Latest California Healthline Stories
Presidential Politics, Polka and Wisconsin
Wisconsin, the land of fried cheese curds and the Green Bay Packers, is one of a half-dozen key battleground states where President Biden is trying to make health care a key issue in his expected November matchup with former president Donald Trump. Biden narrowly won Wisconsin in 2020, after it went for Trump in 2016. […]
¿Cómo Se Dice? California Loops In AI To Translate Health Care Information
State officials want to use artificial intelligence to translate public health care and social services documents and websites, which they say will speed up translations, save money, and improve Californians’ access to critical information. But some IT and language experts worry AI may introduce errors in wording and understanding.
¿Cómo se dice? California recurre a la IA para traducir información sobre atención médica
Funcionarios estatales quieren usar la inteligencia artificial para traducir documentos y sitios web de servicios sociales y de salud pública. Pero expertos en esta tecnología y en idiomas temen que la IA pueda cometer errores en la comprensión de los textos y en su redacción.
California Lawmakers Preserve Aid to Older, Disabled Immigrants
Lawmakers passed a budget that rejected Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to save nearly $95 million by eliminating in-home support services for qualifying older, blind, and disabled immigrants lacking legal residency. Advocates say Newsom’s plan would have cost more in the long run. Newsom has not indicated whether he’ll veto.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': SCOTUS Rejects Abortion Pill Challenge — For Now
The Supreme Court has dismissed a challenge to the FDA’s approval of the abortion pill mifepristone, ruling unanimously that the anti-abortion doctor group that filed the suit lacked standing. But abortion opponents are expected to pursue other strategies to ban or restrict the medication. Meanwhile, the Biden administration moves to stop the inclusion of medical debt on individual credit reports, and former President Donald Trump tries to claim credit for $35 insulin. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Rachana Pradhan of KFF Health News, and Emmarie Huetteman of KFF Health News join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF president and CEO Drew Altman about KFF’s new “Health Policy 101” primer.
Funding Instability Plagues Program That Brings Docs to Underserved Areas
A medical residency program designed to train future primary care physicians in outpatient rather than hospital settings has proved an effective means to bring doctors to rural and underserved areas. But it hinges on unpredictable congressional funding.
California Dabbles With Reining in Health Spending
California is now among the states trying to keep health-care costs down by setting spending caps — a task that pits public officials against a deeply entrenched and heavily lawyered set of players. It’s uncertain whether the state can get insurers, hospitals and medical groups to collaborate on containing costs even as they jockey for […]
Watch: California Pays Drug Users To Stay Clean
KFF Health News senior correspondent Angela Hart discusses a state Medicaid experiment for people addicted to methamphetamine, cocaine, and other stimulants. For every clean urine test, they can earn money — up to $599 a year.
Many Young Adults Who Began Vaping as Teens Can’t Shake the Habit
New data on substance use among young adults suggests that many former teen e-cigarette users are continuing the habit.
Nursing Homes Are Left in the Dark as More Utilities Cut Power To Prevent Wildfires
A nursing home in Colorado had 75 minutes to prepare for a power outage that lasted 28 hours. Such public safety power shut-offs are being used more often as a fire prevention tool, but not all health facilities are prepared.