Latest California Healthline Stories
Home Visits Help New Parents Overcome Tough Histories, Raise Healthy Children
A program that provides $400 million in federal funding for the visits expires next month. Advocates and providers hope it will be reauthorized with a higher level of funding — but some worry that might not happen.
Despite Advance Directive, Dementia Patient Denied Last Wish, Says Spouse
Oregon court says Alzheimer’s patient Nora Harris must be spoon-fed. But her husband says she never wanted to live like this.
Anthem’s Exit Leaves Thousands With No Choice Of Health Plans
When Anthem Blue Cross pulls out of the individual market next year, about 60,000 Covered California enrollees, plus others who buy insurance outside of the exchange, will have only one health plan in their areas.
Too Few Patients Follow The Adage: You Better Shop Around
Three-quarters of participants in a newly released study said they did not know of resources for comparing health care costs, while half said that if a website were available to provide such information, they would use it.
For Covered California, Uncertainty Is The New Certainty
The state health insurance exchange made three multimillion-dollar decisions Thursday that were motivated by the lack of clarity from the federal government on key health policy issues.
Gun Sellers Join Forces To Curb Suicide-By-Firearm, Rampant In Rural Areas
New research suggests that efforts to address climbing rates of rural suicide must focus on safe access to firearms. State-based coalitions are attempting just that.
Often Missing In The Health Care Debate: Women’s Voices
When leaders in Washington discuss the future of American health care, women are not always in the room. Here, nine women share their personal stories, fears and hopes.
Fate Of San Francisco’s Ban On Flavored Tobacco Products Is Now Up To Voters
Tobacco industry bankrolled an effort to stall the city’s new anti-tobacco ordinance, which business owners argue would lead to millions in lost sales annually.
Number Of Dialysis Patients In California Surges
The increase — 46 percent over the past eight years — isn’t because the number of new kidney failure cases is rising. It’s because dialysis patients are living longer.
End-Of-Life Advice: More Than 500,000 Chat On Medicare’s Dime
In the first year of payments for advance-care planning sessions, once decried as ”death panels,“ use is higher than expected, new data show.