Latest California Healthline Stories
From Stethoscope To Gavel: Pediatrician At Center Of State’s Health Care Debates
State Sen. Richard Pan, a pediatrician who still sees patients once a week, is the new chairman of the Senate Health Committee. He takes this leadership role as he seeks re-election and as the state is battling federal cuts and preparing for a new governor.
Medicaid Expansion Making Diabetes Meds More Accessible To Poor, Study Shows
The number of diabetes drug prescriptions filled for low-income people enrolled in Medicaid rose sharply in states that expanded eligibility for the program under the Affordable Care Act, according to a new study.
Expansión de Medicaid facilita el acceso de los más pobres a drogas anti diabetes
El estudio revela que las recetas para drogas contra la diabetes aumentaron un 40% en los estados que expandieron Medicaid bajo ACA. También lo hicieron los diagnósticos.
Readers And Tweeters: On Seniors Packing Heat And When They Should Pack It In
California Healthline and Kaiser Health News give readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Top Trump Health Official Takes Swipes At ACA, Single-Payer In Enemy Territory
After a San Francisco speech focused mostly on Medicare, Seema Verma fielded questions that underscored the administration’s differences with California on other key health care issues.
Children With Disabilities Endure Long Waits For Life-Changing Medical Equipment
Some California children with serious health care problems wait more than a year for wheelchairs, bath benches, commodes, specialized crutches and other crucial medical equipment. Critics blame the delays on a confusing bureaucratic maze of private insurers and public programs.
Doctors And Dentists Welcome Pay Hike For Treating Low-Income Patients
California is boosting rates for doctors and dentists who participate in the state’s Medi-Cal program for low-income residents. Providers say the pay raises will increase their participation in the program and improve access for patients.
After Setback, Proponents Of Universal Coverage In Calif. Look To Next Governor
Key measures in the legislature’s coverage-for-all strategy failed to make it into next year’s state budget. Pending legislation to accomplish the same goals are unlikely to pass muster with Gov. Jerry Brown.
California Poised To Expand Access To Hepatitis C Drugs
New state rules and funding, which are pending approval from the governor, would make almost all Medi-Cal recipients with hepatitis C eligible for pricey, lifesaving medications, as long as they are at least 13 and have more than one year to live.
New Hospital Leader Fights Price Controls Despite Reputation As A Reformer
Carmela Coyle was known as an innovator when she led Maryland’s hospital association and supported a groundbreaking program that capped hospital revenue. But less than a year into her new job representing California’s hospitals in Sacramento, Coyle has already helped kill a proposal to regulate pricing.