After the Pandemic Hit Nursing Homes Hard, Lawmakers Push to Tighten Licensing Rules
By Samantha Young
Legislators are proposing an overhaul of California’s licensing system for nursing homes that would make it the most stringent in the country. They argue that disreputable and unlicensed owners and operators have harmed residents. The industry describes the proposed requirements as excessive.
California Attorney General Sues Drugmakers Over Inflated Insulin Prices
By Angela Hart and Samantha Young
California Attorney General Rob Bonta is taking three major drugmakers and three distributors to court, alleging the companies illegally raised prices at the expense of diabetes patients.
Fiscal general de California demanda a farmacéuticas por “inflar” los precios de la insulina
By Angela Hart and Samantha Young
En la demanda, Rob Bonta argumentó que los precios se han disparado y que algunos pacientes se han visto obligados a racionar sus medicamentos o renunciar por completo a comprar insulina.
California Handed Its Medicaid Drug Program to One Company. Then Came a Corporate Takeover.
By Samantha Young
The company awarded the state’s Medi-Cal Rx contract was taken over by another company, Centene. That left the state with a contractor it didn’t pick — one that has been accused of overbilling nine other state Medicaid programs and is now under investigation by California.
Eli Lilly Slashed Insulin Prices. This Starts a Race to the Bottom.
By Bram Sable-Smith and Samantha Young
Eli Lilly’s news that it plans to cut insulin costs for patients will help, not hinder, the recent efforts in California and by entrepreneurs such as Mark Cuban to offer lower-cost alternatives, drug pricing experts said.
Harris, alguna vez la voz de Biden sobre el aborto, tendría un enfoque abierto en temas de salud
By Stephanie Armour and Julie Appleby and Julie Rovner
Mientras los demócratas reconstruyen su candidatura presidencial a pocos meses de las elecciones, se esperaría que, de ser la nueva nominada, Harris adoptase una postura agresiva en apoyo al acceso al aborto y en otros temas controversiales de salud.
Changes to Medi-Cal’s Troubled Drug Program Reduce Backlog, but Problems Persist
By Samantha Young
After a troubled start to the new Medi-Cal prescription drug program, the state’s contractor has hired staffers to reduce wait times for medication approvals and patients seeking help. But some doctors and clinics report that patients continue to face delays.
California’s Resolve Questioned After It Grants Medi-Cal Contract Concessions
By Bernard J. Wolfson and Samantha Young
After the Department of Health Care Services canceled Medi-Cal contract awards under pressure from major insurers, some consumer advocates question the administration’s willpower to improve care in the safety-net program.
‘Somebody Is Gonna Die’: Medi-Cal Patients Struggle to Fill Prescriptions
By Samantha Young
Problems with California’s new Medicaid prescription drug program are preventing thousands of patients from getting their medications, including some life-saving ones. State officials say they’re working on fixes.
