California Opens Medicaid to Older Unauthorized Immigrants
Starting May 1, low-income unauthorized immigrants over age 49 became eligible for full Medicaid health coverage, a significant milestone in Californiaās effort to expand coverage.
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Battle Lines Are Drawn Over California Deal With Kaiser Permanente
A controversial proposal to grant HMO giant Kaiser Permanente a no-bid statewide Medicaid contract is headed for its first legislative hearing amid vocal opposition from a coalition of counties, competing health plans, community clinics, and a national health care labor union.
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How a Former Catholic Priest Is Navigating a California Medicaid Plan Through Big ChangesĀ
Michael Hunn left the clergy and became a hospital and health system executive. Heās been named CEO of CalOptima, Orange Countyās Medi-Cal health insurance plan for low-income residents, and his spiritual background is helping him guide the publicly run plan into the future.
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Record Fines Might Mean California Is Finally Serious About Improving Medi-Cal
California regulators issued record fines against L.A. Care, the stateās largest Medi-Cal managed-care plan, for providing inadequate care to its enrollees. But whether the penalties are a sign that the state will make a more forceful effort to improve Medi-Calās overall quality of care remains to be seen.
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When Teens Blow Off Parentsā Pleas to Get Vaccinated, the Consequences Can Be Deadly
Kennedy Stonum, a 17-year-old high school junior, resisted getting vaccinated against covid-19, as did 20-year-old Tyler Gilreath, whose mother had nagged him for months to get the shots. Both died.
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J&J-Vaxxed, mRNA-Boosted, and Pondering a Third Shot
Many of the nearly 17 million U.S. members of J&J Nation, myself included, are wondering whether to set aside the current official guidance and get a second booster. Some experts say: Chill out.
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California Inks Sweetheart Deal With Kaiser Permanente, Jeopardizing Medicaid Reforms
The backroom deal with politically connected Kaiser Permanente, which infuriated other Medi-Cal health plans, allows the health care giant to continue selecting the enrollees it wants.
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What the Federal āNo Surprises Actā Means in California
The new federal law will provide protection against surprise medical bills for between 6 million and 7 million Californians who are not covered under state law.
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Layers of Subcontracted Services Confuse and Frustrate Medi-Cal Patients
Many of the 14 million patients in Medi-Cal are in managed care health plans that outsource their care to subcontractors or sub-subcontractors. For patients with difficult health care needs, it can be hard to know where to turn.
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Covered Californiaās Insurance Deals Range From āNo-Brainerā to Sticker Shock
Families of four with incomes of less than about $40,000 a year can pay no premiums and have low deductibles. For some others, health insurance in 2022 will cost more than in 2021 ā in some cases, significantly more.
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New California Law Eases Aid-in-Dying Process
Nearly 2,000 terminally ill Californians have used a 2015 law to end their lives with a doctorās assistance. A revision of the law will make it easier to do so.
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Your Out-of-Pocket Health Care Costs Need Not Be a Mystery
A new California law requires health insurance companies to notify consumers how much remains on their deductibles and how close they are to their annual out-of-pocket spending limits.
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California Law Aims to Strengthen Access to Mental Health Services
The law doesnāt take effect until July, but its passage should force insurers to expand their rosters of therapists. Hereās how you can challenge your health planās mental health services until then.
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Direct Primary Care, With a Touch of Robin Hood
Some doctors, sick of mainstream health careās red tape, are finding refuge in practices that combine concierge medicine with charity care.
By Bernard J. Wolfson Photos by Heidi de Marco -
Wildfire Smoke Is Here to Stay. Hereās How to Clean the Air Inside Your Home.
There are many ways to cleanse indoor air of dangerous smoke particles, which are particularly harmful to people with chronic respiratory and cardiac conditions. Some are expensive, but cheap alternatives exist.
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Californiaās Reboot of Troubled Medi-Cal Puts Pressure on Health Plans
The nine commercial insurers in Medi-Cal must reapply by submitting bids for new contracts. The state hopes the process will improve care for low-income residents and tighten accountability, something critics say has been missing.
By Bernard J. Wolfson Photos by Heidi de Marco -
Leader of Californiaās Muscular Obamacare Exchange to Step Down
Peter Lee helped create Covered California, which has been lauded as a national example among the Affordable Care Actās insurance marketplaces, and he fiercely opposed Republican efforts to repeal the federal health reform law.
By Bernard J. Wolfson and Angela Hart -
Providence-KP Team Up to Attract Patients in Californiaās Growing High Desert Region
Providence, the countryās 10th-biggest hospital chain, says itās too expensive to upgrade an older hospital, so it will join forces with giant Kaiser Permanente to build a new one.
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Effort to Decipher Hospital Prices Yields Key Finding: Donāt Try It at Home
Your dutiful columnist tried to make use of a federal ātransparencyā rule to compare the prices of common medical procedures in two California health care systems. It was a futile exercise.
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Being Vaccinated Doesnāt Mean You Must Go Maskless. Hereās Why.
It wonāt hurt to remain cautious, even as California reopens for business in response to mass vaccinations and diminishing cases of covid.
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