Journalists Talk Madera Hospital Bankruptcy Woes and Savings for Covered California Enrollees
By Bernard J. Wolfson and Melissa Montalvo, The Fresno Bee and Stephanie O'Neill Patison
California Healthline senior correspondent Bernard J. Wolfson and Fresno Bee reporter Melissa Montalvo discuss community efforts to save a bankrupt hospital from liquidation. California Healthline contributing radio correspondent Stephanie O’Neill Patison reports how lawmakers won additional Covered California subsidies.
Recovery From Addiction Is a Journey. There’s No One-and-Done Solution.
By Bernard J. Wolfson
Drug use has become a major public health crisis, but effective treatment remains hard to find. It does exist though. Columnist Bernard J. Wolfson offers advice on finding help and says not to expect a quick solution.
In San Francisco’s Chinatown, a CEO Works With the Community To Bolster Hospital
By Bernard J. Wolfson
Jian Zhang, an immigrant from China with a doctorate in nursing, leads the 88-bed Chinese Hospital in San Francisco. The facility faces financial constraints like other independent hospitals, but its strong community support and partnerships have helped it weather tough times.
Listen: Potential Hospital Bailout Under Fire, as Information Gap Threatens Medi-Cal Renewals
By Bernard J. Wolfson and Samantha Young and Stephanie O'Neill Patison
California Healthline journalists discuss the need to update personal information to maintain Medi-Cal coverage, why health finance experts caution against a sweeping hospital industry bailout, and more recent reporting.
Starting Jan. 1, All Immigrants May Qualify for Medi-Cal Regardless of Legal Status
By Bernard J. Wolfson
In the new year, California’s Medicaid program will open to otherwise eligible immigrants ages 26 to 49 without legal residency. They will join children, young adults, and adults over 50 enrolled in Medi-Cal through previous expansions to residents lacking authorization. The change is expected to add over 700,000 first-time enrollees.
Listen: How Does Human Composting Work?
California Healthline’s Bernard J. Wolfson went on the air to explain a new California law that will allow people to have their bodies reduced to compost after death, an alternative to the traditional-but-toxic methods of cremation and burial.
To Patients, Parents, and Caregivers, Proposed Medicaid Cuts Are a Personal Affront
By Bernard J. Wolfson
At a town hall in Orange County, California, angry residents said Congress should keep its hands off Medicaid. The cuts contemplated in a House budget blueprint would bore a giant hole in California’s version of the safety net health insurance program, Medi-Cal, which covers nearly 15 million residents.
Kaiser Permanente Back in the Hot Seat Over Mental Health Care, but It’s Not Only a KP Issue
By Bernard J. Wolfson
Mental health workers on strike in Southern California say Kaiser Permanente is woefully understaffed, its therapists are burned out, and patients are often denied timely access to care. The insurer says it has largely fixed the problem. But across California and the nation, mental health parity is still not a reality.
Climate Change Threatens the Mental Well-Being of Youths. Here’s How To Help Them Cope.
By Bernard J. Wolfson
The growing toll of climate-related disasters is a risk to the emotional well-being of young people. An Orange County, California, pediatric emergency doctor wants to add questions about climate change to standard mental health screenings conducted in pediatricians’ offices and other settings where kids seek care.
How Potential Medicaid Cuts Could Play Out in California
By Bernard J. Wolfson
As Donald Trump prepares to reenter the White House with a Republican-controlled Congress, health officials and community advocates in California worry that large-scale Medicaid cuts could be enacted as soon as next year. More than 60% of California’s $161 billion Medi-Cal budget comes from Washington.
