Latest Morning Briefing Stories
California Author Uses Dark Humor — And a Bear — To Highlight Flawed Health System
A new graphic novel by Kathleen Founds follows an angst-ridden bear on his quest for mental health treatment. Founds drew on her own experience with bipolar disorder.
California’s Resolve Questioned After It Grants Medi-Cal Contract Concessions
After the Department of Health Care Services canceled Medi-Cal contract awards under pressure from major insurers, some consumer advocates question the administration’s willpower to improve care in the safety-net program.
Latino Teens Are Deputized as Health Educators to Sway the Unvaccinated
Some community health groups are training Latino teens to conduct outreach and education, particularly in places where covid vaccine fears linger.
Adolescentes latinos se entrenan para educar sobre las vacunas contra covid
Organizaciones comunitarias de salud en California y en todo el país forman a adolescentes, muchos de ellos latinos, para que actúen como educadores de la salud en la escuela, en las redes sociales y en las comunidades donde persiste el miedo a la vacuna contra covid.
The Biggest, Buzziest Conference for Health Care Investors Convenes Amid Fears the Bubble Will Burst
This year’s JPMorgan confab, the first since covid’s chilling effect on such gatherings, was full of energy and enthusiasm. But it was also marked by questions about the future of health care investment.
California Attorney General Sues Drugmakers Over Inflated Insulin Prices
California Attorney General Rob Bonta is taking three major drugmakers and three distributors to court, alleging the companies illegally raised prices at the expense of diabetes patients.
Doctors at UC Hospitals Want Stronger Protections in Contracts With Faith-Based Hospitals
The public university’s health system is renewing contracts with outside hospitals and clinics even as some doctors and faculty say clearer language is needed to protect physicians performing abortions and gender-affirming treatments.
Listen: Who Investigates Suspicious Deaths in Your Area — And Why It Matters
KHN senior correspondent Samantha Young appeared on the “Apple News Today” podcast and KOA, a public radio station in Denver, to discuss the difference between coroners and medical examiners and why it matters.
California Senate’s New Health Chair to Prioritize Mental Health and Homelessness
California state Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman of Stockton has been appointed chair of the Senate’s influential health committee. A licensed social worker, Eggman said she will make mental health care and homelessness front-burner issues.
Listen: Noise Pollution, a Private Equity Lawsuit, and College Health Fees
California Healthline journalists report on a lawsuit against private equity-backed Envision Healthcare, the medical insurance and health service fees charged by colleges, and how our increasingly noisy lives may harm our health.