Industry Groups Vie for New Medi-Cal Money
By Angela Hart and Samantha Young
State officials have promised to boost funding for California’s Medicaid program by $11.1 billion starting next year, with most of that money earmarked for higher payments to doctors, hospitals, and other providers. But the details have yet to be worked out, and powerful health industry groups are jockeying for position.
Congressman’s Wife Died After Taking Herbal Remedy Marketed for Diabetes and Weight Loss
By Samantha Young
Lori McClintock, the wife of U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock of California, died after ingesting white mulberry leaf, according to the Sacramento County coroner. The plant is generally considered safe and is used in herbal remedies that claim to lower blood sugar, boost weight loss, and combat high cholesterol. Her death highlights the potential dangers of dietary supplements.
Esposa de congresista muere luego de tomar hierba medicinal para la diabetes y pérdida de peso
By Samantha Young
La morera blanca, originaria de China se considera una hierba segura y se ha usado por siglos en la medicina no tradicional.
Watch: California’s Top Health Adviser on Learning to Live With Covid
KHN Senior Correspondent Samantha Young joined California Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly for an engaging conversation about how California moves forward in an environment in which covid persists, but at more manageable levels.
Health Care Coalition Jockeys Over Medi-Cal Spending, Eyes Ballot Initiative
By Angela Hart and Samantha Young
California Healthline has learned that a coalition of doctors, hospitals, insurers, and community clinics want to lock in a tax on health insurance companies to draw in extra Medicaid funding. It also wants to make the tax permanent.
California Hospitals Seek a Broad Bailout, but They Don’t All Need It
By Samantha Young and Angela Hart
As hospitals squeeze Democratic leaders in Sacramento for more money, health care finance experts and former state officials warn against falling for the industry’s fear tactics. They point to healthy profits and a recession-era financing scheme that allows rich hospitals to take tax money from poorer ones.
Lawmaker Takes on Insurance Companies and Gets Personal About His Health
By Samantha Young
State Sen. Scott Wiener opens up about a weeklong stint in the hospital last year and what it’s like to live with Crohn’s disease. The San Francisco Democrat is pushing a bill that would require insurance companies to cover certain medications while patients appeal denials.
Harris, Once Biden’s Voice on Abortion, Would Take an Outspoken Approach to Health
By Stephanie Armour and Julie Appleby and Julie Rovner
If she grabs the baton from President Joe Biden to become the new presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Kamala Harris would widely be expected to take an aggressive stance in support of abortion access — hitting former President Donald Trump on an issue that could undermine his chances of victory.
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.
Listen: Teaching Teens to Reverse Overdoses, Taxes on Uninsured Californians, and More
By Heidi de Marco and Stephanie O'Neill Patison
California Healthline journalists report on efforts to train teens to use the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone, the state’s decision not to spend the tax penalty money from uninsured residents, Centene’s political contributions, and efforts to keep young kids on Medicaid for several years after birth.
