Latest California Healthline Stories
San Francisco-Based Dignity Health Reports Growing Debt
The health system says growing expenses and Medicaid business as well as a decline in privately insured patients have hurt the company’s financial performance.
On the day that Medi-Cal insurance was extended to children living the U.S. illegally, hundreds of people held a demonstration in Sacramento to call on lawmakers to provide the same benefits for all residents, regardless of their immigration status.
Health Coalition Reaches Into Deep Pockets To Battle Powerful Tobacco Industry
Billionaire Tom Steyer has donated $1 million so far toward the fight for a $2-per-pack tax on cigarettes. The coalition said Monday it has received enough signatures to get the measure on the Nov. 8 ballot.
Supreme Court Sends Contraception Case Back To Lower Courts, Demands Compromise
The battle over the so-called ‘contraceptive mandate’ was one of the high court’s biggest issues this term, pitting religious liberty against reproductive rights for the second time in three years.
HHS Extends Anti-Bias Health Care Protections To Cover Gender Identity
Under the new guidance, insurers and hospitals cannot deny services based on someone’s gender identity. Some advocates are disappointed, however, saying that the rule does not go far enough.
Insurers’ Losses Nearly Double In Second Year Of Health Law, Due Largely To Medical Costs
However, a McKinsey & Co. analysis suggests that the health law’s subsidies should prevent a “death spiral,” in which an insurance market gets caught in a cycle of increasing rates and shrinking customer pools.
LA City Council Votes To Make It Mandatory For Farmers Markets To Accept Food Stamps
According to county data, well over a million people in the Los Angeles area rely on CalFresh to buy groceries each month, but more than half of the local farmers markets don’t accept EBT cards.
Pfizer To Acquire Palo Alto-Based Anacor Pharmaceuticals
The $5.2 billion deal is expected to close in the third quarter.
‘Immediate Jeopardy’ Rulings At Calif. Hospitals Highlight Infection Problems
UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center worked quickly to address inspectors’ concerns and the label was lifted shortly from both. However, the fact that it happened raises concern among advocates. “Hospital leadership is not putting enough resources into infection control,” said Lisa McGiffert, who leads the safe patient project at Consumers Union.
Advocates Try To Ease Worry About Voluntary Nature Of Aid-In-Dying Law
They say they do not expect there to be a shortage of physicians who will be available for patients, but some doctors say, beyond the ethics of it, the complexities of the law could cause some providers to opt-out. Meanwhile, The San Jose Mercury News offers a Q&A on the law.