Assemblyman Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, will introduce two bills Wednesday aimed at combating valley fever, the orphan disease which infected Californians at epidemic levels last year.
Healthcare Systems & Policy
Bakersfield lawmakers requested $3 million in the state budget last week to research treatments and conduct outreach for valley fever.
People with disabilities often face an uphill battle when it comes to the medical system. It’s been well documented that they’re taken less seriously and experience worse care and health outcomes than people without disabilities.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued a consumer alert warning state residents about “sham health insurance plans offered by some healthcare sharing ministries,” following complaints received by his office.
Officials are hopeful funding will continue for an innovative treatment program as the state tackles the opioid crisis.
The California Department of Insurance has ordered health care cost sharing ministry Aliera Healthcare, Inc. and its subsidiary to stop doing business in the state, after consumer complaints of claim delays and denials of care.
Assemblymen Vince Fong and Rudy Salas of Bakersfield proposed a $7 million budget proposal that, if adopted, would be the most money ever allocated to study and awareness of the disease in California.
Due to medical community opposition, California Assemblyman Vince Fong withdrew a bill late last month that would have mandated doctors to run specific lab testing under suspect valley fever.
The budget includes $8 million for research and outreach into the disease, caused by inhaling spores that grow in arid soil.
The antifungal drugs used to treat valley fever can cause hair loss. With the number of valley fever cases on the rise, a wig shop in Bakersfield, Calif., is helping women feel better about themselves.