Rob Waters

Governor’s ‘Mental Health Czar’ Seeks New Blueprint For Care In California

Thomas Insel, who ran the National Institute of Mental Health for 13 years before casting his lot with Silicon Valley, is taking a temporary break from his senior position at a health care startup to advise Gov. Gavin Newsom on how to remake mental health care in the Golden State.

State Lawmakers Eye Federal Dollars To Boost Mental Health Counseling By Peers

Medicaid pays for mentoring of mental health patients by “peer supporters,” but only if they are state-certified. California is one of two states with no certification program. Legislation pending in Sacramento would change that — if the governor backs it.

Gun Control Vs. Mental Health Care: Debate After Mass Shootings Obscures Murky Reality

More than half of mass shooters have serious mental health disorders, experts say, but the vast majority of mentally ill people are not violent. Some clinicians suggest strategic interventions, including closing loopholes in background checks to buy firearms and allowing family members to confiscate guns under temporary court orders for relatives at risk of doing harm.

Novel Measures Test Cities’ Power — And Will — To Tame Health Care Costs

Union-backed initiatives in Palo Alto and Livermore, Calif., aim to cap charges by hospitals and doctors, seeking to build on national furor over rising medical bills. The measures arise in health care markets that are among the most expensive in the nation.

Thousands Of Medi-Cal Patients Regain Access To UC Davis In Deal With Insurer

UC Davis Health has inked a deal with the insurer Health Net that will allow up to 5,000 Sacramento County Medi-Cal patients to get primary care from the university health system. The agreement comes about two months after UnitedHealth — the only insurer that had allowed its Medi-Cal members access to primary care at UC Davis — said it would terminate its contract with the university.

Whipsawed: Low-Income Patients At UC Davis Losing Coverage Again

UnitedHealthcare is pulling out of Sacramento County’s Medi-Cal market, which could force 1,000 patients at UC Davis Medical Center to scramble for new primary care doctors. It’s a replay of three years ago, when Health Net and the university parted ways, leaving the medical center with no managed Medi-Cal contract for primary care.