Latest California Healthline Stories
Surveys Show Unbalanced Supply, Demand in California Nurse Labor Market
Four years ago, there was a shortage of nurses in California hospitals but by 2013, the landscape had flipped. Now, despite the new surplus, many hospitals are having difficulty finding nurses with sufficient experience, according to new surveys.
Flurry of Bills Approved as Session Ends
The state Legislature passed a flurry of bills in its final week of session, including a virtual dental home pilot project and paid sick leave for California workers, but excluding home health workers.
Bill Linking Health Enrollment to Schools OK’d by Legislature, Sent to Governor
Many uninsured Californians are eligible for Medi-Cal coverage or subsidies through the state health insurance exchange but are unaware of it. A bill sent to the governor aims to reduce that number by linking health care information to school enrollment.
Narrow Networks Bill Passes Floor Vote
Legislation designed to open access to providers and ensure network adequacy passed an important vote in the Assembly and now is expected to move to the governor’s desk.
Statewide Rural Health Association Returns
After a year in the dark, the familiar voice of policy and advocacy for California’s rural health communities is coming back. With no staff, no office and technical framework still under construction, the California State Rural Health Association is trying a different, less costly approach to connecting and advocating for the state’s disparate rural health care providers.
Cedars-Sinai Didn’t Make the List in Year 1. What Will Year 2 of Narrow Networks Hold?
Covered California’s goal of expanding access to coverage didn’t mean that customers had access to all providers, as health plans chose to leave one of the state’s best — and priciest — hospitals off their provider lists. One year later, does the decision still make sense? And what will happen in the upcoming enrollment period?
Calif. Senate OKs Diabetes Action Plan
The state Senate passed a bill calling for state officials to create a diabetes assessment and action plan that could lay the groundwork for future legislation by establishing the disease’s cost to the state.
Does Covered California Really Have You Covered?
A worrisome trend is emerging among some Californians who thought they were safe and secure under Covered California: Their plans are being canceled without consent and sometimes without notice. Take Ricki Manahan, who lives in Truckee, a mountain town north of Lake Tahoe. Manahan and her husband signed up for an Anthem plan from Covered […]
Judicial Ruling on East Bay Hospital’s Closure Complicated by Patient’s Death
The fate of Doctors Medical Center in San Pablo — and the people served by it — could be decided in an upcoming Superior Court ruling.
High-Priced Drug Makes Its Way Into California Prisons
California Correctional Health Care Services, which oversees clinical care and prescriptions for 125,000 inmates at 34 prisons, last month began using the expensive hepatitis C drug Sovaldi. The treatment has sparked a congressional investigation and a debate over its price.