Latest Morning Briefing Stories
San Joaquin Valley Families Hit Walls Pursuing New Medicaid Asthma Services
California is offering new services to some of its Medicaid enrollees with asthma, such as removing mold from their homes and replacing carpeting, blinds, and mattresses. But the new benefits have been slow to roll out in some regions.
Computer Glitches and Human Error Still Causing Insurance Headaches for Californians
Covered California and Medi-Cal share a computer system for eligibility and enrollment. Nearly a decade since the Affordable Care Act expanded coverage options in the state, enrollees can be diverted to the wrong program — or dropped altogether — if erroneous information gets into the system.
Taco Bowls and Chicken Curry: Medi-Cal Delivers Ready Meals in Grand Health Care Experiment
California has embarked on an ambitious five-year initiative to improve the health of its sickest Medicaid patients by introducing nontraditional services. In the Inland Empire, where many residents have diabetes, one health plan is diving into the experiment by delivering healthy, prepared meals to those lucky enough to get them.
Tacos y pollo al curry: Medi-Cal ofrece comidas preparadas en un experimento de atención médica
El programa ayuda a personas con diabetes y otras afecciones a comer más sano y a aprender sobre alimentos saludables. Busca mejorar la salud y reducir costos en atención médica.
Politics and Pandemic Fatigue Doom California’s Covid Vaccine Mandates
Even in deep-blue California, Democratic lawmakers pulled their proposed covid vaccine requirements before they had a vote. The lawmakers blamed the ebbs and flows of the virus, the public’s short attention span, and opposition from public safety unions.
Burned Out by Covid and 80-Hour Workweeks, Resident Physicians Unionize
In California and beyond, physician trainees working long hours for what in some states amounts to little more than minimum wage are organizing to seek better pay, benefits, and working conditions. More than 1,300 of them at three L.A. County public hospitals will vote May 30 on whether to strike.
California Schools Try to Outrace Covid Outbreaks
A covid outbreak on a field trip. Another at prom. Yet administrators are reluctant to expose their schools to legal challenges by again requiring masks for students and staffers. That leaves parents fretful and confused.
The New MADD Movement: Parents Rise Up Against Drug Deaths
People who have lost children to pills laced with fentanyl are demanding that lawmakers adopt stricter penalties and are pressuring Silicon Valley for social media protections. The movement harks back to the 1980s, when Mothers Against Drunk Driving activated a generation of parents.
High-Tech’s Business Model Hasn’t Worked for the Cue Covid Test
Cue got attention with a Super Bowl ad for a stylish high-tech covid-testing machine to use at home. But the product is expensive, which has limited the San Diego company’s market.
New Covered California Leader Urges Renewal of Enhanced Federal Aid for Health Premiums
Jessica Altman took over in March as executive director of California’s health insurance marketplace, which serves 1.8 million people. She warns that if Congress does not renew the tax credit enhancements that have made health plans more affordable, consumers will face significantly higher premiums, which could cause many to forgo coverage.