Latest KFF Health News Stories
Waiting And Waiting On The Nursing Home Inspector
Mary Chiu complained in 2011 that her elderly mother suffered terribly from poor care in a nursing home. Hers is among hundreds of cases that remain unresolved due to a backlog of investigations in Los Angeles County.
L.A. County Nursing Home Inspections Chief Reassigned
An audit that followed a KHN report revealed an alarming backlog of more than 3,000 open inspections at nursing homes. The supervisor in charge of the inspections has been replaced and moved to a ‘special assignment.’
Barriers Remain Despite Health Law’s Push To Expand Access To Substance Abuse Treatment
A decades-old Medicaid restriction prevents treatment centers with more than 16 beds from billing the program for residential services for low-income adults.
When Connecting With A Dentist Doesn’t Mean An Office Visit
Teledentistry experiment in California aims to bring care to needy patients in schools and nursing homes. Consulting with dentists over the Internet, hygienists and dental assistants offer preventive treatment and education.
Teledentistry Boosts Kids’ Dental Treatments
Teledentistry is changing the dynamics of dental care delivery to children in low-income communities. Mireya Rodriguez, a dental hygienist in alternative practice, conducts dental screenings at Head Start preschool centers in Los Angeles,
3 Million And Counting: Final Push Underway To Enroll Californians In Health Plans
But some residents remain unconvinced they need coverage, and others say they can’t afford it even with financial help.
Health Outreach Project Educates Students On California Campuses
Largely low-income and minority California State University students want health insurance but many are afraid they can’t afford it. Outreach workers are scrambling to sign them up.
Young But Not So Invincible in California
Largely low-income and minority California State University students want health insurance but many are afraid they can’t afford it. Outreach workers are scrambling to sign them up.
Thousands Of Young California Immigrants Eligible For Coverage — Though Often They Don’t Know It
State is one of a few nationally to offer insurance to low-income youths whose parents crossed the border illegally or overstayed visas.
UCLA Memory Program Offers ‘Gym For Your Brain’
Games, stories, tai chi and dancing help patients — and caregivers — cope with memory loss
Next Step for Smart Phones: Keeping Tabs on Patients
Proponents say new gadgetry could transform medical diagnosis and treatment, but critics worry about commercial uses and possible breaches of privacy.
L.A. County Health Officials Grilled Over Nursing Home Inspections
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously ordered an audit Tuesday of how the public health department oversees nursing homes.
Health Workers’ Union Pushes Hospital Cost Control In California
The SEIU is gathering signatures to put two hospital questions to voters in November. The union wants hospital charges capped at 25 percent above costs and CEO salaries at nonprofit hospitals capped at $450,000 per year.
L.A. County Officials Told Inspectors To Cut Short Nursing Home Probes
They say they were trying to help clear a California backlog of 9,000 cases. Elder care advocate calls the move “unconscionable.”
Dental Services Are Coming Back For California’s Low-Income Adults
Patients face serious challenges, however, including a shortage of dentists and restrictions on treatment options.
Once limited to filling and dispensing drugs, pharmacists in California are increasingly providing direct care to patients.
Pharmacists Increasingly Take On Clinical Roles
They work with doctors to assess patients, spot medication errors and even write prescriptions.
Former Foster Youth Stay Insured Until 26
Former foster youth in California are eligible for Medi-Cal until age 26 under the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA). Marcy Valenzuela has been without health insurance for the last four years. By the time she was 18, she had lived in several foster placements, had become addicted to drugs and spent time in juvenile hall. The 25-year-old is getting her life back on track, starting with her health.
When Your Parent Is The State, It’s Tough For Young Adults To Stay Insured
Many former foster kids are entitled to Medicaid coverage until they turn 26 but eligibility workers ? and they themselves
Signing Up The Homeless, One At A Time
Skid Row clinics in Los Angeles and other locations around the country are educating and enrolling homeless people in new health coverage, but mental illness and drug addiction pose challenges.
