Latest California Healthline Stories
CalPERS Approves More Modest Health Insurance Rate Hikes Than Last Year
Average premium increases for the agency’s 2017 HMO and PPO plans are indicative of health care cost trends.
By Sharing Painkillers, Friends And Family Members Can Fuel Opioid Epidemic: Study
New research also highlights the public’s lack of knowledge regarding the proper ways to store and dispose of these highly addictive prescriptions.
As Hospital Chains Grow, So Do Their Prices For Care
The average patient stay costs $4,000 more at Sutter and Dignity hospitals than at other California medical centers, study shows.
Gov. Brown Signs Bill Seeking OK For Exchange To Sell To Immigrants Without Documents
The state can now submit a potentially precedent-setting request for federal approval to allow immigrants living in California illegally to buy insurance from Covered California.
State Legislators Push Bill To Inform Patients Of Drug Company Discount Programs
Opponents of the proposal say a requirement to inform consumers of such programs would only boost drug company sales and increase overall health care spending.
HHS Announces Plans To Curtail Consumers’ Use Of Short-Term Insurance Policies
The plans, which do not qualify as coverage under the Affordable Care Act and put consumers at risk of a tax penalty, can siphon healthy people away from the online marketplaces because they are generally less expensive.
Youth Film Contest Seeks To Reduce Stigma Of Mental Illness
The program, funded by Prop. 63 “millionaire’s tax,” has led to the creation of more than 1,600 videos in 35 counties across California. Participants say it has heightened their sensitivity.
Study Suggests Federal Standard May Be Thwarting Some Transplant Patients
Researchers report that performance standards set by federal health officials may have led to many patients being dropped from transplant lists without improving survival rates.
A New Sort Of Consultant: Advising Doctors And Patients On California’s Aid-In-Dying Law
A Berkeley doctor begins an unusual practice as a law takes effect this week permitting doctors to prescribe lethal medications to terminally ill patients who request them.
New Report Shows Medi-Cal’s Expanded Reach
The program traditionally for the poor also provides coverage to millions of working Californians, report says. But low payment rates may keep doctors away, reducing access to care.