California Senate’s New Health Chair to Prioritize Mental Health and Homelessness Article by Rachel Bluth of California Healthline California state Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman, a Stockton Democrat who was instrumental in passing Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature mental health care legislation last year, has been appointed to lead the Senate’s influential health committee, a change that promises a more urgent focus on expanding mental health services and moving homeless people into housing and treatment. Eggman, a licensed social worker, co-authored the novel law that allows families, clinicians, first responders, and others to petition a judge to mandate government-funded treatment and services for people ... January 9, 2023 General, legislation, Medi-Cal, Mental Health, Patient Care, Public Health Health Care Reform, Homelessness 0 0 Comment Read More »
New California Health Laws for 2023 While the legislature passed various new laws impacting health care in California, significant focus was placed on legislation intended to protect physicians and patients in response to the United States Supreme Court decision in Dobbs. The California Medical Association (CMA) published a summary of new laws of interest to physicians that cover reproductive rights, emergency services, healthcare facilities, and more. You can view the PDF HERE. December 12, 2022 Advocacy, CMA, Drug Prescribing/Dispensing, General, Healthcare, Insurance, Medi-Cal, Medicare, Mental Health, Patient Care, Physician Workforce 0 0 Comment Read More »
Growing Numbers of Californians Are Having Problems Paying Medical Bills — and Half Say They Have Skipped or Postponed Health Care in the Last Year Due to Cost The rising cost of health care continues to be one of California’s most urgent issues, with one in four Californians saying they have struggled to pay at least one medical bill in the past 12 months — up from 20% last year — and 49% saying they have postponed care due to cost, according to a newly released statewide survey conducted by the California Health Care Foundation and NORC at the University of Chicago. Of those who postponed care, the survey finds, 47% report their health condition worsened as a result, ... January 28, 2022 Healthcare, Insurance, Medi-Cal California, Health Care, Medical 0 0 Comment Read More »
CalAIM: Why It’s So Much More Than Another New Health Program For decades, the state’s Medi-Cal program has delivered essential health services to millions of Californians, and it’s rightfully earned extremely strong public support from Californians as a result. Still, the idea of Medi-Cal as a single program is a bit of a misnomer. It is a patchwork of different health programs among an even greater patchwork of social programs. Having such siloed and disconnected services has made it harder and harder for Californians to access the kinds of people-centered care that evidence shows is most effective and is also fundamental to building ... December 22, 2021 Healthcare, Medi-Cal, Patient Care CalAIM, Health Equity, Health Program, Medi-Cal 0 0 Comment Read More »
The Work of Family Caregiving: Invisible, Costly, and Taxing Laura’s 78-year-old mother fell off a health cliff, spiraling downward in a decline that’s not uncommon among older adults. “She went from normal cognition to thinking it was her wedding day and that I was her mother,” Laura told Vox journalist Anne Helen Petersen. “She didn’t know how to walk and didn’t remember what had happened to her.” Laura, whose last name and location were withheld to protect her privacy, spent the next few years caring for her parents. Like many other Americans who become full-time caretakers, she had limited options. Medicare doesn’t cover ... December 6, 2021 General, Healthcare, Medi-Cal, Patient Care California, Caregiving, Essential Coverage, Medi-Cal 0 0 Comment Read More »
