Latest California Healthline Stories
How Soon Is Soon Enough To Learn You Have Alzheimer’s?
Only about half of the people with Alzheimer’s symptoms get a diagnosis, partly out of fear of an incurable decline, doctors suspect. But Jose Belardo says facing the future allows him to plan for it.
No Gaps In Understanding: Here’s Your Primer On Medigap Coverage
Seniors often don’t realize that private insurers are required to offer Medigap policies, or supplemental insurance, only when people first sign up for Medicare.
How To Save A Choking Senator: Heimlich Heirs, Red Cross Disagree On Technique
The Red Cross and some other organizations suggest that first aid for choking begin with five slaps on the back. The family of Dr. Henry Heimlich, who developed the abdominal thrusts to dislodge objects that prevent breathing, is launching a campaign to demand proof of why back slaps should come first.
Community Frets As Buyer For Cherished Rural Hospital Slips From View
Some residents of remote Surprise Valley in Northern California fear their hospital will close like so many others around the country, as hope wanes for financial support from a Denver entrepreneur. The businessman, Beau Gertz, had planned to raise money through lab billing for faraway patients.
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.