Advertisements Promising Patients a ‘Dream Body’ With Minimal Risk Get Little Scrutiny
While federal officials say they are cracking down on misleading drug ads, cosmetic surgery remains a “buyer beware†market.
California Bureau
Visit for an archive of reporting prior to October 2025.
81 - 100 of 1,947 Results
-
-
Medicaid Health Plans Step Up Outreach Efforts Ahead of GOP Changes
Even as President Donald Trump and GOP lawmakers say the One Big Beautiful Bill Act targets waste, fraud, and abuse, Medicaid health plans are hosting events across the U.S. to prevent low-income families from losing health insurance and food benefits next year.
-
States Advance Medical Debt Protections as Federal Support Turns to Opposition
Federal officials reversed their stance on medical debt credit reporting, then came a lawsuit in Colorado. As lawmakers in other states forge ahead with attempts to protect consumers from medical debt, some are reconsidering how they go about it.
-
One Big Beautiful Bill Act Complicates State Health Care Affordability Efforts
The federal budget bill President Donald Trump signed into law in July is creating uncertainty for states trying to rein in health care spending. In California, a lawsuit by the hospital industry challenging state spending caps cites the law, which will slash Medicaid spending, as one of many financial pressures.
-
Readers Make Their Wish Lists, Checking Up on Health Care
³Ô¹Ï²»´òìÈ gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
-
Vaccine Panel’s Hepatitis B Vote Signals Further Turbulence for Immunization Policy, Public Trust
Clinicians and epidemiologists warn the decision to no longer recommend the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine could unravel decades of progress and expose newborns to a deadly, preventable disease.
-
Sticker Shock: Obamacare Customers Confront Premium Spikes as Congress Dithers
With subsidies that give consumers extra help paying their health insurance premiums set to expire, lawmakers are again debating the Affordable Care Act. The difference this time: It’s happening in the middle of ACA open enrollment.
-
Wheelchair? Hearing Aids? Yes. ‘Disabled’? No Way.
Many older Americans shun an identity that could bring helpful accommodations, improve care, and provide community.
By Paula Span -
Rural Health Providers Could Be Collateral Damage From $100K Trump Visa Fee
Dozens of health care organizations have asked the Trump administration to shield the doctors, nurses, and techs they need to fill shortages from the president’s new $100,000 visa fee for skilled foreign workers. So far, there’s no sign of a reprieve.
By Arielle Zionts and Phillip Reese -
Even as SNAP Resumes, New Work Rules Threaten Access for Years To Come
Even as the federal government resumed funding the nation’s largest food assistance program, people risk losing access to the aid because of new rules.
-
They Need a Ventilator To Stay Alive. Getting One Can Be a Nightmare.
Few nursing homes are set up to care for people needing help breathing with a ventilator because of ALS or other infirmities. Insurers often resist paying for ventilators at home, and innovative programs are now endangered by Medicaid cuts.
By Jordan Rau -
Kids and Teens Go Full Throttle for E-Bikes as Federal Oversight Stalls
States, counties, and schools step in to improve safety amid an uptick in e-bike injuries, while federal regulatory efforts stagnate.
By Kate Ruder -
Cancer Stole Her Voice. She Used AI, Curse Words, and Kids’ Books To Get It Back.
After a total glossectomy and laryngectomy to treat her cancer, Sonya Sotinsky can no longer speak. She searched for a way to sound like herself again and now pays out-of-pocket for an artificial intelligence app that can replicate her old voice — emotion, inflection, and all.
-
Waning Immunity and Falling Vaccination Rates Fuel Pertussis Outbreaks
New details from health officials suggest the whooping-cough surge may be part of a national pattern driven by slipping vaccine coverage and waning immunity, with infants bearing the brunt of the consequences.
-
Complaints About Gaps in Medicare Advantage Networks Are Common. Federal Enforcement Is Rare.
Health systems drop out of Medicare Advantage plans all the time. Yet government documents obtained by ³Ô¹Ï²»´òìÈ show that federal regulators rarely warn plans that their networks of health providers are so skimpy they violate legal requirements.
By Susan Jaffe -
Once a Patient’s in Custody, ICE Can Be at Hospital Bedsides — But Detainees Have Rights
Federal law allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to guard detainees at health care facilities, but patients can ask to speak privately with medical providers and lawyers.
-
Conflicting Advice on Covid Shots Likely To Ding Already Low Vaccine Rates, Experts Warn
About 1 in 4 American adults got a covid vaccine shot during the 2024-25 virus season, a fraction health care experts warn could be smaller this year as millions wrestle with conflicting advice from the government and trusted medical organizations about the value of a shot.
-
‘They Don’t Return Home’: Cities Across US Fail To Curb Traffic Deaths
Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Houston reported more traffic fatalities than homicides last year. Despite local, state, and federal safety initiatives, such as Vision Zero, traffic deaths across the U.S. are higher than they were a decade ago.
-
What the Air You Breathe May Be Doing to Your Brain
Studies increasingly find links between higher concentrations of certain pollutants and the prevalence of dementia.
By Paula Span -
Health Care Costs Jump to the Fore as Candidates Jockey To Be California Governor
During a California gubernatorial debate, candidates promised to protect people’s access to health care and fight back against Trump administration cuts. With the contest a year away, polling shows voters want the next governor to minimize out-of-pocket health care costs, increase mental health care, and expand caregiving services.