Covered California Pushes for Better Health Care as Federal Spending Cuts Loom
By Bernard J. Wolfson
Monica Soni, Covered California’s chief medical officer, oversees an effort to hold health plans financially accountable for the quality of care they provide, including childhood vaccination rates, which have fallen in California and nationwide. She worries federal spending cuts could soon bring turbulence to the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace.
California’s Health Insurance Marketplace Braces for Chaos as Shutdown Persists
By Bernard J. Wolfson
Jessica Altman, the head of California’s Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace, warns letters will be sent out this week with sky-high premiums unless Washington extends covid-era enhanced tax credits by then. Even if Congress acts later and rates are lower than feared, she says shoppers could be scared off.
Health Care Cuts Threaten Homegrown Solutions to Rural Doctor Shortages
By Bernard J. Wolfson
In a rural, largely Republican region of California, homegrown efforts to bolster the medical workforce face an uphill battle, in part because of federal health care cuts approved by the GOP Congress and signed by President Donald Trump in July, as well as a state budget deficit.
Lawfully Present Immigrants Help Stabilize ACA Plans. Why Does the GOP Want Them Out?
By Bernard J. Wolfson
The GOP’s tax and spending law and a new rule by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will make it harder to enroll in Affordable Care Act health plans, will raise consumers’ out-of-pocket costs, and could prompt younger, healthier people, including lawfully present immigrants who will lose financial aid, to drop coverage.
Federal Proposals Threaten Provider Taxes, Key Source of Medicaid Funding for States
By Bernard J. Wolfson
Republican proposals to tighten the use of special taxes to fund Medicaid programs could deprive states of billions of dollars for safety net health care. In California, any such limit would come on top of Medicaid cuts proposed by California Democrats in response to a $12 billion state deficit.
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.
Para pacientes, padres y cuidadores, los recortes a Medicaid son una afrenta personal
By Bernard J. Wolfson
La primera semana de marzo, la Cámara de Representantes aprobó un plan presupuestario republicano que podría reducir el gasto de Medicaid en $880.000 millones a lo largo de 10 años.
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.
