Latest California Healthline Stories
Lax Oversight Leaves Surgery Center Regulators And Patients In The Dark
A Kaiser Health News and USA Today Network investigation finds that a hodgepodge of state rules governing outpatient centers allow some deaths and serious injuries to go unexamined. And no rule stops a doctor exiled by a hospital for misconduct from opening a surgery center down the street.
Breathing ‘A Chore’: California Wildfires Threaten The Health Of Young And Old
The state battles at least 17 large blazes, with no clear end in sight. Climate change is among the factors that fuel the fires, scientists say.
How Genetic Tests Muddy Your Odds Of Getting A Long-Term-Care Policy
Federal law bars insurers from using these test results for health coverage, but they can influence whether you get a plan covering long-term care.
La otra crisis de Puerto Rico: más de un millón en riesgo por recortes a Medicaid
La isla, que todavía está recuperándose de las tormentas de 2017, sufrirá un nuevo revés sanitario: fuertes recortes a Medicaid pueden impactar en la atención médica de los más vulnerables.
In Weary Post-Storm Puerto Rico, Medicaid Cutbacks Bode New Ills
The island’s government must squeeze $840.2 million in annual savings from Medicaid by 2023, part of the U.S. territory’s agreement with the federal government as Puerto Rico claws its way back from fiscal oblivion. Experts warn such drastic cuts defy actuarial science.
The Pluses And Minuses Of Allowing Medical Marijuana At School
As more parents turn to medical marijuana to treat their sick children, a handful of states have changed the rules to allow them to administer the drug on campus. California is considering it — at the possible risk of losing federal funding.
Must-Reads Of The Week From Brianna Labuskes
Newsletter editor Brianna Labuskes wades through hundreds of health articles from the week so you don’t have to.
Listen: Inexpensive Nerve Drug Often Abused As Opioid Epidemic Grows
Gabapentin, a medication approved to help patients with nerve pain or epilepsy, is being abused by people addicted to opioids to help prolong their high or stave off withdrawal from other drugs. Kaiser Health News reporter Carmen Heredia Rodriguez talks about the problem during a wide-ranging health discussion on the NPR program “On Point.”
Trying To Pinpoint Hurricane’s True Toll, Researchers Say 1,139 Died In Puerto Rico
The estimate, published in the journal JAMA, dwarfs the government’s toll of 64 but is far lower than another highly touted analysis.
How Rival Opioid Makers Sought To Cash In On Alarm Over OxyContin’s Dangers
Fentanyl and other painkillers marketed as safer than Purdue Pharma’s blockbuster drug left their own trail of overdose deaths.