Barbara Feder Ostrov
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As schools throughout California tiptoe toward reopening, decisions about whether to routinely test teachers, staff and even students for the COVID-19 virus are proving controversial – and potentially costly.
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The new program, which will rely mostly on federal money, will provide hotel rooms for agricultural workers in California who test positive or were exposed to the coronavirus so they can safely isolate.
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Eliminating two health programs for seniors could save the state about $410 million over the next two budget years. But health advocates say that could force thousands of seniors into skilled nursing facilities in the middle of a pandemic.
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As hospital chains and insurers across the U.S squeeze one another, hoping to increase their market share, many patients are suddenly finding their preferred doctors and hospitals are out of network.
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A California college professor never imagined that trying to figure out what was causing her rash could wind up costing so much.
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In California, the flu has struck early and hard this season. Health experts aren't sure why. The state's higher temperatures typically result in a later flu peak there than in other parts of the U.S.
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Medicaid was never intended to cover long-term care for everyone. Now it pays for nearly 40 percent of the nation's long-term care expenses, and the share is growing.
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A nutrition app may not be the top priority for someone who struggles to pay for groceries. But cellphones have the potential to improve the health of people with low incomes, if they can get them.
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Veterans can visit 14 CVS MinuteClinics in the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento, Calif., for simple care, lab tests and prescriptions. Will the experiment work well enough to go nationwide?
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Medicare now pays doctors $86 to discuss end-of-life care in an office visit that covers topics such as hospice, living wills and do-not-resuscitate orders. But how should doctors get a chat rolling?
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Though it may sound like an oxymoron, "automating empathy" is becoming a catchphrase in health care. The goal is to help doctors engage with patients cheaply and with minimal effort. Does it work?
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Updating antiquated diagnosis codes is supposed to make medical billing more accurate, but doctors and insurers say right now it seems like a very expensive headache. Is there a code for that?