Attacks on Emergency Room Workers Prompt Debate Over Tougher Penalties
By Sejal Parekh
In California, assaulting paramedics or other emergency medical workers in the field carries stiffer fines and jail time than assaulting emergency room staffers. State lawmakers are considering a measure that would standardize the penalties.
Track Opioid Settlement Payouts — To the Cent — In Your Community
By Aneri Pattani and Lydia Zuraw and Holly K. Hacker
Want to know how much opioid settlement money your city, county, or state has received so far? Or how much it’s expecting in the future? Use our new searchable database to find out.
Daily Edition for Monday, April 1, 2024
Abortion pills, measles, aid-in-dying policies, IVF, troubled teens, drug costs, prison health, and more are in the news.
Hospitals Cash In on a Private Equity-Backed Trend: Concierge Physician Care
By Phil Galewitz
Hospitals are increasingly stretching a velvet rope, offering “concierge service” to an affluent clientele. Critics say the practice exacerbates primary care shortages.
How Primary Care Is Being Disrupted: A Video Primer
By Julie Appleby and Hannah Norman and Oona Zenda
Under pressure from increased demand, consolidation, and changing patient expectations, the model of care no longer means visiting the same doctor for decades.
Four Years After Shelter-in-Place, Covid-19 Misinformation Persists
By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu, PolitiFact
False claims that covid vaccines cause deaths and other diseases are still prevalent despite multiple studies showing the vaccines are safe and saved lives.
For-Profit Companies Open Psychiatric Hospitals in Areas Clamoring for Care
By Tony Leys
State institutions and community hospitals have closed inpatient mental health units, often citing staffing and financial challenges. Now, for-profit companies are opening psychiatric hospitals to fill the void.
California Universities Are Required to Offer Abortion Pills. Many Just Don’t Mention It.
By Jackie Fortiér, LAist and Adolfo Guzman-Lopez, LAist
One year after California became the first state to require public universities to provide abortion pills to students, LAist found that basic information for students to obtain the medication is often nonexistent.
Daily Edition for Friday, March 29, 2024
Heat regulations for workers, vaping, housing cost’s impact on health, fentanyl, Medicare Advantage, disabilities, and more are in the news.
Your Doctor or Your Insurer? Little-Known Rules May Ease the Choice in Medicare Advantage
By Susan Jaffe
Disputes between hospitals and Medicare Advantage plans are leading to entire hospital systems suddenly leaving insurance networks. Patients are left stuck in the middle, choosing between their doctors and their insurance plan. There’s a way out.
