Every year, an estimated 1 or more million patients venture from California to Mexico to obtain medical treatments and medicines, and a large contingent of these are aging people.
Cost is the main reason to make the trip for 60 to 70 percent of patients, said Arturo Vargas Bustamante, a professor in the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health.
The most popular treatments among older patients who cross the border are dental services.
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.
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.
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.
As federal health programs shift and immigration raids continue, a Bay Area alliance is stepping up its work to help families and prevent child abuse, which can increase during times of stress.
”We need to really take a step back and take a look at what we are doing as a society to ensure that no one is living in poverty,” said Pegah Faed CEO of Safe & Sound in San Francisco.
As a rehabilitation clinician and director working directly with older adults, I see how effective early mobility support can be. Mild losses in leg strength or balance respond well to structured, simple routines when they are addressed early. The greatest need is access.
Several programs across California demonstrate how this access can be expanded.
State leaders estimate that the federal Medicaid cuts will force 3.4 million Californians out of our version of the program, known as Medi-Cal. But we do not have to sit idly by and wait for the fallout. In fact, states and communities still hold real power to blunt the worst outcomes and protect coverage for millions.
California can implement the law in the least harmful way: creating broad exemptions, simplifying paperwork and deploying technology to reduce administrative friction.
As the federal government continues Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Southern California and across the country, mental health professionals are seeing a heightened need for their services, as they work to help clients cope with stress, anxiety and the loss of normalcy.
The situation is difficult, but there are mental health resources available. Our reporter compiled resources and spoke with therapists who offer guidance.
Seeking to serve Oakland’s urban Indigenous population, Native American Health Center is building a community facility with 76 affordable apartments as well as dental clinics.
Housing advocates say the housing will provide much-needed relief to Oaklanders as the city, and wider Bay Area, grapples with rising income inequality and skyrocketing housing prices.
When dialing 911 for a medical emergency, the expectation is clear: Licensed health care providers, typically paramedics and emergency medical technicians, will arrive within minutes at your location, any time of the day or night.
Despite these responsibilities, emergency medical services are often overlooked in health care reform discussions. A compelling opportunity exists to shift lower-acuity and preventive care services from expensive medical clinics and hospitals to community-based EMS care.