Secret Contract Aims to Upend Landmark California Prison Litigation
By Don Thompson
California has commissioned an exhaustive study of whether its prisons provide a constitutional level of mental health care, which it could use to try to end one of the lawsuits that have federal courts overseeing the state’s prisons. But corrections officials won’t disclose even basic details of the consultants’ contract, including its cost to taxpayers.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, March 12, 2024
Proposition 1 update, measles, gun violence, long covid, homelessness, flu strains, opioid treatments, and more are in the news.
How the Anti-Vaccine Movement Pits Parental Rights Against Public Health
By Amy Maxmen
Framed in the rhetoric of choice, Tennessee’s new law governing childhood vaccinations is among more than a dozen recently passed or pending nationwide that set parental freedom against community and children’s health.
California Voters Are Skeptical That More Money Is the Answer to Homelessness
By Angela Hart
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature ballot measure to address mental illness, addiction, and homelessness with a $6.4 billion bond and other reforms is barely ahead in the ongoing ballot count. The slim margin reflects a growing unease among Californians over the governor’s homelessness initiatives.
Movimientos en contra de las vacunas perjudican a los niños más vulnerables
By Amy Maxmen
La desinformación, junto con un movimiento por el derecho de los padres que aleja la toma de decisiones de la salud pública, ha contribuido a las tasas de vacunación infantil más bajas en una década.
Daily Edition for Monday, March 11, 2024
Medical debt on credit reports, postpartum, a covid anniversary, mental health, cancer, child vaccinations, and more are in the news.
Why Covid Patients Who Could Most Benefit From Paxlovid Still Aren’t Getting It
By Arthur Allen
Price worries, bureaucratic obstacles, and “I’m-over-covid-itis” slow uptake of a drug that’s complicated to take but often effective.
California Attorney General Boosts Bill Banning Medical Debt From Credit Reports
By Molly Castle Work
Attorney General Rob Bonta has thrown his weight behind state Sen. Monique Limón’s legislation to bar unpaid medical bills from showing up on consumer credit reports. If passed, California would join just a few other states with such protections.
A New $16,000 Postpartum Depression Drug Is Here. How Will Insurers Handle It?
By April Dembosky, KQED
A pill form of an effective drug for postpartum depression hit the market in December, but most insurers do not yet have a policy on when or whether they will pay for it. The hurdles to obtain its predecessor medication have advocates worried.
An Arm and a Leg: The Medicare Episode
By Dan Weissmann
On this episode of “An Arm and a Leg,” host Dan Weissmann breaks down the complicated and expensive world of Medicare with practical tips to pick the right plan and avoid penalties.
