Health Care Costs

Latest California Healthline Stories

Debating The New Ballot Measure To Control Prescription Drug Prices

The California Drug Price Relief Act would mandate that the state pay no more for prescription drugs than the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. David Gorn sat down with Rand Martin, Sacramento lobbyist for the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which is sponsoring the ballot measure, and Kathy Fairbanks, campaign consultant for the committee opposing it.

A Closer Look At The Senate’s Investigation Of Tainted Medical Scopes

A Senate investigation recently found that 16 hospitals around the U.S. failed to file mandatory paperwork with the federal government after patients at their hospitals became infected or died from the use of tainted medical scopes. KHN’s Chad Terhune, who reported on the story for the Los Angeles Times, spoke with Madeline Brand on KCRW’s Press Play about the investigation and steps the scope maker is taking to stop the infections.

Heavy Use Of CT Scans Raises Concerns About Patients’ Exposure To Radiation

CT scans, which are administered more than 85 million times a year, are an important diagnostic tool, but just one can be equivalent to 200 X-rays. Some doctors warn that health providers are not considering possible consequences when ordering the tests.

Expensive Drugs in 2016 Crosshairs

Lawmakers, policymakers and California voters are poised this year to move past dismay and discussion about rising prescription drug prices. With a new law on the books in California and a petition approved for the statewide ballot, dismay may give way to action.

Can Drug Companies Survive Their Martin Shkreli Moment?

The pharmaceutical industry has been under scrutiny for the past month, after one executive’s decision to hike the price of a drug by more than 5,000% overnight attracted the attention of presidential candidates.

Support for Federal Health Spending Is Down. Could the ACA Be the Reason Why?

The Affordable Care Act is the largest overhaul of the country’s health care system in history. Since the law’s enactment, support for federal spending on health care is down among Republicans, independents … and even Democrats.