Morning Breakouts

Latest California Healthline Stories

Trump Administration Seeks To Expand Medicare’s Negotiating Power In Effort To Curb High Drug Prices

Currently, Medicare plans are required to cover all or “substantially all” drugs in six protected classes. As part of the Trump administration’s proposal, plans would be allowed to exclude protected drugs with price increases that are greater than inflation, as well as certain new drug formulations that are not a “significant innovation” over the original product.

LA Residents By The Thousands Live In Motels, Vehicles, Shelters, Shared Homes And Even Garages

You don’t see sprawling tent villages on the streets around Telfair, and there’s little of the squalor so starkly evident on skid row and elsewhere. Instead, poverty is hidden in the fabric of the suburban design. In a series, Los Angeles Times investigates the toll the housing crisis is taking on families who live there.

The Long Reach Of Trauma From Fires Plays Out At Santa Rosa Health Care Center

Even a year after the Tubbs fire, people are seeking mental health help because of stress and anxiety. “We are realizing fire trauma may be something we will be dealing with for a long time,” says Steve Mizera, head of the Santa Rosa school district’s student and family services.

Turning Campaign Rhetoric Into Reality: Dems Ran On Health Care, But Do They Really Have Power To Protect ACA?

Republicans still maintain control of the Senate and the White House, so Democrats’ election-season promises to shore up the health law may not be quite as easy to fulfill as promised. Meanwhile, sign-ups on the exchanges continues to drag from last year’s numbers, but the CMS numbers don’t include enrollment in states that operate their own exchanges, nor do they include those who will be automatically enrolled in plans during the last week of open enrollment.

Could Virtual Reality Help Ease Anxiety In The Spanish-Speaking Parents Of Pediatric Patients?

Cultural and language barriers can often increase anxiety in the Spanish-speaking families of some young patients, and a Stanford researcher thinks virtual reality might help with that. The headset transports the parent into a calming natural world where a waterfall flows and an aurora of colorful lights fill the night sky.

Dignity Health-Catholic Healthcare Initiatives Deal Approved With Conditions By California Regulators

Over the public comment period, concerns were raised about job security, hospital closures and Catholic views on reproductive services, but regulators are giving the green light to the merger. The conditions that were part of the approval process require the combined company to maintain emergency services and women’s health care services for 10 years.

In This Suburban Neighborhood, Poverty Is Quiet, But Just As Insidious To Children’s Well-Being

You don’t see sprawling tent villages on the streets around Telfair, and there’s little of the squalor so starkly evident on skid row and elsewhere. Instead, poverty is hidden in the fabric of the suburban design. Los Angeles Times investigates the toll the housing crisis is taking on families who live there.