California

Latest KFF Health News Stories

Rx For Clarity: Calif. Considers Bilingual Drug Labels

KFF Health News Original

Every Saturday morning, a steady stream of Chinese and Vietnamese patients line up at the Paul Hom Asian Clinic in Sacramento, Calif. Most of them speak little to no English. Patient assistance director Danny Tao says people come here to get free medical consultations and drug prescriptions. But, he says that when patients take those […]

The Latest In Medical Convenience: ER Appointments

KFF Health News Original

Hospitals around the country are allowing patients to wait at home rather than endure hours in crowded emergency rooms. Warning: It’s not for life-threatening cases, and you could be bumped for someone sicker.

Teresa Martinez: Waiting For Medi-Cal

KFF Health News Original

Teresa Martinez, 62, from East Los Angeles makes $10,000 a year working as a hairdresser in a Koreatown salon. With her modest income she is likely to be eligible for health coverage under the Affordable Care Act’s Medi-Cal expansion.

Waiting For Medicaid To Kick In

KFF Health News Original

About 800,000 people in California are presumed to be eligible for the newly expanded program but lack final approval. For a Los Angeles hairdresser and others like her, that means medical appointments are on hold.

Waiting And Waiting On The Nursing Home Inspector

KFF Health News Original

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

KFF Health News Original

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.’

When Connecting With A Dentist Doesn’t Mean An Office Visit

KFF Health News Original

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

KFF Health News Original

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,