California has a new addiction treatment approach that tackles substance-use disorder much like any other chronic disease, such as diabetes or heart disease. Patients receive ongoing checkups and support to help prevent relapse, and to catch and treat it quickly if it happens.
So far 10 counties have launched the new program, including Los Angeles, Riverside, San Francisco and San Luis Obispo. Another 30 counties are expected to follow suit this year.
Despite a recent expansion of benefits and boost in payments, Denti-Cal enrollees and their advocates say they are struggling to find dentists willing to see them.
These 7 million Californian adults are part of the state’s second-tier dental system, where participating dentists are few and far between, particularly in rural regions.
Beginning in 2008, as the nation was in the throes of the economic recession, California’s top leaders made a series of cuts to safety-net programs that sent many low-income residents in a downward spiral toward homelessness. While California’s economy has largely recovered since then, and the state’s food stamps and health programs have mostly been restored, the state’s welfare program has yet to see a reinvestment to pre-recession levels.
For children in the Salinas Valley with diabetes, seeing a specialist can involve long wait times or many miles in the car. But beginning this week, UCSF Medical Center and Salinas Memorial Healthcare System will give these children another option.
Insulin prices have skyrocketed in recent years. An April 2016 Journal of the American Medical Association analysis found the cost of insulin has more than tripled from 2002 to 2013—representing an average rise of $231 to $736 per patient.
State officials and lawmakers want to know why.
In the first six months of California’s new End of Life Option Act, which allows some terminally ill patients to end their lives with medication, there have been no initial surprises. California statistics are so far quite similar to those reported by Oregon and Washington, which also have aid-in-dying laws. However, many people seeking to use the End of Life Act are having trouble doing so.
CHIP has historically enjoyed strong bipartisan support, but that’s no longer the case. Without an extension by Sept. 30, millions of children may lose their access to health care, including children in California. The state will be out of money by March 2018 if the program isn’t renewed at the federal level.
For dozens of local Spanish speakers caring for elderly and disabled relatives, this tiny center is a lifeline. The Family Caregiver Resource Center in Santa Paula, which focuses exclusively on assisting the Spanish-speaking caregiver population, is unique to Ventura County and possibly the state.
Add diapers to the list of needs low-income families hope the state legislature and Governor Jerry Brown will fund this year. For the third time since 2014, the legislature is considering a bill that would cover some of the monthly cost.
Mixed-immigration status families here are feverishly planning in the event that they are divided by deportations. The most common of many scenarios is that undocumented parents could be deported, leaving their children who are U.S. citizens behind.