Latest California Healthline Stories
Next year, lawmakers are expected to take on various pieces of legislation and an array of investigations on such issues as preventing veteran suicide, the quality of VA nursing homes and the implementation of the Choice program, a comprehensive measure concerning veterans health care passed this year.
Planned Parenthood’s State Medicaid Funding Protected After Supreme Court Decides Not To Hear Case
The decision drew rebukes from the court’s more conservative judges, with Justice Clarence Thomas saying his colleagues’ refusal to hear the case over Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood was politically motivated. “What explains the court’s refusal to do its job here? I suspect it has something to do with the fact that some respondents in these cases are named ‘Planned Parenthood,’” Thomas wrote.
The merger between the health systems cleared its last major regulatory hurdle when the California Department of Justice issued conditional approval the day before Thanksgiving. Dignity leaders said final closure is expected on Dec. 31.
Experts offer tips to keep off those one or two pounds that many Americans gain in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Access to the records of patients evacuated from the disaster areas can enable vital triage and save lives, but access to those records can be spotty in such cases. California has done more than any other state to enable health IT in disasters.
Why Hasn’t California Taken Steps To Enact Its Own Individual Mandate?
Studies have found that if the state does not step in, up to a million Californians could go without health care because the federal individual mandate has been zeroed out. But lawmakers are hesitant to enact a state-level mandate without also making health insurance cheaper for residents.
Some non-urgent mental health and other appointments may need to be rescheduled, but anyone in need of urgent mental health or other health care will receive the services they need, said Elita Fielder, a spokeswoman for Kaiser Permanente.
There’s a brewing rift in the Democratic party between progressives who campaigned on “Medicare for all” and those who want to stabilize and improve upon the health law. The hospital, insurance and pharmaceutical industry are getting ready for the upcoming battle. Meanwhile, state attorneys general, emboldened by election wins, look to shore up their defense of the health law in courts.
A New York Times and ProPublica investigation reveals widespread flaws in how conflicts of interest are reported in medical journals, which are the main conduit for communicating the latest scientific discoveries to the public.
Brandon Nelson’s family blames failures in the state’s mental health system for their son’s suicide.