Kristen Hwang/ CalMatters

California is considering banning the use of “reverse search warrants,” which compel tech companies to disclose the identities of individuals based on the location of their phone and internet search history. Abortion activists call it vital.

To fight the skyrocketing cost of insulin, California is using multiple tactics, including making its own generic versions.

As many resume their pre-pandemic lives, those with long COVID struggle with debilitating symptoms. In California, there are no legislative proposals to help despite long wait times for care and expensive treatments.

The state ended masking and vaccination requirements, including in high-risk settings such as health care facilities. Some patients with chronic illnesses say they may avoid treatment rather than risk contracting COVID-19.

A ruling that suspends federal approval for medication abortion will not be easy for California abortion access advocates to overcome. Unless it’s reversed on appeal, the drug will likely be pulled from pharmacy shelves.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing to shift more money to housing severely mentally ill homeless people. Some officials at mental health organizations fear that funding will come from cuts to other services they provide.

As public health funding winds down, gaps in vaccination rates are increasing. Particularly for booster doses, the gap among racial and ethnic groups is widening significantly.

California set up a fund to cut out-of-pocket costs for those enrolled in Covered California, but Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget shifts that money to other expenses.

As the state prepares to end the state of emergency, those sites with less demand will close first.

Homeless people often have sporadic or no access to health care, resulting in costly, chronic conditions. A new statewide effort encourages Medi-Cal insurers to partner with street teams to improve care.

During the decade after the 2008 recession, state funding for public health dropped 64%. COVID-19 funding has boosted the budgets of local public health departments, but the exodus of staff has left local officials struggling to fill vacancies.

As other states restrict or ban abortions, the California laws aim to improve access and protect patients and clinicians. They will also expand services to accommodate an expected influx from other states.