Cost and Quality

Latest California Healthline Stories

As Surgery Centers Boom, Patients Are Paying With Their Lives

An investigation by Kaiser Health News and the USA TODAY Network discovers that more than 260 patients have died since 2013 after in-and-out procedures at surgery centers across the country. More than a dozen — some as young as 2 — have perished after routine operations, such as colonoscopies and tonsillectomies.

Ding Dong! The Obamacare Tax Penalty Is(n’t) Dead

When President Donald Trump signed the nation’s new tax law, he also killed the Affordable Care Act’s tax penalty — but not until 2019. Despite widespread confusion, experts caution that consumers still need to pay the tax penalty if they were uninsured last year or will be this year.

Reducing Red Tape For Traveling Nurses

A multistate nursing agreement allows nurses to work in numerous states without the hassle and expense of obtaining licenses in each one. More than half of states have signed on to an upgraded version of the agreement — but not California.

Reducen la burocracia para facilitar el trabajo de las enfermeras viajeras

La Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC), se lanzó en el año 2000 para abordar la escasez de enfermeras y permitir que más practiquen telemedicina. Esta licencia permite que ejerzan en varios estados. Voces a favor y en contra.

Listen: Got A Sky-High Bill? Don’t Write The Check.

Have you gotten a medical bill that sounds way too expensive or is just downright confusing? Send it to us. KHN Editor-in-Chief Elisabeth Rosenthal talks with NPR Morning Edition Host Steve Inskeep about the launch of “Bill Of The Month,” KHN and NPR’s new crowdsourced investigation.