Latest California Healthline Stories
Ghost Bill: UVA Siphons Couple’s Tax Refund To Pay 20-Year-Old Medical Debt
Jane Collins and Anthony Blow were stunned to learn last fall that their state tax refund was being reduced by $110 because the Charlottesville medical center said they owed money for care their son received in 2001 and 2002.
California Lawmakers Block Health Care Cuts
State legislators and Gov. Gavin Newsom have hammered out an agreement on a budget that rejects Newsom’s proposed cuts to health care services for older and low-income people.
Citing COVID, Sutter Pushes To Revisit Landmark Antitrust Settlement
Six months after agreeing to a $575 million settlement in a landmark antitrust case, Sutter Health has yet to pay a single dollar and now says the terms may be untenable, given the strain caused by the pandemic.
Wealthy Hospital Taps Craft Breweries For Aid To Buy Masks, Gloves
Although the federal government has poured billions of dollars into hospitals to defray their losses from the coronavirus outbreak, new streams of fundraising have emerged — including health worker-themed beer that adds “a drop in the bucket.”
If You’ve Lost Your Health Plan In The COVID Crisis, You’ve Got Options
But some of those options, like special enrollment periods, are time-sensitive.
Si perdiste tu seguro de salud por la crisis de COVID-19, tienes opciones
Algunos pueden adquirir un seguro de salud bajo ACA apelando a un período especial de inscripción. Otros descubren que pueden aplicar para Medicaid. Hay alternativas pero el tiempo corre.
Social Media Fears About Lack Of Coverage For Protest Injuries May Be Overblown
After some protests over the death of George Floyd resulted in violence, online discussions raised concerns that health plans might deny medical coverage. Although plans do sometimes make exclusions for “illegal acts” or riots, experts say concerns by people who are protesting Floyd’s death may be overstated.
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Protests And The Pandemic
The outrage over the death of an African American man, George Floyd, after he was restrained and knelt on by Minneapolis police officers has sparked national protests, including in places where the coronavirus is still spreading. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump’s attempt to withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization could have ramifications for Americans. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Mary Agnes Carey of KHN and Joanne Kenen of Politico join KHN’s Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Also, Rovner interviews Jonathan Oberlander, a University of North Carolina health policy professor and the editor of the Journal of Health Politics, Policy and Law, about articles examining the COVID-19 pandemic through the lens of health inequity and structural racism.
Open (Your Wallet) Wide: Dentists Charge Extra For Infection Control
A growing number of dental offices across the country are now charging patients an “infection control fee” of $10 to $20 to pay for masks, face shields, gowns and air purifiers to help keep the offices free of the coronavirus.
‘An Arm And A Leg’: The $7,000 COVID Test And Other Lessons From SEASON-19
“An Arm and a Leg” wraps an all-COVID podcast season with three different perspectives on what the pandemic is costing us — and what might come next.