Cost and Quality

Latest California Healthline Stories

Hospitals Want To Cut Back On Free Care. Critics Say No Way.

Four California hospitals have asked the state attorney general to reduce the amount of free and discounted care they’re required to provide, arguing there’s less need for it under the Affordable Care Act. Critics say millions of people still can’t afford their hospital bills.

Bipartisan Senate Budget Deal Boosts Health Programs

The agreement would add $2 billion to the National Institutes of Health and fund community health centers around the country. But it does not include provisions to help stabilize the federal health law’s marketplaces.

Community Health Centers Caught In ‘Washington’s Political Dysfunction’

Without action by Congress, federal funding for the centers will end March 31. California, with more than 1,300 centers providing care for 6.5 million people, will be hit hard if the money dries up. Nationwide, nearly 10,000 centers serve 27 million people and get about 20 percent of their funding from the federal government.