Journalists can and should hold local hospitals accountable for matching a stated commitment to transparency with concrete actions. It's a difficult job, but here are some ways reporters can get started.
Healthcare Regulation and Reform
A long-deferred attempt to reform mental health care advanced out a House committee this week. Here's a look at how the bill seeks to change "the nation's broken mental health system," and some of the coverage to date.
Inmates who cycle in and out of jail can drive up incarceration and health care costs, says researcher Shannon McConville. Can Medicaid make a meaningful difference?
Our Remaking Health Care blog talks with Shannon McConville of the Public Policy Institute of California about how the health care safety net has fared under Obamacare, as well as other developments reporters should keep tabs on.
As health costs keep rising and insurers recalibrate their Obamacare plans, House Speaker Paul Ryan has proposed creating separate risk pools to insure sick people and lower premiums.
This week, California officially begins enrolling eligible undocumented kids in the state's Medicaid program. Here are a few things to keep an eye out for as the enrollment effort gets going.
By aggressively documenting a patient’s conditions, insurers can inflate the amount of money they get from Medicare Advantage patients. Here's what reporters should understand about the hidden practice of "upcoding."
“One important thing is to find your advocate,” veteran reporter John Gonzales told fellow journalists this week. “You got to find someone who is going to be there for you when you’re having trouble with access.”
The two largest health care providers in southern Santa Barbara County have announced plans to merge. How would such a move impact the cost, quality and access to care for the region's residents? Hospital mergers elsewhere have resulted in prices — but not necessarily quality — going up.
On health care, the talk from presidential candidates has been way too sketchy and uninformative, argues contributing editor Trudy Lieberman. Policy details remain vague, and no one has gotten to the heart of what ails the system.