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The New MADD Movement: Parents Rise Up Against Drug Deaths

KFF Health News Original

People who have lost children to pills laced with fentanyl are demanding that lawmakers adopt stricter penalties and are pressuring Silicon Valley for social media protections. The movement harks back to the 1980s, when Mothers Against Drunk Driving activated a generation of parents.

New Covered California Leader Urges Renewal of Enhanced Federal Aid for Health Premiums

KFF Health News Original

Jessica Altman took over in March as executive director of California’s health insurance marketplace, which serves 1.8 million people. She warns that if Congress does not renew the tax credit enhancements that have made health plans more affordable, consumers will face significantly higher premiums, which could cause many to forgo coverage.

After the Pandemic Hit Nursing Homes Hard, California Lawmakers Push to Tighten Licensing Rules

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.

LA Mayoral Hopefuls Agree Addressing Homelessness Is Crucial but Disagree on How

KFF Health News Original

The top candidates to lead California’s most populous city have pledged to expand services for homeless people struggling with mental illness and substance use disorders. But they differ on whether the city should control homeless funding or continue a partnership with the county.

Despite Losing Federal Money, California Is Still Testing Uninsured Residents for Covid — For Now

KFF Health News Original

Federal funding that paid for covid testing, treatment, and vaccines for uninsured people has run out. While some states struggle to make up the difference, California is relying on other state and local programs to continue free testing.

Battle Lines Are Drawn Over California Deal With Kaiser Permanente

KFF Health News Original

A controversial proposal to grant HMO giant Kaiser Permanente a no-bid statewide Medicaid contract is headed for its first legislative hearing amid vocal opposition from a coalition of counties, competing health plans, community clinics, and a national health care labor union.

How a Former Catholic Priest Is Navigating a California Medicaid Plan Through Big Changes 

KFF Health News Original

Michael Hunn left the clergy and became a hospital and health system executive. He’s been named CEO of CalOptima, Orange County’s Medi-Cal health insurance plan for low-income residents, and his spiritual background is helping him guide the publicly run plan into the future.

Babies Die as Congenital Syphilis Continues a Decade-Long Surge Across the US

KFF Health News Original

Congenital syphilis rates keep climbing, according to newly released federal data. But the primary funding source for most public health departments has been largely stagnant, its purchasing power dragged even lower by inflation.

California Sees Dramatic Decline in Child Homicide Victims. What’s Changed?

KFF Health News Original

Bucking the alarming spike in overall homicides in recent years, the homicide rate involving young children is down 70% in California from three decades ago. The nation has seen a parallel, albeit slower, decline.

California Handed Its Medicaid Drug Program to One Company. Then Came a Corporate Takeover.

KFF Health News Original

The company awarded the state’s Medi-Cal Rx contract was taken over by another company, Centene. That left the state with a contractor it didn’t pick — one that has been accused of overbilling nine other state Medicaid programs and is now under investigation by California.

Health Officials See Bright Future in Poop Surveillance

KFF Health News Original

Sewage surveillance is proving so useful in mapping covid trends that many public health officials say it should become standard practice in tracking infectious diseases. Whether that happens will depend on the nation’s ability to make it viable in communities rich and poor.

Sharing Covid Vax Facts Inside ICE Detention, One Detainee at a Time

KFF Health News Original

Thousands of ICE detainees nationwide have tested positive for covid; 11 have died. Medical providers in California are volunteering to educate immigrants awaiting trial or deportation about covid treatment and vaccination.

Listen: An Unsettling Investigation Into the Closure of a Chain of Pain Clinics

KFF Health News Original

KHN senior correspondents Jenny Gold and Anna Maria Barry-Jester joined KVPR’s Kathleen Schock on “Valley Edition” to discuss their investigation into the abrupt closure of one of California’s largest chain of pain clinics — and the patients left behind.

J&J-Vaxxed, mRNA-Boosted, and Pondering a Third Shot

KFF Health News Original

Many of the nearly 17 million U.S. members of J&J Nation, myself included, are wondering whether to set aside the current official guidance and get a second booster. Some experts say: Chill out.

The Demise of Single-Payer in California Trips Up Efforts in Other States

KFF Health News Original

The failure of single-payer health care legislation in California casts doubt on the ability of other states to pass government-run, universal health care. But activists in New York, Washington state, and elsewhere say they are taking lessons from California and changing their tactics.

Changes to Medi-Cal’s Troubled Drug Program Reduce Backlog in California, but Problems Persist

KFF Health News Original

After a troubled start to the new Medi-Cal prescription drug program, the state’s contractor has hired staffers to reduce wait times for medication approvals and patients seeking help. But some doctors and clinics report that patients continue to face delays.

‘Injections, Injections, Injections’: Troubling Questions Follow Closure of Sprawling Pain Clinic Chain

KFF Health News Original

In May 2021, Lags Medical Centers, one of California’s largest chains of pain clinics, abruptly closed its doors amid a cloaked state investigation. Nine months later, patients are still in the dark about what happened with their care and to their bodies.