Susan Abram

A woman who had attempted suicide and was rushed to a Los Angeles County hospital was photographed by a nurse, with her image then placed on websites two years later. Her case is an extreme example of how violations against patient privacy have increased, both nationwide and in California.

Delorian Cole is a 10 year old with a rare disorder that causes her breasts to grow at a rapid, abnormal rate. Doctors at Children's Hospital Los Angeles prescribed monthly injections to stem the growth, but the insurance company that covers Delorian said the injections were not medically necessary.

For many Latin American immigrants, medical needs can be found at the corner clinic. Often located in strip malls across Los Angeles County, these small, for-profit practices have been dubbed bodega clinics by those in the formal medical health care community who question the quality of care.

Some of the nation's best cancer centers, such as City of Hope, are off limits to those who signed up for health plans sold on exchanges such as Covered California.

Researchers found that California diabetics who live in low-income neighborhoods are up to 10 times more likely to lose a toe, foot or leg than patients who live in affluent areas. Early diagnosis and proper treatment can prevent many of these amputations, researchers said.

As one only four its kind in the nation, the tuberculosis unit inside Olive View-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles County houses patients with tough, drug resistant TB. While tuberculosis cases are down, drug-resistant forms are increasing, a result of migration and a spike in untreated cases.

Dr. Marcy Zwelling is part of a growing trend of physicians who work on a cash only basis. Her Los Alamitos concierge practice is off the insurance grid in an effort to combat regulators and government involvement.

Encouraging Latinos to enroll into health insurance has been a challenge, and some say the failure, of the Affordable Care Act. Enter the Promotora, a community health expert who relies on pounding the pavement to spread the word, even in front of tough crowds who may not qualify, but who may in tur

The Affordable Care Act requires health plans to provide mental health services. That means the newly insured will have the option to seek care anywhere they want. This has thrust publicly run mental health clinics into a new landscape of competition.