For Low-Income Drug Users, Medi-Cal Offers A Fresh Start
Under a five-year agreement with the federal government, California is using Medicaid dollars to expand drug treatment, including more inpatient care and a broader range of medications.
Medi-Cal Sued For Pushing Patients Into Managed Care Despite Judges’ Orders
Advocates say California’s Medicaid program is violating its own rules by overturning decisions that would allow seriously ill patients to stay out of managed care and keep their doctors.
A Community Seeks Answers, Assurances About Health Care — In 10 Languages
A forum for Asian immigrants in Oakland draws a crowd so large some attendees had to be seated in an overflow room. Many immigrants are eager for information relevant to them as changes to the health care system are debated in Washington.
Por miedo a la deportación, niños sin papeles pueden abandonar el Medicaid
Desde que California permitió por ley que niños indocumentados recibieran servicios completos del Medi-Cal, se inscribieron cerca de 190,000. Con el clima político actual, defensores temen que los padres no los reinscriban por miedo a las deportaciones.
Fearing Deportation, Parents Worry About Undocumented Kids In Medicaid Program
A 2016 California law allowed children without papers to sign up for full Medicaid benefits. More than 189,000 children have been covered, but some families now fear renewing coverage or signing up their kids for the first time.
Blue Shield CEO Says GOP’s ‘Flawed’ Health Bill Would Harm Sicker Consumers
CEO Paul Markovich said he opposes the Republican plan because it would allow insurers to once again discriminate against people with preexisting conditions. “We are better than that,” he said.
Grasping For The Middle Ground On Obamacare
A University of Southern California professor says conservatives and liberals should split the difference: Scrap the exchanges and expand Medicaid.
By Decade’s End, Calif. Estimates It Would Lose $24B Annually Under GOP Health Plan
“It’s challenging to see how it would not … jeopardize the entire [Medicaid] program,” a top health official said.
In Deep-Blue State, Millions in Reddish Heartland Are Counting On Medicaid
The prospect of cutbacks has led to agitation and activism in California’s largely agricultural Central Valley, with relatively high poverty rates and a significant number of Trump voters.
GOP Bill’s Unheralded Changes In Rules Could Undermine Health Of Neediest
Lesser-known provisions in the Republican proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act would push some Medicaid enrollees out of coverage and cause financial pain for others.
Many Californians Could Be Priced Out Of Exchange Coverage, Analysis Finds
California’s health insurance exchange released an analysis showing that Republicans’ plan to trim subsidies, on average, by 40% would fall hard on elderly and very low-income people, especially in expensive areas like San Francisco.
Proposed Law Would Require All California Children To Be Screened For Lead
Under the current statute, kids are tested for lead only if they’re on certain government programs or live in older buildings. That leaves many other California children at risk, lawmaker says.
Threat Of Obamacare Repeal Leaves Community Health Centers In Limbo
These clinics have long provided health care to low-income patients and enjoyed expansion under the Affordable Care Act. With repeal looming, the centers’ doctors worry about what’s next.
A Safety-Net Medical Center Wrestles With Specter Of ‘Repeal’
San Mateo Medical Center is among hundreds of safety-net hospitals in California and across the country that stand to lose big if the federal government slashes support for Medicaid and insurance exchanges.
Some Immigrants, Fearful Of Political Climate, Shy Away From Medi-Cal
Some foreign-born California residents fear they could be penalized for using Medi-Cal and other social benefits. Others, in families of mixed-immigration status, worry about jeopardizing their loved ones’ chances of becoming green-card holders or citizens.
Single-Payer Health Care Bill Introduced In California Senate
The legislation is only a first step, declaring the “intent” of the state Senate without specifics or a timetable.
Drug Prices, Opioids, And Obamacare: A Conversation With Assemblyman Jim Wood
Wood, who chairs the Assembly Health Committee, lays out his priorities for 2017.
California Fines Kaiser Permanente $2.5 Million Over Missing Medicaid Data
The HMO blew two deadlines to supply information required by the state to monitor Medi-Cal managed care plans. Kaiser says it is “taking steps” to resolve the problem.
California’s Community Clinics, Big ACA Beneficiaries, Worry About Their Future
A flow of Medi-Cal expansion dollars — and patients — has fueled significant growth, making clinics in California one of the linchpins of primary care under Obamacare.
New Rules to Limit ‘Death Fees’ For California Medicaid Enrollees
Medi-Cal’s controversial program to go after your assets when you die will be significantly curtailed, but some enrollees could be hit by new claims.
