California Healthline ethnic media editor Paula Andalo was interviewed on Aug. 29 on Radio Bilingüe’s “Línea Abierta” about Chagas disease, which is increasingly present in the U.S., with more than 300,000 estimated cases. Still, few patients know they have it.

Chagas is a parasitic disease that affects people primarily in rural Latin America and is spread by an insect known as the kissing bug, because it usually bites close to the lips. But it is also spreading in the U.S., where, doctors, researchers, and patient advocates say, far more could be done to combat it, since only 1% of the nation’s cases have been identified. Once transmitted, it can reproduce silently in the body for decades before a patient may develop serious heart disease and digestive problems from an enlargement of the esophagus and colon.

As some stakeholders push for more testing and treatment, a new drug is set for human trials next year.

Read the original article by Andalo.

Link Between Drug Use and Heat Deaths

California Healthline contributing radio correspondent Stephanie O’Neill Patison reported that heat-related illnesses and deaths are on the rise, noting that increases in drug use and homelessness are exacerbating the problem.

Heat was the underlying or contributing cause in nearly 1,700 deaths nationwide last year — the highest in at least two decades, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unsheltered and older people are especially vulnerable.

In California, about a quarter of heat-related deaths between 2018 and 2022 involved drug use. Methamphetamines can cause body temperatures to rise to dangerous levels. Officials expect the problem to get worse as heat waves start earlier and last longer.

Read the original article by California Healthline contributor Phillip Reese.

Proposed Licensing Fee Hike for Doctors

O’Neill Patison reported that California is considering raising doctors’ licensing fees to fund the state’s medical board. Patient advocates say the Medical Board of California has long been ineffective, investigating about a tenth of complaints last year. A bill under consideration in the state legislature aims to boost licensing fees, which would help the board cover operational costs, repay loans, and establish a reserve. A representative from the doctors’ lobby told lawmakers that it would accept a smaller fee hike.

The legislation also would require board staff to interview patients or families before closing complaints and allow patients and relatives to make a statement during investigations.

Read the original article by California Healthline contributor Annie Sciacca.

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California Healthline senior correspondent Bernard J. Wolfson was interviewed on July 21 on KVPR to discuss the efforts to save shuttered Madera Community Hospital and what’s ahead in bankruptcy proceedings.

For a time, Fresno-based St. Agnes Medical Center appeared poised to rescue the smaller facility, about 25 miles away in the rural, majority-Hispanic community of Madera. Wolfson explained that after the state attorney general’s office approved the deal with certain conditions, St. Agnes and its parent company, Trinity Health, walked away from the merger, shocking and infuriating officials, former employees, and community advocates.

That led to St. Agnes and Trinity’s push in bankruptcy court to liquidate Madera. But the hospital received a last-minute lifeline from the hospital chain Adventist Health, as first reported by The Fresno Bee.

The Bee’s Melissa Montalvo was interviewed on July 27 on Radio Bilingüe’s “Línea Abierta” to discuss the impact of the closure of Madera’s hospital on the community and how it might affect access to health care.

Read the original article jointly reported by Wolfson and Montalvo.

Democrats Win Covered California Funding

California Healthline contributing radio correspondent Stephanie O’Neill Patison reported that the state’s health insurance marketplace would begin using fines levied against uninsured people to reduce out-of-pocket spending for enrollees. The cost cutting includes eliminating next year’s deductibles for some enrollees, lowering copays for primary care visits, and reducing the cost of generic drugs.

The savings came after Democratic lawmakers pressured Gov. Gavin Newsom, also a Democrat, to make good on his pledge to use tax penalties to cut costs for low- and middle-income Californians. Still, premiums for Covered California’s health plans will go up by an average of nearly 10%, the largest increase since 2018.

Read the original article by California Healthline senior correspondent Angela Hart.

California Healthline senior correspondent Bernard J. Wolfson was interviewed May 30 on Radio Bilingüe’s “Línea Abierta” about annual eligibility checks by Medi-Cal, California’s version of the federal Medicaid health insurance program for low-income residents.

Annual verification of eligibility had been the norm before the pandemic, but it was suspended by all state Medicaid programs over the past three years. Its reinstitution is part of a massive “unwinding” expected to shrink Medicaid rolls by 8 to 24 million nationally and 2 to 3 million in California.

Wolfson explained that Californians could lose their Medi-Cal coverage because their income has risen or they have access to other health insurance. But another common reason is that people miss deadlines to update their address and personal information with — or can’t be reached by — the agencies that administer the program in their counties. He told listeners it was crucial for all Medi-Cal members to update their address, as well as information about their family, employment, and income.

Read the original “Asking Never Hurts” column by Wolfson.

Experts Warn Against Broad Hospital Bailout

California Healthline senior correspondent Samantha Young appeared June 1 on KQED to discuss why health care finance experts and former state officials are urging Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers to reject a broad bailout for the hospital industry.

A California Healthline analysis of state data revealed the industry last year generated roughly $131 billion in net patient revenue, a key indicator of financial health. That was $7.3 billion more than in the previous year. Experts and former state officials say that even though hospitals are still reeling from the covid-19 pandemic, many have deep financial reserves.

Read the original article by California Healthline senior correspondents Samantha Young and Angela Hart.

1 in 10 L.A. County Adults Carry Medical Debt

California Healthline contributing radio correspondent Stephanie O’Neill reported that a new analysis found 1 in 10 Los Angeles County adults collectively owe more than $2.6 billion in medical debt. Researchers with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health say the debt disproportionately affects people who are uninsured and underinsured, low-income residents, and Black and Latino people.

The report suggests expanding health coverage doesn’t necessarily protect people from falling into debt.

Read the original article by California Healthline correspondent Molly Castle Work.

