alarm, Envisioning $114B Hit To Medi-Cal Under U.S. Senate Bill
By Anna Gorman
June 28, 2017
KFF Health News Original
“Nothing is safe — no population, no services,” the director of the nation’s largest Medicaid program said Wednesday. GOP leaders say they seek to cut costs and widen consumer choices.
Handshake-Free Zone: Keep Those Hands — And Germs — To Yourself In The Hospital
By Anna Gorman
May 30, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Health care workers and families are trying new ways of greeting people in two neonatal intensive care units at UCLA, hoping to reduce infections and protect fragile babies.
“Zonas libres de apretones de manos” para prevenir infecciones en hospitales
By Anna Gorman
May 30, 2017
KFF Health News Original
Las infecciones adquiridas en hospitales son un problema grave y a menudo se responsabiliza a las manos sucias de los trabajadores de salud. Una experiencia en California mostró una eficaz, aunque controversial forma, de prevenir la diseminación de gérmenes.
When An Insurer Balks And Treatment Stops
By Anna Gorman
June 7, 2017
KFF Health News Original
A 22-year old man from Orange County, Calif., alleges in a lawsuit that his health insurer stopped paying for a crucial — and expensive — immunotherapy drug, leading him to become seriously ill. Treatments for patients with similar conditions are increasingly denied or interrupted, experts and patient advocates say.
Citing CBO Report, Critics Decry GOP Bill’s Potential Fallout In California
By Anna Gorman
May 25, 2017
KFF Health News Original
“I feel like I am in a bad dream,” said state Sen. Ed Hernandez, who chairs California’s Senate Health Committee.