Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Abortion Notification, Kids’ Hospitals Return to Ballot
Of the eight propositions so far to qualify for California’s November ballot, two deal with health care — a measure seeking to prohibit abortions for minors without family notification and a bond measure for children’s hospitals. Both might look familiar to Californians who voted in recent elections.
Sense of Austerity Goes Beyond Budget, Hits Legislature
Belt-tightening in California this spring isn’t limited to talk of next year’s budget. A penny-pinching mood — set by two appropriations committees — has settled over both houses of the state Legislature.
California Residency Programs Incorporate Chronic Disease Care into Physician Training
Experts on physician training and the management of chronic illness spoke with California Healthline about efforts to encourage California’s next generation of doctors to use an innovative chronic care model.
California Lawmakers Take a Stab at Legislating Healthy Habits
An Assembly bill that would require companies bidding on California state contracts to provide wellness benefits for employees fits in with a national trend of state legislatures encouraging healthy habits.
Prison Receiver Seeks $7 Billion To Update, Expand Health Care for California Inmates
Clark Kelso, federal receiver overseeing health care for California’s prison system; Sens. Dave Cox and Mike Machado; and Nancy Paulus of the Legislative Analyst’s Office discussed Kelso’s plan to revamp the prison health care system.
Holes Forming in Health Care Safety Net for California Children
Critics say changes proposed for two California programs providing health coverage for low-income children — Healthy Families and Medi-Cal — bode ill for “the most vulnerable population” in the state.
Aging Population Could Push Major Changes to Health Care
An Institute of Medicine report released last week called for major changes in the health care system to meet the needs of an aging population. One of the report’s authors said changes could be of the same scale as those that came out of the emergence of HIV/AIDS.
Budget Cuts Could Lead To Slower Results on Tuberculosis Test for Drug-Resistant Strains
State and county public health experts spoke with California Healthline about the effects of state budget cuts on efforts to control tuberculosis in the Bay Area, which accounts for nearly one-fourth of TB cases in the state.
California’s Mental Health System May Be Headed for Crisis
Like many of the patients it serves, California’s county-based mental health system seems to operate on a cycle of coping and crisis. Indications are we’re headed into crisis mode. Three counties are threatening to drop out of the Medi-Cal mental health program, and several other counties are experiencing other mental health meltdowns.
Assembly Bills Target Emergency Preparedness, Rent Increases at Assisted-Living Facilities
Assembly members Karen Bass and Lois Wolk, and a spokesperson from the Campaign to Improve Assisted Living spoke with California Healthline about regulation of the assisted-living industry.