Latest California Healthline Stories
Hospital Surprise: Medicare’s Observation Care
You’re in a hospital and think you’re admitted. Maybe not. Many Medicare beneficiaries are surprised to learn that even after spending a couple of days, they are receiving observation care, which Medicare considers an outpatient service, so the seniors’ costs can be more than expected.
Sounds Like A Good Idea? Regulating Drug Prices
Presidential candidates from both parties have proposals they say would help lower the cost of prescription drugs. But most experts say that efforts to regulate prices might not end up saving much money.
California’s Aid-In-Dying Law Takes Effect
Terminally ill patients must meet many requirements in order to end their own lives. Some could have difficulty finding a doctor willing to prescribe the drugs, and others could have trouble paying for them.
Sounds Like A Good Idea? Selling Insurance Across State Lines
Republicans have long touted a proposal to allow insurers to sell across state lines as a way to help keep coverage costs down. But there are some significant obstacles to making such a system work, as this video points out.
Changing Disparities in Breast-Feeding
Jan Emerson-Shea of the California Hospital Association, Robbie Gonzalez-Dow of the California Breastfeeding Coalition, lactation consultant Monique Sims-Harper and neonatologist Nancy Wight spoke with California Healthline about the disparities associated with breastfeeding, the cultural factors that contribute to those disparities and the possible influence hospitals could have on reducing them.
Fight Continues To Raise Smoking Age
Bill Dombrowski of the California Retailers Association, State Sen. Ed Hernandez, Debra Kelley of the American Lung Association and Assembly member Jim Wood spoke with California Healthline about the return of proposed legislation to raise the legal smoking age from 18 to 21 in California.
California and its Counties Leading Way on Health Benefits for Undocumented
Contra Costa County Supervisor Candice Anderson, Rosa Maria Arriaga, a 72-year-old patient, Álvaro Fuentes of Contra Costa County’s Community Clinic Consortium, Gerald Kominski of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, Gabrielle Lessard of the National Immigration Law Center, Ira Mehlman of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, Teshina Wilson, a physician at a Richmond clinic, and Anthony Wright of Health Access California spoke with California Healthline about the state’s efforts to provide health care to undocumented immigrants.
State Takes Steps To Curb Overmedication of Foster Children — Is It Enough?
Former foster child Shanequa Arrington, state Sen. Jim Beall, public health nurse Susan Bullard, Bill Grimm and Anna Johnson of the National Center for Youth Law, Cathy Senderling-McDonald of the California Welfare Directors Association and Mike Wofford of the state Department of Health Care Services spoke with California Healthline about the possible over-prescribing of psychotropic and antipsychotic medication for foster children in California.
One Year After Benefit Began, Are Kids in Medi-Cal Getting Autism Treatment?
Sarah Brooks at the California Department of Health Care Services, Kelly Hardy of Children Now, Kristin Jacobson of Autism Deserves Equal Coverage and Sarah Trautman-Eslinger of STE Consultants spoke with California Healthline about the implementation of autism treatment under Medi-Cal, one year after it became a benefit.
California’s Precision Medicine Initiative Targets Hard-To-Diagnose Diseases
Gov. Brown, UC-San Francisco researcher Esteban Burchard, UCSF researcher Atul Butte, UCSF infectious disease specialist Charles Chiu and patient family member Julie Osborn of Wisconsin spoke with California Healthline about California’s initiative to boost precision medicine research to help prevent and treat the root cause of illnesses such as encephalitis and sepsis, which sometimes can be difficult to diagnose.