posted 09/25/2013
A retired doctor wonders why Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz is sponsoring a visit by a private company that does screening tests that US experts do not recommend for the general population.
posted 09/10/2013
With 20 days to go before people can buy health insurance to comply with the Affordable Care Act mandate, insurance agents have qualms and one predicted chaos. A Covered California spokesman is confident in their readiness.
posted 08/20/2013
Ask people who sell health insurance for a living if they are prepared to explain the Affordable Care Act policies coming into the market on Oct. 1, and you will get an earful. Agents must be certified to explain and compare options for customers but so far, none in California is certified.
posted 07/24/2013
For Roze Johnson, who gave birth at Dominican Hospital in March, the letter saying her Dignity Health bill was sent to an collections agency was the last straw. Johnson is among thousands dealing with fallout from a Dignity Health billing error.
posted 06/05/2013
Nina Lutz, 18, is the third teen in Santa Cruz in 5 years to be stricken with osteosarcoma, a bone cancer so rare it affects just 400 children a year. A talented artist, she created illustrations for a children's book during her nine months of treatment, and she's selling the book to raise money.
posted 05/13/2013
Laura Vollset, a Santa Cruz mother of twins, agreed to share her story of recovery from postpartum depression to encourage other mothers to see help.
posted 12/31/2012
In 2 years, only 200 people in Santa Cruz County have signed up for California's Preexisting Condition Insurance Program. For Eva Lopez, it was a lifesaver.
posted 09/02/2011
The story about a potential hike malpractice premiums was prompted by a doctor's phone call. I hadn't heard about it because the discussions had been taking place in connection with the local hospital negotiating a contract with emergency physicians, and those discussions take place behind closed doors.
posted 10/27/2010
After my story about the $2,391 per month health insurance premium, I got an email from a teacher in the Mountain School District. She writes, "Teachers in Santa Cruz County are facing similar increases. At many districts in Santa Cruz County, including Mountain School, San Lorenzo Valley and Soquel, teachers have seen unimaginable and unsustainable increases to our premiums. I am one of these teachers and no one seems to have solutions for us.
posted 10/26/2010
My editor forwarded me an e-mail from a reader, 55, frustrated that PacifiCare raised the cost of his policy to nearly $2,400 a month.
When the California governor's office sent out an announcement the morning of Monday, Oct. 25, about the state's new insurance plan, my first thought was this new plan should help this reader, so I gave him a call.
He was very forthcoming about the costs he was facing and his efforts to find less costly insurance. It took more time to reach the right state official and a spokesman for the insurance company.
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