Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Community Frets As Buyer For Cherished Rural Hospital Slips From View
Some residents of remote Surprise Valley in Northern California fear their hospital will close like so many others around the country, as hope wanes for financial support from a Denver entrepreneur. The businessman, Beau Gertz, had planned to raise money through lab billing for faraway patients.
California’s ACA Rates To Rise 8.7% Next Year
The average increase in California is smaller than the double-digit hikes expected around the nation, due largely to a healthier mix of enrollees and more competition in its marketplace. Still, health insurance prices keep growing faster than wages and general inflation.
Children With Disabilities Endure Long Waits For Life-Changing Medical Equipment
Some California children with serious health care problems wait more than a year for wheelchairs, bath benches, commodes, specialized crutches and other crucial medical equipment. Critics blame the delays on a confusing bureaucratic maze of private insurers and public programs.
Outrageous Or Overblown? HHS Announces Another Round Of ACA Navigator Funding Cuts
Advocates of the sweeping health law view this move by the Trump administration as its most recent act of sabotage. But not everyone views it as a mortal blow.
The Other Victims: First Responders To Horrific Disasters Often Suffer In Solitude
Some firefighters, emergency medical providers and law enforcement officers say recent mass shootings and other calamities — disturbing enough in themselves — have brought to the surface trauma buried over years on the job. Many are reluctant to seek help, though some employers are trying to change that.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Podcast Turns 1. Justice Kennedy Retires. Now What?
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call, Alice Ollstein of Talking Points Memo and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times discuss the possible impact of the retirement of Justice Anthony Kennedy on health issues. Also, in honor of our first anniversary, the panelists offer up their thoughts on the biggest health policy stories of the past year.
First Female Dean ‘A Sea Of Change’ At USC’s Scandal-Plagued Medical School
Laura Mosqueda, a geriatrician, wants to train new doctors to better care for elderly people as the country’s population ages. She will face a big challenge as USC reels from drug and sexual misconduct scandals that have enraged students and landed the university in legal hot water.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ California Here We Come
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Carrie Feibel of KQED San Francisco, Anna Maria Barry-Jester of FiveThirtyEight.com and Joanne Kenen of Politico report from San Francisco on the complicated health politics of the Golden State and the latest news on a lawsuit challenging parts of the Affordable Care Act. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists offer their favorite health stories of the week.
California’s Attorney General Vows National Fight To Defend The ACA
Xavier Becerra, who is leading an effort by at least 15 states to protect the law, said the Trump Administration’s efforts to dismantle it endangers coverage for millions of Americans.
He Started Vaping As A Teen And Now Says Habit Is ‘Impossible To Let Go’
Public health officials worry vaping is an emerging disaster that could reverse years of decline in smoking by young people. What’s the latest evidence that e-cigarettes are a gateway to tobacco?
With The Rise Of Legal Weed, Drug Education Moves From ‘Don’t’ to ‘Delay’
Today’s drug prevention messaging is a far cry from the “Just Say No” days. Schools want to give kids the facts to make informed decisions about whether and when to try drugs or alcohol.
Could California Shape The Fate Of The Affordable Care Act In November?
With the primary now over, health care may well emerge as an issue that helps voters distinguish between candidates for governor, attorney general and other offices in the general election.
Outsiders Swoop In Vowing To Rescue Rural Hospitals Short On Hope — And Money
The community of Surprise Valley, Calif., wrestled with the idea of selling its tiny, long-cherished hospital to a Denver entrepreneur who sees a big future in lab tests for faraway patients. Last summer, another exec had a similar idea but left town.
Suspension Of California’s Aid-In-Dying Law Leaves Sick Patients In Limbo
Doctors have stopped writing lethal prescriptions and pharmacists have stopped filling them after a court fight over how the law was enacted.
Facebook Live: Vaping Unveiled
Nicotine-loaded e-cig juices that spoof popular treats — marketed to help adults kick the smoking habit— instead may be luring youths into addiction. California Healthline’s Facebook Live peeled back the curtains on this wolf in sheep’s clothing.
In Health Care Arena, The Prize For Calif. Insurance Commissioner Is A Bullhorn
The California Department of Insurance, headed by the commissioner, regulates only a small fraction of the market. But the job comes with a bully pulpit that amplifies its impact. Three of the four candidates would use it to push for a statewide single-payer system.
Health Care Looms Large In Race For California’s Top Cop
Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who has made a name for himself opposing Trump administration policies on health care and other matters, is running against opponents who say they wouldn’t make such resistance their primary focus.
California Hospitals Urge Moms To Favor Breast Milk Over Formula
Exclusively breastfeeding babies for at least six months is widely viewed as a significant health benefit. White moms are more likely to do so than blacks, Asians or Latinas.
‘Time’s Up’: Covered California Takes Aim At Hospital C-Section Rates
Starting in less than two years, if state hospitals haven’t met targets for safety and quality, they’ll risk being excluded from the “in-network” designation of health plans sold on the state’s insurance exchange.
Insurer Slashes Breast Pump Payments, Stoking Fears Fewer Moms Will Breastfeed
Anthem, one of the country’s largest insurers, has cut the reimbursement rate it pays for breast pumps by nearly half, fueling concerns that new moms — especially ones with lower incomes — will not be able to afford the pumps they need.
