When California committed to “Medi-Cal for All Children” a decade ago, it made a powerful promise to families from all backgrounds: No child will go without health care. It was a defining moment and a strong example of California taking the lead on kids’ health and setting an example for the country.
Today, that promise is in danger of being broken.
Every Californian should have access to quality health care, no matter where they live. But today, that promise is slipping out of reach in rural communities. Without decisive action to support the academic medical centers that offer care and train the next generation of health professionals, the consequences will be felt across the entire state.
The budget that legislators must adopt by June 15 will set California on one of two courses: protecting the health coverage that millions rely on, or allowing federal cuts to decimate Medi-Cal, the insurance program covering 15 million Californians.
Without a strong response from lawmakers in the coming days, millions will be pushed out of coverage or lose critical health benefits, making California sicker and more unequal.
Without serious intervention, July 1 will usher in a new era for American health care, carrying dire consequences for decades to come.
These provisions are not neutral reforms. They are targeted policies that will decimate the nursing workforce while disproportionately undermining a profession dominated by women — particularly working mothers and women of color.
I’m one of many people who are increasingly living longer with or past cancer. In the 1970s, only 49 percent of patients survived five years after their illness, but that rate has risen to 70 percent. Doctors now commonly talk about cancer as a chronic disease which can be managed.
But even as older cancer patients receive the gift of extra time, greater longevity brings its own challenges.
For the past two years, I’ve co-facilitated meetings in five counties and helped lead numerous projects across California to help these organizations cope with the state’s demands. In nearly every meeting, I observe the same pattern: Community-based organizations are financing California’s Medicaid transformation out of their own organizational capacity.
This dynamic has equity implications that deserve attention.
Imagine knowing exactly what you want to say, but the words don’t make it from your brain to your lips. You know how you want to move, but your body fails to comply.
This is the reality of living with something called full-body apraxia, a term I hadn’t heard until recently, despite my 30 years of being diagnosed with this and or that disorder. Many treatment providers fail to recognize how these motor and sensory differences might manifest.
Shari Horne spends much of her day caring for her husband Hal in their sunny apartment in Orange County’s Laguna Woods, where she was once mayor.
I’m sharing the Hornes’ story in my inaugural column for the California Health Report. Over the next year, I’ll write about health equity and aging, drawing on my personal experiences, as well as those of the people I interview.
For many older adults, especially those with low incomes, mobility is not a luxury. It is the foundation of independence, emotional well-being and dignity. Yet access to basic mobility support varies widely across the state. That gap has serious consequences.
As a physical therapist working in post-acute and long-term care, I see this divide every day.
As a licensed vocational nurse who has worked in emergency rooms and mental health settings throughout Southern California, I’ve seen the impact of Substance Use Disorder.
While California has taken major strides in addressing the opioid epidemic and decreasing the risk of unnecessary opioid prescriptions for patients, a major gap exists for some of the most vulnerable populations.