California

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Health Care Revamped At L.A. County Jails

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.

User-Friendly Or Error-Ridden? Debate Swirls Around Website Comparing Nursing Homes

KFF Health News Original

State says its new site is easier to navigate, though it remains a work in progress. Advocates for nursing home patients call it “a huge step in the wrong direction” that could endanger people’s lives.

 

State Pay Cut For Dental Hygienists Who Serve The Poor Was Illegal, Court Finds

KFF Health News Original

California officials should have obtained federal approval before they cut reimbursement rates for dental hygienists who serve frail Californians living in nursing homes and board-and-care facilities, a judge has ruled.

Ding Dong! The Obamacare Tax Penalty Is(n’t) Dead

KFF Health News Original

When President Donald Trump signed the nation’s new tax law, he also killed the Affordable Care Act’s tax penalty — but not until 2019. Despite widespread confusion, experts caution that consumers still need to pay the tax penalty if they were uninsured last year or will be this year.

At Some California Hospitals, Fewer Than Half Of Workers Get The Flu Shot

KFF Health News Original

Vaccinations rates have climbed significantly among hospital workers in recent years, to 83 percent. But that rate masks wide variation among facilities and types of workers. Nationally, the rules are far from uniform or ironclad.

 

Couple Makes Millions Off Medicaid Managed Care As Oversight Lags

KFF Health News Original

How a California health plan’s CEO and her husband, an executive consultant, got rich off the taxpayer-funded program for the poor. Critics see a conflict of interest, the plan doesn’t, and the state has no rules either way.

Reducing Red Tape For Traveling Nurses

KFF Health News Original

A multistate nursing agreement allows nurses to work in numerous states without the hassle and expense of obtaining licenses in each one. More than half of states have signed onto an upgraded version of the agreement — but not California.

At Some Veterans Homes, Aid-In-Dying Is Not An Option

KFF Health News Original

Citing fears of losing federal funds, California is the latest state to require discharge of terminally ill residents from state veterans homes if they plan to end their lives with lethal drugs.

As Marijuana Laws Relax, Doctors Say Pregnant Women Shouldn’t Partake

KFF Health News Original

Some mothers who smoke pot see it as a harmless remedy for everything from pain to postpartum depression. But doctors say the active ingredients in marijuana can be passed onto the baby and may affect developing nervous systems.

¿Crisis familiar o nueva alegría? Obtenga licencia paga en ambos casos

KFF Health News Original

El programa de licencia familiar de California permite que las personas tengan tiempo libre, y parcialmente pagado, para cuidar a un nuevo hijo o a un familiar enfermo. La tasa de reemplazo de salario aumenta este año.

Hospitals’ Best-Laid Plans Upended By Disaster

KFF Health News Original

An onslaught of fires, shootings and storms across the country last year tested hospital readiness. Now, leaders are using their experiences to address shortcomings that surfaced amid the chaos.

Postcard From California: Alzheimer’s ‘Looks Like Me, It Looks Like You’

KFF Health News Original

At a panel discussion this week in Sacramento, patients, caregivers and others shared their perspectives on how Alzheimer’s disease affects women, who account for two-thirds of those living with the condition.