Latest California Healthline Stories
Déjà Voodoo: Pharma’s Promises To Curb Drug Prices Have Been Heard Before
Several major drugmakers vow to contain drug prices, but similar pledges since the 1990s have not had much impact.
Hospitals Gear Up For New Diagnosis: Human Trafficking
Many people forced into labor or the sex trade seek medical help at some point, and health care workers are being trained to identify them to offer assistance.
Profiles For Sale: How Bits Of Captured Data Paint A Valuable Picture Of Your Health
Consumers, beware: Data brokers compile health and frailty profiles that have wide-ranging applications for drug companies, advertisers, insurers and other buyers.
Listen: What’s Up With The Covered California Rate Increases?
California Healthline senior correspondent Chad Terhune joins a discussion on Southern California Public Radio about last week’s premium hikes in the state health insurance marketplace.
California’s ACA Rates To Rise 8.7% Next Year
The average increase in California is smaller than the double-digit hikes expected around the nation, due largely to a healthier mix of enrollees and more competition in its marketplace. Still, health insurance prices keep growing faster than wages and general inflation.
‘Like A Ghost Town’: Erratic Nursing Home Staffing Revealed Through New Records
Daily nursing home payroll records just released by the federal government show the number of nurses and aides dips far below average on some days and consistently plummets on weekends. A new California law increases minimum staffing standards at nursing homes, but critics say it doesn’t go far enough.
Look-Up: How Nursing Home Staffing Fluctuates In California
Use this tool to see staffing levels at skilled nursing homes in California.
From Crib To Court: Trump Administration Summons Immigrant Infants
At least 70 infants have been ordered to appear in immigration court. Experts believe some were separated from their parents.
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.
States Attacking ACA Would Suffer Most If Preexisting Conditions Shield Gets Axed
A coalition of Republican states has launched a legal challenge to the Affordable Care Act, including provisions requiring insurers to offer coverage to people with preexisting conditions without raising rates. An analysis shows that some of these states have the highest proportion of such residents.