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GOP Lawmaker Calls for Tracking Homeless Spending, Working With Dems on Mental Health

Republican state Sen. Roger Niello wants to know whether taxpayers are getting their money’s worth before spending more. Yet the fiscal conservative from the suburbs of Sacramento sees opportunities for bipartisanship on mental health.

Truly Random Drug Testing: ADHD Patients Face Uneven Urine Screens and, Sometimes, Stigma

Doctors have no national standards on when to order urine tests to check whether adult ADHD patients are properly taking their prescription stimulants. Some patients are subjected to much more frequent testing than others.

KHN Impact

Congressman Seeks to Plug ‘Shocking Loophole’ Exposed by KHN Investigation

A federal lawmaker has introduced a House bill that would close one of a laundry list of oversight gaps revealed in a recent KHN investigation of the system regulators use to ban fraudsters from billing government health programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.

Audio Report

Journalist Angela Hart Delves Into Insulin Costs and Medicaid Housing Support

California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

As Colorado Reels From School Shootings, Study Finds 1 in 4 Teens Have Quick Access to Guns

The study analyzed Colorado kids’ responses to how quickly they could get their hands on a loaded gun without their parents’ knowledge. More than 1 in 10 said they could do so within 10 minutes.

Banning Noncompete Contracts for Medical Staff Riles Hospitals

It’s about the money — on both sides — as arguments swirl about patient safety, rising prices, and paying back on-the-job training.

When College Athletes Kill Themselves, Healing the Team Becomes the Next Goal

Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among college students. Contrary to conventional wisdom, athletes aren’t immune from the risk factors. Players at Stanford University, the University of Wisconsin, and other colleges are learning how to protect their mental health and ask for help after their teammates killed themselves.

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Special Coverage

Faces of Medi-Cal

California’s Massive Medicaid Program Works for Some, but Fails Many Others

Medi-Cal serves more than one-third of the state’s population — offering a dizzying range of care to a diverse population. In the new “Faces of Medi-Cal” series, California Healthline will assess the program’s strengths and weaknesses through the lives and experiences of its enrollees.

Bill to Expand Coverage to Migrants May Test Newsom’s Pledge on Universal Health Care

Nearly half a million Californians without legal residency make too much to qualify for Medicaid yet they can’t afford to buy coverage.

Millions of Californians Are at Risk of Losing Medi-Cal Coverage

 

Look Up Your California Hospital

Is it being penalized by Medicare?

Feds Move to Rein In Prior Authorization

Designed to prevent doctors from deploying expensive, ineffectual procedures, prior authorization has become a confusing maze that denies or delays care, burdens physicians with paperwork, and perpetuates racial disparities.

Community Workers Fan Out to Persuade Immigrant Seniors to Get Covered

California has enrolled into Medi-Cal more than 300,000 older immigrant adults lacking legal residency since May, but the state doesn’t know how many more might be eligible. Community workers are now searching for them.

Medi-Cal Makeover

California is embarking on a massive transformation of its Medicaid program. The goal is to improve health care quality and save money. Will it work?

Pandemic Stress, Gangs, and Utter Fear Fueled a Rise in Teen Shootings

 

‘The Country Is Watching’

Gavin Newsom’s legacy as governor and his path forward in the Democratic Party hinge on his making visible headway on homelessness, an issue that has stalked him since he was elected mayor of San Francisco two decades ago.

Picture of Health

More Californians Are Dying at Home. Another Covid ‘New Normal’?

The proportion of Californians dying at home, rather than in a hospital or nursing home, accelerated during the pandemic, a trend that has outlasted the rigid lockdowns linked to the initial shift.

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