Democrats, Newsom at Odds Over Insurance Penalty Money

O’Neill explained why Democratic state lawmakers are at odds with Newsom over the fate of more than a billion dollars in fines levied on Californians who did not obtain health insurance.

Democrats are pressing the governor to make good on a promise to use fines to offset costs for health plans purchased through the state’s insurance marketplace. The governor, however, has proposed holding the money for the general fund as the state faces a $32 billion deficit.

Read the original article by California Healthline senior correspondent Angela Hart.

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• Click here to hear Young on “KQED Newscast”
• Read Young’s “Gov. Newsom Wanted California to Cut Ties With Walgreens. Then Federal Law Got in the Way.“

California Healthline contributor Don Thompson discussed California’s high rate of prison suicides on KCRW’s “Press Play” on April 10.

• Click here to hear Thompson on “Press Play With Madeleine Brand”
• Read Thompson’s “Judge to Fine California Each Day It Fails to Complete Prisoner Suicide Prevention Measures“

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.

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• Click here to hear Hart on “Forum”
• Read Hart’s “California Picks Generic Drug Company Civica to Produce Low-Cost Insulin”

She also discussed California’s potential plan to use Medicaid funding to cover up to six months of rent for low-income enrollees on KCBS’ “State of California” on March 22.

• Click here to hear Hart on “State of California”
• Read Hart’s “Prescription for Housing? California Wants Medicaid to Cover 6 Months of Rent”

• Click here to hear Hart on “Midday Edition”
• Click here to hear Hart on “Insight”
• Read Hart’s “‘The Country Is Watching’: State’s Homeless Crisis Looms as Newsom Eyes His Political Future”

California Healthline reporter and producer Heidi de Marco explained that many immigrants living in California are fearful of gun violence — but less likely to arm themselves — for Radio Bilingüe’s “Edición Semanaria” (“Weekly Edition”) on Jan. 27. A 2021 survey conducted by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research found that nearly a quarter of immigrants reported feeling “very worried” about being a victim of gun violence, compared with roughly 13% of California adults. At the same time, fewer than 8% of immigrants in the state had a firearm, compared with more than 22% of U.S.-born adults in California.

Sean Tan, a senior public administration analyst at the center who worked on the report, said little is known about patterns of gun ownership among immigrants, but researchers were surprised by the level of concern immigrants expressed about gun violence. At least 18 people, many of them Asian American immigrants, were killed in two recent mass shootings in Monterey Park and Half Moon Bay.

Students Promote Covid Vaccines

California Healthline contributing radio correspondent Stephanie O’Neill described how community health groups are training teens to conduct covid outreach and education where vaccine fears persist.

A 2021 survey commissioned by Voto Latino found 51% of Latinos who are unvaccinated don’t trust the covid vaccine. The most common reasons included a belief that the vaccine is ineffective and a distrust of vaccine manufacturers.

Health providers and advocates believe young Latinos make effective health ambassadors because many already help Spanish-speaking relatives navigate the health care system. Read the original article by California Healthline reporter and producer Heidi de Marco here.

More Californians Are Choosing to Die at Home

California Healthline contributing radio correspondent Stephanie O’Neill reported a steady rise in the percentage of Californians who choose to die at home.

In 1999, just over a quarter of deaths in the state occurred at home. That climbed to 36% just before the pandemic, and the trend appears to be continuing. Last year, nearly 40% of deaths between January and October happened at home.

End-of-life care specialists say the increase reflects a desire to end one’s life in a comfortable, familiar place. Read the original article by California Healthline contributing data reporter Phillip Reese here.

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Rulings on causes of death are often not cut-and-dried and can be controversial. In a recent California case, the Sacramento County coroner’s office ruled that Lori McClintock, the wife of U.S. congressman Tom McClintock, died from dehydration and gastroenteritis in December 2021 after ingesting white mulberry leaf, a plant not considered toxic to humans. The ruling triggered questions by doctors and pathologists about the decision to link the plant to her cause of death. When asked to explain how he made the connection, Dr. Jason Tovar, the chief forensic pathologist who reports to the coroner, said he reviewed literature about the plant online using WebMD and Verywell Health.

KHN senior correspondent Samantha Young appeared this month on the “Apple News Today” podcast and KOA, a public radio station in Denver, to discuss the difference between coroners and medical examiners and why it matters who holds the job. Her segment on Apple News starts at the 5-minute mark.

You can read Young’s coverage of the issue here.

KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF.

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California Healthline contributing radio correspondent Stephanie O’Neill explained that noise pollution from traffic, leaf blowers, construction, and other irritants is a growing problem that is not confined to our ears — and causes stress-related conditions like anxiety, high blood pressure, and insomnia.

California legislators passed two laws in 2022 aimed at quieting the environment. One directs the California Highway Patrol to test noise-detecting cameras, which may eventually issue automatic tickets for cars that make noise above a certain level. The other forces drivers of illegally modified cars to fix them before they can be re-registered.

However, most states haven’t addressed the assault on our eardrums. Read California Healthline correspondent Rachel Bluth’s coverage about the rising din, and its effect on our health, here.

ER Doctors Challenge Private Equity

California Healthline contributing radio correspondent Stephanie O’Neill also explained that emergency care physicians and consumer advocates are looking forward to a federal lawsuit against a private equity-backed staffing firm.

Most states, including California, have some rules against corporate ownership of medical practices, but they are rarely enforced. In the lawsuit, a physician group alleges that Envision Healthcare, owned by investment giant KKR & Co., uses a shell business structure to restrict physicians’ authority so they have no direct control.

The physician group wants the court to declare the practice illegal. The California Medical Association supports the lawsuit.

Read the original article by California Healthline senior correspondent and columnist Bernard J. Wolfson here.