Lost in Translation: Drug Labeling Law is Improvement, but Not a Panacea
When she’s out of town, pharmacist Isabel Fong worries about her Chinese-speaking mother taking prescription medications. On more than one occasion her mom – who lives in San Francisco - has taken...
View ArticleNew Medicare ID Cards Prompt Fear of Fraud
A federal effort to clamp down on Medicare fraud has inadvertently opened up new possibilities for fraudsters who prey on the elderly, prompting a California-wide education campaign. While federal...
View ArticleCalifornia NICUs Provide Uneven Care to African American and Latino Babies
Research has long suggested that the quality of health care in the United States differs depending on a patient’s race. A new study suggests that gap affects even the youngest of patients, newborns in...
View ArticleWhat Happens if the Children’s Health Insurance Plan Isn’t Renewed?
CHIP has historically enjoyed strong bipartisan support, but that’s no longer the case. Without an extension by Sept. 30, millions of children may lose their access to health care, including children...
View ArticleDespite New Law, Doctor Directories Are Still Often Inaccurate
When Jackie called her assigned primary-care physician for the first time, she was told that her doctor was a specialist, not a primary care physician. She would need to see someone else, they informed...
View ArticleWhat Data From California’s New Assisted Dying Law Tells Us
In the first six months of California’s new End of Life Option Act, which allows some terminally ill patients to end their lives with medication, there have been no initial surprises. California...
View ArticleTo Help Latinos Age Well, We Need to Address Inequities
Norma has been working since she was a teenager. She started working as a farmworker, then became a cannery worker and now works in childcare. Now at 60 years old, she is unsure if she “will ever be...
View ArticleHospital Discharge Data Shows How California’s Health Coverage Has Shifted
In the last 15 years, the number of children enrolled in California’s low-income health program has steadily grown. Hospital discharge data for children illustrates this trend, according to a report...
View ArticleDomestic Violence Advocates Urge Governor to Sign Assistance Bill
A new bill from Baldwin Park Assemblywoman Blanca Rubio aims to make it easier for domestic violence victims to receive CalWORKs and ensure that caseworkers offer resources to survivors. The post...
View ArticleDeal or No Deal, Covered California Plans to Protect Consumers from Price Hikes
Senators Lamar Alexander, a Republican of Tennessee, and Patty Murray, a Democrat of Washington, reached a deal Tuesday to fund the subsidies for two years. That deal needs a Congressional vote to be...
View ArticleFor Seniors Caring for Seniors, California Offers Paid Leave, But Few Take It
What many California seniors and older adults don’t realize is that California offers a respite for them when their parents or other family members become ill. A surprisingly low number of caregivers...
View ArticleMigrant Children Thwarted by the 50-Mile Rule
Since the 1970s, a state rule has required farmworkers to move at least 50 miles away from a migrant camp at the end of the season in order to continue to qualify for the housing. Now, advocates are...
View ArticleInsurance Program for Low-Income Elders Confuses Consumers
Cal MediConnect was intended to help seniors who qualify for MediCal and Medicare. The California Department of Health Care Services expected the program to be a hit. It wasn’t. As of last July, only...
View ArticleCalifornia Prepares for Open Enrollment Amidst Health Care Turmoil
Despite repeated Republican-led Congressional efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and President Donald Trump declaring on Tuesday that Obamacare is “virtually dead,” California’s health insurance...
View ArticleIn California’s Rural Communities, Primary Care Remains Hard to Find
As the complicated drama of federal health care reform continues, some patients in California face a far more basic problem: getting timely access to to a primary care doctor. Outside of the Golden...
View ArticleCalifornia Offers In-Home Support, and Homeless Older Adults Should Have...
In-Home Supportive Services is California’s major in-home care program for people with disabilities. But what happens when the person who needs the care doesn’t have a home where services can be...
View ArticleRetired Docs Come to the Aid of Rural Health Clinics
Volunteer retired physicians use telemedicine to offer specialty consults to patients, and guidance and support to community health providers, especially new physicians, physician assistants and nurse...
View ArticleLead Poisoning Has Decreased, But Disparities Remain
The number of children with lead poisoning in California declined steadily between 2007 and 2013, a sign that state reforms and prevention efforts may be working. The post Lead Poisoning Has Decreased,...
View ArticleCalifornia STD Rates Continue to Rise, with Blacks and Latinos Often Hardest Hit
"Budgets for STD prevention campaigns, as well as STD clinics that can test and treat if needed, have been slashed throughout the state in the last few years, so it’s no surprise that rates are...
View ArticleFor Seniors Caring for Seniors, California Offers Paid Leave, But Few Take It
What many California seniors and older adults don’t realize is that California offers a respite for them when their parents or other family members become ill. A surprisingly low number of caregivers...
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