Latest KFF Health News Stories
Negotiating Drug Prices: Should State Agencies Band Together?
A California lawmaker wants to strengthen collaboration among public agencies to bring down costs to taxpayers.
Going For $1 An Ounce: The Burgeoning Trade In Mothers’ Milk
As a fountain of nonprofit milk banks emerge, one woman’s abundant supply can fill another’s yawning demand. But critics fear that poor women will sell start selling their milk for survival, depriving their own babies of vital nutrients.
San Francisco Seeks To Ban Sale Of Menthol Cigarettes, Flavored Tobacco Products
A proposed ordinance would block access to menthol cigarettes, as well as e-cigarettes and smokeless tobacco with flavors such as chocolate, cherry or popcorn. Studies show such products are overwhelmingly favored by teenagers and some minorities.
California Hospitals Lose Ground In Quality Of Care, Report Card Shows
The nonprofit Leapfrog Group shows nearly half of California hospitals got a grade of C, D or F in patient safety measures — an increase from two years ago.
As California Weighs Soda Warning Labels, Tax In Berkeley Shown To Dilute Sales
Sales of sugary drinks dropped in the city by nearly 10 percent a year after tax took effect in 2015, while bottled water sales rose, researchers report.
Grasping For The Middle Ground On Obamacare
A University of Southern California professor says conservatives and liberals should split the difference: Scrap the exchanges and expand Medicaid.
California Presses Forward In Fight To Regulate Pharma
Such efforts have previously failed in the face of opposition from the drug industry, which questions their effectiveness and contends prices reflect research and development costs.
Tracking Air Quality Block By Block
An environmental advocacy group plans to install 100 pollution sensors at homes, schools and businesses in the congested area near the Port of Oakland to capture variations in the level of diesel contaminants.
While Washington Fiddles, Calif. Leaders Forge Ideas For Universal Health Care
But it could take years to achieve coverage for everyone — if it happens at all.
The Next Obamacare Battleground: Subsidies For Out-Of-Pocket Costs
Exchange enrollees and insurers fret over a lawsuit that could end federal help with copays and deductibles.
California Doctors Again Press For More Money To Treat Poor Patients
They want the state’s new tobacco tax to help pay for a raise in Medicaid rates, but so far Gov. Jerry Brown has other plans for that money.
‘Pre-Hospice’ Saves Money By Keeping People At Home Near The End Of Life
A San Diego program helps chronically ill people avoid the hospital by teaching them how to better manage their diseases and telling them what to expect in their final years. Other health providers and insurers around the country are trying similar approaches.
By Decade’s End, Calif. Estimates It Would Lose $24B Annually Under GOP Health Plan
“It’s challenging to see how it would not … jeopardize the entire [Medicaid] program,” a top health official said.
In Deep-Blue State, Millions in Reddish Heartland Are Counting On Medicaid
The prospect of cutbacks has led to agitation and activism in California’s largely agricultural Central Valley, with relatively high poverty rates and a significant number of Trump voters.
Many Californians Could Be Priced Out Of Exchange Coverage, Analysis Finds
California’s health insurance exchange released an analysis showing that Republicans’ plan to trim subsidies, on average, by 40% would fall hard on elderly and very low-income people, especially in expensive areas like San Francisco.
Proposed Law Would Require All California Children To Be Screened For Lead
Under the current statute, kids are tested for lead only if they’re on certain government programs or live in older buildings. That leaves many other California children at risk, lawmaker says.
HMO Doctors Take Pains To Slash Opioid Prescriptions
A Kaiser Permanente pain management program in Southern California aims to help patients taper off addictive painkillers. Some doctors and patients see it as a godsend; others complain that patients have been cut off medications they need.
GOP Health Plan Could Be Bitter Pill For California’s Obamacare Exchange
Critics say the proposed changes could poison one of the nation’s healthiest marketplaces, driving up premiums and drawing in only the sickest patients. Republicans and industry analysts call those concerns overblown.
To Save On Drug Costs, Insurer Wants To Steer You To ‘Preferred’ Pharmacies
Blue Shield of California is hoping to steer consumers to “preferred” pharmacies where drugs are cheaper and copays lower.
LA County Health Chief Wants To ‘Catch’ People Dropped From Coverage
Mitch Katz, director of the L.A. County Health Agency, says California must find ways to cover state residents who might lose their health coverage if Obamacare is repealed.
