Latest California Healthline Stories
States Sue To Halt Obama Administration Rules On Transgender Health
The Department of Health and Human Services’ rules seek to keep insurers from blanket bans on coverage of gender reassignment services and ban health care providers from refusing to care for transgender patients. Five states say the regulations could force doctors to perform gender transition procedures on children.
Public Health Roundup: Man With Disability Wants California Voting Rights Restored
In other developments out of Los Angeles, media outlets report on hepatitis C treatment rates and L.A. Unified health coverage.
Report: Psychotropic Drugs Overused For Foster Children In Southern California
The state auditor said the medication is over prescribed without required parental or court approval. Also, KQED looks at the difficulties in finding mental health care.
Drugmakers’ Patents And Unique Role In Setting US Prices Contributes To Soaring Costs, Study Finds
Researchers examine thousands of studies to determine why prices for medications have climbed and what might be done about it.
EpiPen’s Price Hikes Draw Intense Scrutiny, Raise Ire Among Lawmakers
News outlets report on how the emergency allergy medicine’s maker came to raise the treatment’s price tag by so much and how this move fits into the broader story of U.S. drug pricing policy.
Hospital Roundup: UCSD Enters Partnership With Community Hospital
The affiliation agreement between Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside and UC San Diego Health will increase services, but quality questions remain.
Skid Row Outbreak Of Illness Triggered By Synthetic Drug ‘Spice’ Leads to L.A. County Health Alert
Also in the news, the Los Angeles Times reports on how illegal drugs find pathways to California’s most-guarded prison inmates.
Cancer Now Leads Heart Disease As State’s Leading Cause Of Death
A new federal report finds that cancer causes more deaths than heart disease in California and 21 other states, a change from 2000 when that was the case in only two states.
Soda Consumption Drops 21 Percent Among Low-Income Berkeley Residents After Tax
The results are from a study in the American Journal of Public Health. Also in the news, the American Heart Association is recommending that children be limited to no more than six teaspoons of sugar a day.
As Insurance Startup Oscar Pulls Out Of Some Health Law Marketplaces, It Will Expand In California
The company plans to remain in markets in Los Angeles, New York City and San Antonio in 2017. It will also add Obamacare plans in the San Francisco area.