Latest California Healthline Stories
Molina Healthcare, A Top Obamacare Insurer, Investigates Breach Of Patients’ Data
“It’s unconscionable that such a basic, security 101 flaw could still exist at a major health care provider,” says one cybersecurity expert.
A Busy Week For Health: Budget Cuts, CBO Scores And Mitch McConnell’s Cryptic Signal
KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey and Julie Rovner discuss some of the developments that shook up health news this week.
Influx Of Elderly Patients Forces ER To Practice Comfort Care
Despite a culture clash and lack of time and training, ER doctors see how palliative care averts suffering for elderly patients with serious illnesses.
For California Hospitals That Don’t Pass Quake Test, Money’s Mostly At Fault
Some hospitals are using innovative financing for retrofitting work as a state deadline to meet seismic safety requirements approaches in 2020.
Putting A Lid On Waste: Needless Medical Tests Not Only Cost $200B — They Can Do Harm
The health care industry thrives on ordering up tests and treatments, but some hospitals are urging restraint.
UnitedHealth Doctored Medicare Records, Overbilled U.S. By $1 Billion, Feds Claim
The company, which is the nation’s largest Medicare Advantage operator, denies wrongdoing and argues that the Justice Department “fundamentally misunderstands” how the Medicare Advantage works.
Do Best-Selling Drugs That Calm Stomachs Damage Kidneys? The Answer’s Unclear.
With flawed systems for tracking the side effects of prescription drugs, a link between proton pump inhibitors and kidney disease suggested by research cannot be proven. Patients who swear by the drugs hope it won’t be.
Overwrought Marketing? Ads, Not Research, Create Some Pharma Best-Sellers
A look at how and why strategic, star-studded advertising brought a drug for a little-known neurological condition into your home.
California Bill Addresses Safety Concerns At Dialysis Clinics
Legislation would require minimum staffing levels, longer intervals between patients and more frequent state inspections.
California Measure Aims To Limit Drugmakers’ Influence On Doctors
State lawmakers will consider a bill banning most pharmaceutical industry gifts and other enticements for health providers, unless there’s an educational purpose.