Pain Clinic CEO Faced 20 Years for Making Patients ‘Human Pin Cushions.’ He Got 18 Months.
By Brett Kelman
Michael Kestner, CEO of Pain MD, was convicted of 13 fraud felonies after his company gave patients hundreds of thousands of questionable injections at clinics in Tennessee, Virginia, and North Carolina.
Daily Edition for Thursday, May 15, 2025
GOP 'Megabill' Will Hurt California’s Budget, Lawmakers Warn: Republicans are still negotiating how they plan to trim hundreds of billions from federal health care and environmental programs, but it appears that it will come at the cost of California’s budget. This legislation “rips massive holes in states’ budgets that are near impossible to fill,” said Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle. Keep scrolling for more on the GOP’s “megabill” and the potential cuts to Medicaid.
Newsom’s Pitch as He Seeks To Pare Down Immigrant Health Care: ‘We Have To Adjust’
By Christine Mai-Duc and Vanessa G. Sánchez
Gov. Gavin Newsom said that he’s proud his state expanded health care to all low-income residents regardless of immigration status but that tough budget times call for some adjustments. The Democrat’s new budget proposes scaling back benefits to adults living in the country illegally, as well as charging them a $100 monthly premium.
Californians Receiving In-Home Care Fear Medicaid Cuts Will Spell End to Independent Living
By Ronnie Cohen
Bay Area senior Carol Crooks doesn’t know where congressional Republicans will land on Medicaid cuts as they look to fund a tax bill, but her health has already deteriorated as she worries about losing the help she needs to remain in her Oakland apartment — and out of a nursing home.
RFK Jr.’s Hearing With Senate HELP Committee: A Live Discussion
KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner, Stephanie Armour, and Darius Tahir and KFF’s Jennifer Kates break down the biggest takeaways from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s first hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee as HHS secretary — and answer your questions.
The GOP’s Trying Again To Cut Medicaid. It’s Only Gotten Harder Since 2017.
By Phil Galewitz
Donald Trump is back in the White House, the GOP controls Congress, and Republicans have dusted off their 2017 plans to reshape Medicaid, the government health program for those with low incomes or disabilities.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, May 14, 2025
Newsom Backs Away From Free Health Care For Undocumented Immigrants: Gov. Gavin Newsom’s 2025-26 revised budget proposal reneges on his signature policy to provide free health care coverage to all low-income undocumented immigrants as costs exceed expectations and the state anticipates challenging economic times ahead. The governor’s spending plan will be released this morning. Read more from the Los Angeles Times and San Francisco Chronicle. Plus: More on California's budget shortfall.
Flawed Federal Programs Maroon Rural Americans in Telehealth Blackouts
By Sarah Jane Tribble and Holly K. Hacker
Data visualizations by Lydia Zuraw
Taxpayers — through federal infrastructure programs — have paid billions of dollars to internet companies to hook up rural Americans. Some communities have nothing to show for it, leaving medically vulnerable rural patients disconnected and without access to telehealth.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, May 13, 2025
Newsom Tells Cities To Ban Homeless Camping ‘Without Delay’: Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday called on every local government in the state to adopt ordinances that restrict public camping. He provided a hypothetical model ordinance that lays out exactly what he’d like to see banned: camping in one place for more than three nights in a row, building semi-permanent structures on public property, and blocking streets or sidewalks. Read more from CalMatters, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the San Diego Union-Tribune. Keep scrolling for more on the housing crisis.
Listen: Black Swimmers Make Waves Overcoming Fear and Old Perceptions
By Cara Anthony
Segregation and lack of access have kept many Black Americans from learning to swim, which raises their risk of drowning. Groups across the country are working to teach more Black kids and adults the skills to save their lives, or someone else’s.
