California’s Deadly STD Epidemic Sets Record
Rates of gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia in California have shot up 45 percent over five years, resulting in 30 syphilis-related stillbirths in 2017 alone, new state data show.
California Bureau
Visit californiahealthline.org for an archive of reporting prior to October 2025.
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California Hospital Giant Sutter Health Faces Heavy Backlash On Prices
In a case with possible national repercussions, the state’s attorney general has sued over alleged price gouging, and other legal and legislative challenges are afoot. Sutter is pushing back hard, denying anticompetitive behavior.
By Chad Terhune -
First, Marijuana. Are Magic Mushrooms Next?
Advocates in Oregon and Denver are pushing ballot measures to allow possession of mushrooms containing the hallucinogenic ingredient psilocybin, as new research shows it may be useful in treating depression and anxiety. Supporters of a measure to decriminalize magic mushrooms in California ended their effort late last month.
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L.A. County Unlawfully Terminated Thousands Of Medi-Cal Recipients, Court Rules
A judge orders the county to fix problem that harmed low-income seniors and people with disabilities, including those with serious health conditions.
By Anna Gorman -
Use Of Psychiatric Drugs Soars In California Jails
A combination of factors has led to an “astronomical” increase in mentally ill inmates, followed by increased efforts to identify those who need prescriptions. Some say the meds are underprescribed; others, that they are given inappropriately, without the benefit of comprehensive treatment.
By Anna Gorman -
Weak Oversight Blamed For Poor Care At California Nursing Homes Going Unchecked
The scathing report cites a significant increase in cases of poor care — especially ones with the potential to cause serious injuries or death. A state lawmaker called the findings “very, very disturbing.”
By Anna Gorman -
‘A Persistent Puzzle’: Californians Embrace Medicaid — But Food Stamps? Not So Much.
The Golden State ranks near the bottom in its enrollment of eligible people in the food assistance program known as SNAP. Now state officials want to tap its robust Medicaid rolls to boost SNAP signups.
By Anna Gorman and Harriet Blair Rowan -
California Lawmakers Seek Reparations For People Sterilized By The State
More than 20,000 Californians were sterilized at state homes and hospitals from 1909 to 1979, most of them women, people with disabilities and immigrants. Now, a state lawmaker wants to provide reparations to the roughly 800 living survivors, many of whom never consented to the procedures or did so under pressure.
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Choice Of Bay Area For AIDS Conference Exposes Tension Among Activists
Numerous advocacy groups oppose the recent decision to hold the 2020 International AIDS conference in San Francisco and Oakland, and some argue it shouldn’t be in the U.S. at all. Those who support the decision say the predominantly liberal politics of the region make it an ideal venue for sending a message about the Trump administration’s perceived retreat from leadership on AIDS.
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Calif. Leads Nation In Pushing Back Against Trump Administration Health Policies
In the face of federal efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, policymakers in the largest state are proposing laws and other changes to counter them. Beyond that, they’re aggressively pushing measures to expand health coverage beyond what the ACA envisioned.
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Safety Violations Compound Pain Of Painkiller Shortages
California and federal officials have cracked down on a major compounding pharmacy they say posed a threat to public safety, but their actions are worsening shortages of medications that doctors rely on to keep their patients out of pain.
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Postcard From L.A.
Dialysis Patients Sign Up For November Ballot Fight
Frustrated by dialysis centers they call dirty and understaffed, patients and health care workers rallied across California Thursday before delivering more than 600,000 signatures to election offices in support of a ballot initiative intended to improve patient care.
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Psychiatrist Stays Close To Home And True To Her Childhood Promise
Yamanda Edwards is the only psychiatrist at Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital, caring for residents in South Los Angeles, a community with a shortage of mental health care.
By Anna Gorman -
California Takes On Health Giant Over High Costs
The lawsuit is a bold move against Northern California’s dominant hospital chain, whose prices have drawn complaints for years. It has disputed such allegations in the past.
By Chad Terhune and Ana B. Ibarra -
Calif. Bill Targets Profiteering In Addiction Treatment, Dialysis Industries
The legislation is intended to curb schemes in which some treatment providers sign patients up for private plans, pay their premiums and then rake in profits from inflated claims.
By Chad Terhune -
Thousands Mistakenly Enrolled During California’s Medicaid Expansion, Feds Find
California health officials do not dispute most of the findings, saying they have already made improvements in determining eligibility.
By Chad Terhune -
The Juul’s So Cool, Kids Smoke It In School
The teenage smoking sensation appearing on high school campuses across the country is an easy-to-hide, high-nicotine device called the Juul. Educators and health care advocates fear that vulnerable young people may become addicted.
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The Dream Among ‘Dreamers’ To Become A Doctor Now ‘At The Mercy’ Of Courts
In September, the Trump administration announced its plan to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, setting off an ongoing political and legal battle that could doom the dreams of immigrant doctors in training.
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Are There Risks From Secondhand Marijuana Smoke? Early Science Says Yes.
Scientists are finding that, just as with secondhand smoke from tobacco, inhaling secondhand smoke from marijuana can make it harder for arteries to expand to allow a healthy flow of blood.
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Docs Worry There’s ‘Nowhere To Send’ New And Expectant Moms With Depression
California's legislature will soon take up a bill that would require doctors to screen pregnant women and new mothers for mental health problems. Many doctors oppose the idea, and laws elsewhere haven't increased the number of moms treated.