Latest California Healthline Stories
California Braces For Medi-Cal’s Future Under Trump And The GOP
California officials jumped at the chance to cover millions more low-income people by expanding its Medicaid program. Now, health policymakers and advocates fear the Trump administration and a Republican-ruled Congress will roll back the state’s progress.
Avoiding The ER: Paramedics Link Patients To Local Mental Health Treatment
In California and other states, these first responders are learning to identify people with mental illness and get them help — or sometimes just chat and check in over snacks.
State Senate’s Health Chairman Vows To Defend California Coverage Gains
Sen. Ed Hernandez said the state’s strides in health coverage under the Affordable Care Act are “too important to lose.”
Could Legalizing Pot Diminish California’s Gains Against Smoking?
Some experts worry that smoking pot could lead to use of tobacco, but proponents of marijuana legalization argue that the two products are different and should not be conflated.
Electing To ‘Opt Out’ Of Obamacare
Despite tax penalties, opponents of the nation’s health law are emboldened by President-elect Trump’s vow to scrap it. Others wonder why they should bother signing up.
‘A Huge Improvement’: Study Finds Inmates Benefit From Much Shorter TB Treatment
A three-month drug regimen to treat latent TB in a California jail system was just as effective as the standard nine-month approach — and the patients were far more likely to finish treatment.
Momentum To Regulate Drug Prices Uncertain After Prop 61 Defeat, Republican Victories
Any proposals to rein in prescription drug costs will likely come from states, rather than national lawmakers, experts say.
California Lends Its Weight To Wider Marijuana Acceptance
The number of states with laws permitting marijuana use underscores a national cultural shift toward wider acceptance of the drug, despite the federal ban and limited evidence on the public health impacts of legalization.
Voters Say Yes To Marijuana Legalization, Tobacco Tax; Reject Drug Price Initiative
Californians also approve the continuation of a fee paid by hospitals to generate more money for Medi-Cal.
California’s Drug Price Initiative: Will Voters ‘Send A Signal To Washington’?
Despite heavy opposition from the pharmaceutical industry and skepticism from policy experts, many voters see Proposition 61 as a way to protest the nation’s mounting drug prices.