Pauline Bartolone

Pauline Bartolone was a Sacramento correspondent for KFF Health News until September 2018.

@pbartolone

Valley Fever Surging Again In California This Year

The state’s Department of Public Health said that suspected cases of the fungal infection increased by more than one-third in the first 10 months, compared with the same period in 2016, putting it on pace to break last year’s record high.

Taking A Page From Pharma’s Playbook To Fight The Opioid Crisis

Doctors and pharmacists in Northern California are emulating drug company sales reps with a fresh purpose in mind: They visit medical offices in the hardest-hit counties to change their peers’ prescribing habits and curtail the use of painkillers.

Rising Health Insurance Costs A Worry For Some Aging People And Early Retirees

Higher premiums loom for Americans in their late 50s and early 60s who are still too young for Medicare and don’t qualify for subsidies under Obamacare. The head of California’s Obamacare exchange says he’s “really worried” about it.

Hospitals Step In To Help House The Homeless. Will It Make A Difference?

They say it will help reduce unnecessary ER visits and ensure better follow-up care. It’s also good P.R., and helps them meet their obligations to provide benefits to the community in exchange for significant tax breaks.

State Lawmakers Tackle Public Smoking And Lead Poisoning, But Punt On Single-Payer

California lawmakers adopted a drug price transparency bill and several other key health care measures as their legislative session ended last week, but they pushed off decisions on some big-name proposals such as single-payer health care.