MORE ON: health care

As the second anniversary of the health care reform law approaches, California health advocates hailed the changes that have been made and those on the horizon. They also noted the difficulties for California, which is emerging as one of the most aggressive states in implementing reform. While... + read more

Better access to primary health care and prevention programs could have kept thousands of California adults out of hospitals, according to a new statewide analysis. According to new data released last week by the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development, there were more than 335,000... + read more

California needs to pay attention to potential strains on county services as it implements Gov. Jerry Brown’s plan to shift nonviolent criminals and parolees to counties, a RAND Corp. study says. The study [PDF], “Understanding the Public Health Implications of Prisoner Reentry in... + read more

Federal health reform will increase mental health coverage in myriad ways, but state law still leaves longstanding challenges in place, a panel of federal government authorities and mental health advocates told members of the California Legislature yesterday. No member of the panel could... + read more

In an effort to close the state budget gap, California health officials are proposing a “hard cap” of 10 medical visits per year for needy patients who rely on the Medi-Cal program for health care. Some patients and health advocates are calling the strategy a "death sentence... + read more

For anyone who has had a common cold, an ongoing debate between a major California health insurer and the group that represents doctors is one to watch. At the heart of the battle is whether the practice of medicine can be graded like a student’s performance on a test. Insurers want to... + read more