Latest California Healthline Stories
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Drug Prices And Unicorns
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Joanne Kenen of Politico, and Erin Mershon of STAT News discuss a series of health policy court decisions on everything from prescription drug discounts to soda taxes. Plus, Rovner, interviews health care futurist and consultant Jeff Goldsmith.
California’s ACA Rates To Rise 8.7% Next Year
The average increase in California is smaller than the double-digit hikes expected around the nation, due largely to a healthier mix of enrollees and more competition in its marketplace. Still, health insurance prices keep growing faster than wages and general inflation.
‘Like A Ghost Town’: Erratic Nursing Home Staffing Revealed Through New Records
Daily nursing home payroll records just released by the federal government show the number of nurses and aides dips far below average on some days and consistently plummets on weekends. A new California law increases minimum staffing standards at nursing homes, but critics say it doesn’t go far enough.
Hurricane Maria Still Taking A Toll On Puerto Rico’s Seniors
Kaiser Health News senior correspondent Sarah Varney reports on the challenges of providing health care to older people on the island.
Look-Up: How Nursing Home Staffing Fluctuates In California
Use this tool to see staffing levels at skilled nursing homes in California.
From Crib To Court: Trump Administration Summons Immigrant Infants
At least 70 infants have been ordered to appear in immigration court. Experts believe some were separated from their parents.
De la cuna a la corte: la administración Trump cita a bebés inmigrantes
Al menos 70 pequeños menores de 1 año han sido citados en los últimos diez meses para enfrentar sin sus padres sus procesos de deportación.
Children With Disabilities Endure Long Waits For Life-Changing Medical Equipment
Some California children with serious health care problems wait more than a year for wheelchairs, bath benches, commodes, specialized crutches and other crucial medical equipment. Critics blame the delays on a confusing bureaucratic maze of private insurers and public programs.
States Attacking ACA Would Suffer Most If Preexisting Conditions Shield Gets Axed
A coalition of Republican states has launched a legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act, including provisions requiring insurers to offer coverage to people with preexisting conditions without raising rates. An analysis shows that some of these states have the highest proportion of such residents.
Staggering Prices Slow Insurers’ Coverage Of CAR-T Cancer Therapy
Some state Medicaid programs are not paying for the procedures, and Medicare’s complicated payment rates have hospitals concerned that it will not cover all the costs.