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The Trump administration is moving to end the āHousing Firstā approach despite warnings from providers and homelessness experts that the shift wonāt work. But with homelessness rising, President Donald Trump could find allies in blue cities and states as the public clamors for streets to be cleaned up.
Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Hereās a collection of their appearances.
A federal judge has named a receiver to run Californiaās troubled prison mental health system. Colette Peters, a reformist with a rocky tenure as director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, will have four months to develop a plan to adequately care for tens of thousands of prisoners.
Enrollment of underrepresented groups at medical schools fell precipitously this academic year after the Supreme Courtās 2023 ban on affirmative action. Education and health experts worry the Trump administrationās anti-DEI measures will only worsen the situation, even in states like California that have navigated bans on race-conscious admissions for years.
President Donald Trump ordered a halt to gender-affirming medical care for transgender prisoners in federal custody, and to housing trans women in female prisons. The new policies raise alarms for a formerly incarcerated trans woman. She said the order denies lifesaving medical care and creates a road map for rape.
Rep. Ro Khanna of California warned of Trump administration ācutsā to Medicare telehealth access hitting March 31. But if Medicare recipients lose telemedicine benefits that day, it will be because Congress failed to act.
Democratic state lawmakers in California have proposed bills to protect women, transgender people, and immigrants in response to concerns that their health data could be used against them. If the measures reach his desk, Gov. Gavin Newsom could lay such legislation aside to focus on securing federal funds.
Medi-Cal, Californiaās Medicaid program, borrowed $3.4 billion from the state ā and will likely need even more ā due to higher prescription costs and increased eligibility for seniors and immigrants. The top Republican in the state Senate is demanding a hearing āso the public knows exactly where their tax dollars are going.ā
Hospital-based violence intervention programs have operated in the U.S. since the mid-1990s. The public health approach to gun violence works, by many accounts. But recent moves by the White House are raising anxiety about the programsā future.
California businesses saw employeesā monthly family insurance premiums rise nearly $1,000 over a 15-year period, more than double the pace of inflation. And employeesā share grew as companies shifted more of the cost to workers.
As a deputy chief technology officer in the Obama administration, Jennifer Pahlka brought Silicon Valley talent to Washington to streamline public access to government services. She believes better government technology could both ensure taxpayer dollars arenāt wasted and that people who need health care and food assistance receive it.
At a town hall in Orange County, California, angry residents said Congress should keep its hands off Medicaid. The cuts contemplated in a House budget blueprint would bore a giant hole in Californiaās version of the safety net health insurance program, Medi-Cal, which covers nearly 15 million residents.
The Trump administrationās sudden firings have gutted training programs across the nation that bolstered state and local public health departments.
At least 20 states have settled disputes with health insurance giant Centene since 2021 over allegations that its pharmacy benefit manager operation overcharged their Medicaid programs. Two holdouts appear to remain: Georgia has not yet settled, and Florida officials wonāt answer questions about its Centene situation.
Californiaās governor is pressuring Oakland to allow more police pursuits as part of a crackdown on crime. But more pursuits mean a greater risk to public health, with more potential injuries and deaths among bystanders. Policies in cities including New York and San Francisco reflect divergent local priorities.
As Los Angeles recovers from historic wildfires, both previously unsheltered and chronically homeless people are facing even greater instability. Some lawmakers and providers argue now is the time to put in even more resources to maintain the progress the county and state have made in fighting the crisis.
A San Francisco man had friends drive him to the hospital after he was hit by a car. Doctors checked him out, then sent him by ambulance to a trauma center ā which released him with no further treatment. The ambulance bill? Almost $13,000.
In the waning days of the Biden administration, the Labor Department added ovarian, uterine, cervical, and breast cancer coverage for wildland firefighters. Itās unclear whether the new protections will stick under Trump.
As Los Angeles recovers from historic wildfires, both previously unsheltered and chronically homeless people are facing even greater instability. Some lawmakers and providers argue now is the time to put in even more resources to maintain the progress the county and state have made in fighting the crisis.
Clinic administrators describe anxiety about President Donald Trumpās move to allow immigration arrests inside health centers.
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