Insights

Doctors told Miranda Dyer that her problems were in her head and that she should just proceed as if everything were normal. That was until another doctor told her that she likely had a genetic disorder that could have been passed on to her kids. She needed surgery immediately.

California mirrors the country's rising rate of C-section births — up by 50 percent in 10 years. That worries experts, who say the procedure carries added costs and risks. But data-driven efforts are underway in the state to turn the tide, with some notable early success.

Proposition 46, the California ballot measure backed by plaintiffs’ attorneys and opposed by physicians, was soundly defeated by a 2-to-1 margin. The fact that Proposition 46 was a bundle trying to be all things to all patient safety advocates was probably its downfall.

After a resounding defeat Tuesday, backers of Prop. 45 vow to press on with efforts to give California's insurance commissioner greater regulatory authority over insurance rates. Meanwhile, one prominent health policy expert said the failed measure was "a huge threat to health reform in the state."

New positions are available at Stanford University, American Heart Association and Washington Post Express. Also, applications are being accepted for the 2015 California Health Journalism Fellowship.

In July 2013, Miranda Dyer was in Lakeland Regional Medical Center in Florida. She had been there a few months prior for a hysterectomy, and this time she had to be rushed back to the ER because her pulse had slowed to dangerous levels. She was growing tired of searching for answers.

Miranda Dyer started life as an athlete, so it didn’t make sense when a flight of stairs left her winded. Basic tasks made her feel exhausted. This would last for weeks and then go away. She tried to just not think about it, but it seemed to be getting worse over time.

Earlier this year, I shut down at the Association of Health Care Journalists conference in Denver. What makes me crumble like this? I don’t know, but I have a hunch: I’m pretty sure I have a social phobia.

While Latino children may have reached majority status in California, they still face greater challenges in accessing care and healthy environments than their white peers. A new report finds especially large health disparities among kids from Spanish-speaking households.