At La Clínica de la Raza in Northern California, the surge of new Medicaid enrollees has made it difficult for the clinic to meet the demand for care. But the need to make the most of limited resources has also led the organization to adopt new innovations, such as the "morning huddle."
Even after Obamacare, millions of people still don't have health coverage in California. How are these remaining uninsured going to be taken care of? That question has yet to be answered, but the debate around the issue -- which is tricky politically and financially -- is bound to be contentious.
In the era before modern surgery and antibiotics, care for all but the very elite was provided by unschooled healers such as midwives, "bone-setters," and apothecaries. Their fees were low, and many would barter their services for crops or food.
One year into the explosive, health law-induced growth of Medi-Cal, it appears one of the most alarming predictions of critics is coming true: The supply of doctors hasn't kept up with demand.
New Jerseyans covered by Medicaid report it's sometimes difficult to find doctors — particularly specialists — who will accept its insurance plans. Here are some tips, gathered from doctors, physician practice administrators and other patients.
They say money talks, but so does anger. That’s why it pays to spend some time in bankruptcy court when you are looking for gripping tales on the health care beat. These resources and tips will get you on your way.
As Medicare makes a big push towards paying providers based on value rather than volume over the next few years, Accountable Care Organizations will be expected to start making good on their promise to cut costs and improve quality of care. But so far, their track record has been rather mixed.
I was nervous about the final story in my series from the start, since I'd need to feature someone who fell into the large group of “other” uninsured. Finding such a source would take me down a lot of dead ends before I finally got a solid lead and, ultimately, an amazing source.
For La Clínica de la Raza, long a source of care for a diverse Oakland community, the ACA has increased the clinic's share of insured patients. But financial pressures are still a constant reality, and the problem will worsen dramatically if federal funding isn't renewed.
Do you use the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care in your reporting? If not, you're missing out on a great source of data on how the costs and quality of health care vary across regions. Contributor William Heisel explains how to best make use of this resource.
