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Advocates say California鈥檚 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 long history of racism and cruel experimentation in health care are among the reasons African-American families oppose donating patients鈥 brains for study.
The nation鈥檚 second-largest insurer is shrinking its presence on Obamacare exchanges and in the broader individual market in response to prevailing uncertainty. California is just the latest 鈥 and the biggest 鈥 example.
The figure could be higher if President Trump ends an important consumer subsidy, which he has threatened to do. The exchange also announced that Anthem Blue Cross will pull out of Covered California and the overall individual market in 16 of the 19 regions it currently serves.
The number of Americans with high-deductible health plans is growing, along with the fear that even insured people won鈥檛 get the care they need because it鈥檚 too costly.
In far northern Lassen and Modoc counties, residents say Obamacare premiums are unaffordable. But under the proposed Senate bill, insurance premiums would increase even more.
An end-of life-planning website can encourage patients to tackle that difficult topic before they become too ill to communicate, according to a new study. But they may be more likely to make concrete plans with help from a doctor or social worker.
Nearly 5,400 cases of the soil-borne fungal disease were reported in 2016, the largest number since the state began tracking the illness in 1995, according to public health officials.
A California law that takes effect July 1 prohibits out-of-network charges if you visit a medical facility that鈥檚 in your health plan鈥檚 network. New York and Florida also offer strong consumer protections.
California鈥檚 HMO watchdog agency says the HMO giant still is making mental health patients wait too long for treatment despite previous warnings and a large fine.
鈥淣othing is safe 鈥 no population, no services,鈥 the director of the nation鈥檚 largest Medicaid program said Wednesday. GOP leaders say they seek to cut costs and widen consumer choices.
Once-fatal childhood diseases, like cystic fibrosis, congenital heart disease and sickle cell anemia, now can be survived into adulthood. But when those patients become too old to see pediatricians, it can be difficult for them to find physicians familiar with their conditions.
A bill pending in the state legislature could make the Golden State the first in the U.S. to open establishments where intravenous drug users can shoot up under medical supervision. Proponents say that would save lives.
At least 500 terminally ill Californians have asked for the medicine that allows them to end their lives, and nearly 500 health organizations have signed on to help.
A 22-year old man from Orange County, Calif., alleges in a lawsuit that his health insurer stopped paying for a crucial 鈥 and expensive 鈥 immunotherapy drug, leading him to become seriously ill. Treatments for patients with similar conditions are increasingly denied or interrupted, experts and patient advocates say.
The legislation would revive the age-old practice of paying providers for every service they perform 鈥 a recipe for a busted budget, some experts say. Backers say the bill is a work in progress.
鈥淚t鈥檚 unconscionable that such a basic, security 101 flaw could still exist at a major health care provider,鈥 says one cybersecurity expert.
"I feel like I am in a bad dream," said state Sen. Ed Hernandez, who chairs California's Senate Health Committee.
A state Senate panel considering the measure said money for existing public programs could cover half the cost. But the rest might have to come from new taxes 鈥 a serious political obstacle.
Free, daylong sessions run by UCLA teach caregivers how to keep their loved ones safe and engaged, while minimizing the stress in their own lives. Similar programs exist in other states.
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