Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Despite Prod By ACA, Tax-Exempt Hospitals Slow To Expand Community Benefits
Nationally, the ACA’s efforts to nudge nonprofit hospitals to provide more community-wide benefits have had limited success. Still, “California’s community benefits programs work well – and have since the 1990s,” a California Hospital Association official says.
Defending Against This Season’s Deadly Flu: 5 Things To Know Now
A particularly nasty flu is widespread in 46 states, including California. Nationally, at least 106 people have died from the infectious disease.
Care Suffers As More Nursing Homes Feed Money Into Corporate Webs
Increasingly, owners of nursing homes outsource services to companies in which they also have financial interest or control. That allows the nursing homes to claim to be in the red while owners reap hidden profits.
Running On Empty: CHIP Funding Could Run Out Jan. 19 For Some States
A fiscal patch that Congress approved last month proves not enough to keep coverage for children afloat, CMS says. But California has enough money to last through March.
Trump Administration Rule Paves Way For Association Health Plans
Proponents say the proposed regulation will give some consumers more affordable insurance options. Critics warn that the coverage could be less comprehensive.
Cloud Of Uncertainty Over Legalized Pot As Feds End Obama-Era Accommodation
Officials in marijuana-friendly states reacted strongly to new guidance from U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions giving federal prosecutors leeway to crack down on cannabis.
Drug Overdose Deaths Plateau In California, Soar Nationally
Fatalities are climbing in states that have been flooded by the deadly opioid fentanyl, but are remaining flat — or even falling — in many Western states, where it has not yet overwhelmed the drug supply.
High Praise: Pot Churches Proliferate As States Ease Access To Marijuana
Churches that offer marijuana as a sacrament are popping up across California and the U.S., vexing state and local officials who say they’re simply pot shops in disguise.
Children’s Insurance, Other Health Programs Funded — For Now — In Bill
In a short-term spending bill, Congress extends money to the Children’s Health Insurance Program through March.
Infection Lapses Rampant In Nursing Homes But Punishment Is Rare
A Kaiser Health News analysis of federal inspection records shows that nursing home inspectors labeled mistakes in infection control as serious for only 161 of the 12,056 homes they have cited since 2014.