The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
Visit for an archive of reporting prior to October 2025.
841-860 of 1,979 results
Gov. Gavin Newsom has launched several initiatives to cut rising drug prices, but the savings havenât been as monumental as he promised. And his plan to have California make its own generic drugs hasnât gotten off the ground.
Many of the nearly 17 million U.S. members of J&J Nation, myself included, are wondering whether to set aside the current official guidance and get a second booster. Some experts say: Chill out.
Inoculation rates remain low despite massive outreach efforts and incentives from federal and state programs and Medicaid plan operators, leaving many low-income people vulnerable to the virus.
The failure of single-payer health care legislation in California casts doubt on the ability of other states to pass government-run, universal health care. But activists in New York, Washington state, and elsewhere say they are taking lessons from California and changing their tactics.
After a troubled start to the new Medi-Cal prescription drug program, the stateâs contractor has hired staffers to reduce wait times for medication approvals and patients seeking help. But some doctors and clinics report that patients continue to face delays.
The insurance company said that the birth of the Bull familyâs twins was not an emergency and that NICU care was ânot medically necessary.â The familyâs experience with a huge bill sent to collections happened in 2020, but it exposes a hole in the new No Surprises law that took effect Jan. 1.
In May 2021, Lags Medical Centers, one of Californiaâs largest chains of pain clinics, abruptly closed its doors amid a cloaked state investigation. Nine months later, patients are still in the dark about what happened with their care and to their bodies.
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Hereâs a collection of their appearances.
Californiaâs homeless crisis is often understood through cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco, where the sheer number of people living unsheltered can quickly capsize the programs designed to help them. But in remote counties like Del Norte, Californiaâs Project Homekey is having a tangible impact.
Localities in California and Colorado are contracting with private companies to create their own health departments, spurred by a disregard for regional covid safety mandates.
Schools that serve poor and disadvantaged kids have taken a series of hits during the pandemic. Now, teachers of color are leaving the profession at higher rates than are white teachers.
Problems with Californiaâs new Medicaid prescription drug program are preventing thousands of patients from getting their medications, including some life-saving ones. State officials say theyâre working on fixes.
Pandemic living has come with a barrage of daily choices that have many of us complaining of a sort of brain freeze. That exhaustion is real, and itâs got a name: âdecision fatigue.â
Alice Wong, a writer and organizer in San Francisco, says the isolation and loss of the pandemic have shown society what itâs like to be disabled.
The backroom deal with politically connected Kaiser Permanente, which infuriated other Medi-Cal health plans, allows the health care giant to continue selecting the enrollees it wants.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is drawing criticism for his hands-off handling of the covid crisis even though the heads of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and FDA report to him. Meanwhile, the Department of Labor looks to enforce mental health âparity lawsâ that have failed to achieve their goals. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Rachel Cohrs of Stat join KHNâs Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHNâs Noam N. Levey, who reported and wrote the latest KHN-NPR âBill of the Monthâ episode about a large emergency room bill for a small amount of medical care.
Many parents of children too young for vaccines are exhausted. Some feel isolated and even forgotten by those who just want to move on even as omicron continues to sweep through parts of the country.
The need for mental health services on campus, which was already rising, has skyrocketed during the pandemic, with many students undergoing grave psychological crises. Colleges say they often lack the means to offer competitive salaries to therapists.
Omicron infections are surging in residential care facilities, causing massive sickouts among staff members and an uptick in hospitalizations and deaths. The latest visitor restrictions and testing requirements are also compounding the isolation that residents have suffered for almost two years.
Southern California correspondent Bernard J. Wolfson answers questions about the health coverage deals available on Californiaâs Affordable Care Act marketplace during Radio BilingĂźeâs news program âLĂnea Abierta.â
Š 2026 KFF