Cost and Quality

Latest California Healthline Stories

California’s ACA Rates To Rise 8.7% Next Year

The average increase in California is smaller than the double-digit hikes expected around the nation, due largely to a healthier mix of enrollees and more competition in its marketplace. Still, health insurance prices keep growing faster than wages and general inflation.

Children With Disabilities Endure Long Waits For Life-Changing Medical Equipment

Some California children with serious health care problems wait more than a year for wheelchairs, bath benches, commodes, specialized crutches and other crucial medical equipment. Critics blame the delays on a confusing bureaucratic maze of private insurers and public programs.

Out-Of-Pocket Costs Put HIV Prevention Drug Out Of Reach For Many At Risk

It’s getting increasingly difficult for patients to afford Truvada, also known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, because of the drug’s high price and insurance company efforts to restrict the use of coupons that shield patients from it.

Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ ACA Under Fire. Again.

In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News and Julie Appleby of Kaiser Health News discuss the health politics of the latest Supreme Court pick, as well as the Trump administration’s efforts to further undermine the Affordable Care Act. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of the week.

Insurers Fall Short In Catching And Reporting Medicaid Fraud, Inspectors Find

Medicaid has struggled for years with poor oversight and billions lost to improper payments. A new report finds that despite their fraud-fighting rhetoric, Medicaid managed-care companies are not as rigorous as they should be in ensuring the integrity of the Medicaid payment system.