Latest California Healthline Stories
Medi-Cal Sued For Pushing Patients Into Managed Care Despite Judges’ Orders
Advocates say California’s Medicaid program is violating its own rules by overturning decisions that would allow seriously ill patients to stay out of managed care and keep their doctors.
California Funds Nonprofits To Serve Food As Medicine
The state is investing $6 million in a three-year effort to deliver healthy meals and groceries to chronically ill Medi-Cal patients at doctors’ offices, clinics and hospitals.
Congress Revamps HIV Housing Program To Benefit Areas Where Virus Is Spreading
The small federal program, whose funding was once based on an area’s cumulative number of cases, will now be more responsive to places where new outbreaks are occurring. Among major U.S. cities, Los Angeles will see the biggest increase in its share of the total spending.
Why A Pennsylvania Insurer’s Collapse Could Whack Californians In the Wallet
Little-known rules require all health insurance companies to help pay claims when any one of them fails. Penn Treaty failed big — and insurers around the country are likely to pass on those costs to policyholders. California consumers may be hit hardest.
Taking Stock of California’s Big Week In Health Care
California Healthline senior correspondent Emily Bazar dissects recent developments on KCRW and Capital Public Radio.
Under Trump, Hospitals Face Same Penalties Embraced By Obama
Federal records show that 2,573 hospitals around the country will have their Medicare payments reduced because they have too many patients readmitted.
Anthem’s Retreat Leaves Californians With Fewer Choices, More Worries
The nation’s second-largest insurer is shrinking its presence on Obamacare exchanges and in the broader individual market in response to prevailing uncertainty. California is just the latest — and the biggest — example.
Covered California Expects 12.5% Average Rate Rise In 2018
The figure could be higher if President Trump ends an important consumer subsidy, which he has threatened to do. Anthem Blue Cross will pull out of the exchange and the overall individual market in 16 of 19 regions in the state.
State-Led Effort Helps Improve Blood Pressure Control Among Low-Income Patients
Nine Medi-Cal health plans joined the state in a program that helped them stabilize blood pressure among their members — but most still fell short of a federal goal intended to reduce the number of heart attacks and strokes.
Teen Pregnancy Prevention Programs At Risk After Trump Administration Budget Cuts
In California, seven programs were promised five-year grants worth about $7.9 million annually to help teens avoid early parenthood. Now their funding — along with that of scores of similar projects nationally — has been shut off early.