Latest Kaiser Health News Stories
Health Care Industry ‘Pays Tribute’ To California’s Influential Lawmakers
The leaders of California’s legislative health committees who wield power over state health policy have been showered with money from the health care sector, with drug companies, health plans, hospitals and doctors providing nearly 40 percent of their 2017-18 campaign funds.
Feds Say California May Have Spent Nearly $1B On Ineligible Medi-Cal Beneficiaries
The potentially improper payments occurred in 2014 and 2015, when the state says it was under pressure from a massive influx of new applicants due to the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion.
Feds Join Lawsuit Alleging Sutter Health Padded Revenue With False Patient Data
The whistleblower complaint says that Sutter, one of the largest health systems in the U.S., exaggerated how sick certain Medicare patients were in order to collect higher payments from the government-funded program.
In California, Doctors Accused Of Sexual Misconduct Often Get Second Chances
The state medical board grants probation in more than a third of cases, a KHN analysis found. Even as other institutions adapt to lessons of the #MeToo movement, the board plans no significant changes, saying it has always prioritized discipline for sexual misconduct.
Blue Shield’s Trims To Out-Of-State Coverage Give Some Californians The Blues
To keep costs down, Blue Shield of California next year will scale back on a program allowing members to receive a wide range of care beyond the state’s borders. Customers with individual plans mostly won’t be able to get coverage out of state except for emergencies or other exceptional circumstances.
More Than Half Of California Nursing Homes Balk At Stricter Staffing Rules
Patient advocates say the state’s new staffing regulations are a good start toward better protecting the frail, but the nursing home industry contends they’re too burdensome.
Nonprofit Bets Asian-American Students Can Learn To Avoid Unhealthy Gambling
It’s not clear why Asian-American college students have higher rates of compulsive gambling than their peers, but a nonprofit in the San Francisco Bay Area arms them with strategies to avoid getting hooked.
Paradise Lost: Wildfire Chases Seniors From Retirement Havens To Field Hospitals
Having fled quickly — often without medications, wheelchairs or pets to comfort them — refugees from the Camp Fire manage as best they can in makeshift shelters miles from home. A virus is spreading, and medical attention is spotty.
Gun Control Vs. Mental Health Care: Debate After Mass Shootings Obscures Murky Reality
More than half of mass shooters have serious mental health disorders, experts say, but the vast majority of mentally ill people are not violent. Some clinicians suggest strategic interventions, including closing loopholes in background checks to buy firearms and allowing family members to confiscate guns under temporary court orders for relatives at risk of doing harm.
For Wildfire Safety, Only Particular Masks Guard Against Toxic Particulate Matter
As wildfires blaze in Northern and Southern California, millions of people outside of the burn zones are getting exposed to dangerous wildfire smoke. For those donning face masks for protection, only a specific mask will work.
Childbirth In The Age Of Addiction: New Mom Worries About Maintaining Sobriety
For mothers in recovery from opioid addiction, narcotic pain relief during and after delivery can put sobriety at risk.
An Underused Strategy For Surge In STDs: Treat Patients’ Partners Without A Doctor Visit
For over a decade, federal health officials have recommended the practice, known as expedited partner therapy. It is allowed in most states, but many doctors don’t do it — either because of legal or ethical concerns, or because they are unaware of it.
Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ Split Decision On Health Care
In this episode of KHN’s “What the Health?” Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Rebecca Adams of CQ Roll Call and Joanne Kenen of Politico discuss the Trump administration’s new birth control coverage rules and the potential impact of the midterm election results on health policy.
Measure To Cap Dialysis Profits Pummeled After Record Spending By Industry
The dialysis industry raised nearly $111 million in a successful bid to defeat the measure, which also was opposed by hospitals and doctors. The union that sponsored the measure collected about one-sixth that amount.
California’s Top Lawyer Sees Election Win As Mandate To Sustain Trump Resistance
Attorney General Xavier Becerra views his resounding Election Day win as a “clear signal” from voters to continue his work defending the Affordable Care Act and pushing back against the Trump administration.
California Dreamin’? With Newsom’s Win, Single-Payer Unlikely To Follow Anytime Soon
Even though Democrat Gavin Newsom campaigned for single-payer, it’s unlikely that he and other lawmakers will completely overhaul the state’s health care system right away. Instead, they will likely propose incremental steps to provide more Californians with health insurance.
Hello? It’s I, Robot, And Have I Got An Insurance Plan For You!
An “epidemic” of robocalls timed to open-enrollment season are largely illegal, fraudulent or aim to rope you into insurance you don’t need or can’t use. They’re also really annoying.
Quick: What’s The Difference Between Medicare-For-All And Single-Payer?
As politicians across the country toss about such health care catchphrases, sometimes interchangeably, many voters say they’re “just confused.”
Ad Check: What Happens If California Limits Dialysis Center Profits?
Both sides in the contentious and expensive battle over California’s Proposition 8 are cherry-picking the facts ahead of Tuesday’s vote as dialysis companies spend record amounts to persuade voters through ads.
Billions In ‘Questionable Payments’ Went To California’s Medicaid Insurers And Providers
The money was paid on behalf of more than 400,000 people who may have been ineligible for the public program, a state audit found. One had been dead for four years before payments stopped.
