Health

About 500,000 California health care workers were expected to see pay increases under a law that set a new minimum wage for their industry. Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to delay the pay bumps until the state budget has a stronger outlook.

High prices at hospitals in Monterey County are “an anomaly even among the most expensive” communities in California. One insurance plan there saves money by paying for members’ travel to other counties for procedures.

The new law is meant to help nursing home residents understand the reasons for their discharge, and inform them of their rights to appeal.

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.