Innovations

Latest California Healthline Stories

Why One California County Went Surgery Shopping

Fed up with high hospital costs and limited competition, Santa Barbara County sends willing employees out of town for better bargains. Local governments are slowly joining private employers in aggressively seeking out the best care for the lowest price. 

5 Outside-The-Box Ideas For Fixing The Individual Insurance Market

As lawmakers look for ways to stabilize the health law marketplaces, a number of ideas — such as expanding who can “buy in” to Medicare and Medicaid or pushing young adults off their parents’ plans into the marketplaces — might come into play.

Going For $1 An Ounce: The Burgeoning Trade In Mothers’ Milk

As a fountain of nonprofit milk banks emerge, one woman’s abundant supply can fill another’s yawning demand. But critics fear that poor women will sell start selling their milk for survival, depriving their own babies of vital nutrients.