Latest California Healthline Stories
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: The Affordable Care Act Turns 10
Next week is the 10th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act. Millions of Americans have benefited from the law, yet its future is in the hands of both the Supreme Court and voters in November. For this special episode of “What the Health?” host Julie Rovner interviews Kathleen Sebelius, who was Obama’s secretary of Health and Human Services when the law was passed. Then Rovner, Joanne Kenen of Politico and Mary Agnes Carey of Kaiser Health News discuss its history, impact and prospects for the future.
Sebelius, Looking Back At ACA, Says The Country’s Never ‘Seen This Kind Of Battle’
On KHN’s “What the Health? ” podcast, the former secretary of Health and Human Services says she continued to believe during the debate 10 years ago on the health law that it would eventually gain some Republican support. But that never happened.
Supreme Court Seems Sympathetic To Insurers In Obamacare Case
Justices from the right and left ask whether Congress needs to keep its promises.
No Safety Switch: How Lax Oversight Of Electronic Health Records Puts Patients At Risk
Special interests and congressional inaction blocked efforts to track the safety of electronic medical records, leaving patients at risk.
Biden Calling ACA A ‘Breakthrough’ For Mental Health Parity Only Highlights Gaps
Did the Affordable Care Act create equal coverage of mental and physical health? Seems true on paper but not always in practice.
Death By 1,000 Clicks: Where Electronic Health Records Went Wrong
The U.S. government claimed that turning American medical charts into electronic records would make health care better, safer and cheaper. Ten years and $36 billion later, the system is an unholy mess. Inside a digital revolution that took a bad turn.
Trump’s Pediatric Cancer Crusade A Drop In Bucket Compared With Past Presidential Pitches
President Donald Trump wants Congress to allot $500 million over 10 years for pediatric cancer research. While it’s welcomed by researchers and advocates, it’s not a lot of money.
Threat To The ACA Turns Up The Heat On Attorney General Races
As Republican and Democratic attorneys general square off on a Texas case that threatens to dismantle consumer protections in the federal health law, campaigns across the country for states’ highest legal officer get hotter. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who is leading the defense of the Affordable Care Act in the Texas case, has maintained a high profile in challenging the Trump administration on health care and other policies.
Wisconsin Reinstates Coverage Of Transgender Treatment For State Workers
The Group Insurance Board reversed a decision made last year to bar coverage of transgender hormone therapy and surgery for public workers.
A Transgender Woman’s Quest For Surgery Caught In Political Crosswinds
Dramatic policy swings, from an unprecedented expansion of transgender rights under the Obama administration to the unpredictable reduction of trans rights under President Donald Trump, have left many trans Americans feeling the whiplash.