Health

California adopted several laws to increase access to contraception and abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade. The latest one eliminates out-of-pocket charges for birth control for millions of Californians.

Undocumented Californians are leaving health care clinics with “smiles” after they learn they’re newly eligible for Medi-Cal insurance. The health insurance expansion was decades in the making for immigrant advocates.

Surprise ambulance bills can leave families deeply in debt after a medical emergency. A new state law that forces insurance companies to negotiate payments is expected to save Californians tens of millions of dollars a year.

California is modernizing how it pays health care providers through Medi-Cal. Some mental health providers say the changes endanger their services.

California is undertaking an ambitious effort to improve mental health, while controversy surrounds how to address the fentanyl crisis.

The federal government suspended an annual Medicaid renewal requirement during COVID-19. Now that it has resumed, many Californians are losing coverage for “procedural reasons.”

All but two California counties are delaying their implementation of a new law that makes it easier for a court to place someone in involuntary confinement if they can't care for their own medical needs or personal safety.

Earlier this year, the state created a loan program meant to help struggling hospitals stay afloat and to help reopen Madera County’s only hospital. Almost a year after its closure, Madera continues its search for a buyer or partner.

Parents say flavored medication can help ensure their kids finish a prescription. Far fewer California pharmacies are offering that service as they await new rules from a state regulator.

As maternal mortality rates are steadily worsening across California, a CalMatters analysis finds that maternity wards are closing at an alarming rate.