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Seeking to create smarter consumers, the California insurance department unveils a website showing wide variation in costs and quality of medical services across the state.聽聽
A report on aging in L.A. County finds pronounced differences in life expectancy and in the health of older residents, depending on ethnicity and neighborhood.
California would become the fifth state to allow doctors to prescribe lethal medication to terminally ill patients who request it.
If Gov. Jerry Brown signs the measure, all pharmacies will have to provide medication instructions in Spanish, Tagalog, Chinese, Vietnamese or Korean, the most common languages in California after English.
Opponents of a state plan to move tens of thousands of seriously ill or disabled children into Medicaid managed care plans applaud the move to postpone the transfer.
The state reported a record number of serious West Nile illnesses in 2014, including cases of meningitis and encephalitis, according to federal data. 聽Thirty-one people died.
A study finds patients who suffered heart attacks in California were more likely to die within a year if their ambulances were diverted from the closest emergency room.
By 2030, nearly one-third of all inmates will be over 55, the ACLU says, and caring for aged prisoners often costs twice as much as caring for younger ones. Some states 鈥 New York, California and Connecticut -- are confronting the problem, however, with innovative programs meant to improve care and save money.
Even as the health of Americans has improved, the disparities in treatment and outcomes between white patients and black and Latino patients are almost as big as they were 50 years ago. A growing body of research suggests that doctors' unconscious behavior plays a role in these statistics.
The California Health Interview Survey shows significant gains in insurance coverage but also points to disparities among ethnic groups.聽
State officials say Medi-Cal managed care plans will better coordinate treatment for children needing highly specialized care. Parents and pediatric medical centers say it鈥檚 a bad idea.
California regulators have tried harder than most to make mental health parity laws work but it鈥檚 been tough to enforce the rules and gain the cooperation of insurers.
Toyota, which bills itself as a model of efficiency in auto manufacturing, is sharing its strategies with public and nonprofit hospitals competing for newly insured patients.
Consumers will have a choice of some plans that allow them to cross state lines for care, and every county will have at least three insurance companies offering plans on Covered California.
Formerly uninsured California residents no longer rank paying for health care as their primary financial concern. But some still see cost and access to care as a problem.
The drug Truvada, used to halt HIV infection, has been shown to be more than 90 percent effective when used correctly. But many Latinos haven鈥檛 heard of it or are deterred by the cost and the stigma associated with being gay or bisexual.
Premiums for the state鈥檚 1.3 million people in the state's Obamacare marketplace will rise an average 4 percent, with average increases as low as 1.8 percent in Los Angeles and as high as 13 percent in Santa Cruz.
A California woman sued to allow her doctor to prescribe life-ending medication without fear of prosecution; a decision is expected Monday.
The two states are the first in the country to allow pharmacists to directly prescribe 鈥渢he pill鈥 and similar contraceptives.
漏 2026 KFF