Health Insurance and Costs

“California is way better situated to handle a lot of the bumps that are happening right now than pretty much any other state,” AP's Meghan Hoyer told journalists this week.

From threats to repeal the Affordable Care Act, to news about rising premiums and President Donald Trump's recent decision to do away with some subsidies, people who don't closely follow the issue are getting lost in the headlines and sound bites.

A proposal from a pair of Southern California lawmakers to establish a single-payer model went nowhere this year. But the political climate in deep-blue California is changing, with some high-profile California politicians now backing the effort.

In the wake of recent reports that the 2020 Census is facing a funding shortfall, advocates worry about the consequences of undercounting vulnerable populations.

Harvey Barkin wrote this story while participating in the USC Center for Health Journalism‘s California Fellowship. 
Other stories in the series include:
Full-scope Medi-Cal granted to undocumented children below 19 years old but for how long?
Isabella's story

Many Floridians have jobs but can't afford health insurance or to pay out-of-pocket for health care. For those patients, the more than 100 free and charitable clinics in Florida are often their only option for health care.

The U.S. spends more than any other country for health care. And economic ideals that should push costs down aren't actually working in our country's system.

The nursing home industry is a powerful force that pushes back against the great work reporters have done in exposing elder abuse. Plus, we as a country are not very interested in old people except as a part of a commercial transaction.

Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), community clinics have played an important role providing care for newly insured Americans. Funding for programs that enable community clinics to meet patient's needs will expire on September 30th, if Congress doesn’t act.