Latest California Healthline Stories
How To Pay for Retiree Health Coverage
We asked politicians, academics and consumer advocates how California should pay for the rising costs of providing health coverage for retired state workers.
Could Military Retirees, Dependents End Up in the ACA’s Exchanges?
Some experts have said that military dependents and retirees should be moved out of Tricare coverage and into health plans sold through the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges. But others believe that idea may be unrealistic.
The Bitter Truth: Brill’s ‘Bitter Pill’ Changed Nothing.
The landmark Time story that shook health care two years ago has been resurrected as a new best-selling book. But did author Steven Brill accurately diagnose the industry’s problems, and if so, why didn’t anyone follow his original prescription for a cure?
Bill Introduced To Create Statewide Health Care Cost, Quality Database
State Sen. Ed Hernandez has introduced a bill that would create an online database to compare costs and quality of health care products and services in California.
New Tools To Stem Rising Prices
We asked stakeholders, researchers and consumer advocates to weigh in on new anti-inflationary tools such as payment limits for specific medical treatments and new rules for containing prescription drug spending.
High-Priced Drug Makes Its Way Into California Prisons
California Correctional Health Care Services, which oversees clinical care and prescriptions for 125,000 inmates at 34 prisons, last month began using the expensive hepatitis C drug Sovaldi. The treatment has sparked a congressional investigation and a debate over its price.
Can the ACA Solve Staggering Prescription Drug Prices?
Many Americans believe the ACA should act as a salve for all things that ail the nation’s health care system. In light of the ongoing debate over the high cost of Gilead’s new hepatitis C treatment, what is the law doing to hold down prescription drug prices?
Hearing Looks at High Cost of Medicine
Now that millions of Californians have been added to the insurance rolls through Covered California and the Medi-Cal expansion, one California legislator said the next step should be reducing overall medical care costs.
Ignore the Hype: Health Care’s ‘Cost Disease’ Hasn’t Been Cured.
Health care’s cost curve is finally bending, and no story may be more important. But the gains could be short-lived — the industry’s long-term “cost disease” is only in remission, says one of the nation’s most prominent economists.
Obamacare Payment Pilots Are Struggling To Prove They Work. Here’s Why It’s OK.
To slow health spending, the federal government, dozens of payers and thousands of providers are spending time — and money — on pilots that ultimately may not lead anywhere. And that’s OK, experts say.