Author archive for lhigashi

By Robert PearWASHINGTON—The Obama administration said Monday that it would investigate prescription drug coverage and other benefits offered by health insurance companies to see if they discriminated against people with AIDS, mental illness, diabetes or other costly chronic conditions.The administration said it had become aware of "discriminatory benefit designs"…

By Phil GalewitzAndy Pasternak, a family doctor in Reno, saw more than 100 new Medicaid patients last year after the state expanded the insurance program for the poor under the Affordable Care Act...."The Medicaid pay boost was never meant to be a silver bullet," said Leonardo Cuello, director of…

By Erica HellersteinOn a mild afternoon last April, Randy Grau, a Republican representative from Edmond Oklahoma, took to the state House to argue in favor of Senate Bill 1848. The bill, later signed into law, regulates standards for abortion centers and requires abortion providers to obtain nearby hospital admitting privileges.…

By David GornState health officials this week said 105 children have received autism therapy since the Medi-Cal benefit was officially launched Sept. 15. Officials said the state would require a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation before those services would be covered....Children with autism spectrum disorder can't wait that long, said Abbi…

By Elizabeth G. TaylorPolitical games are de rigueur in Washington and the Supreme Court is no exception. With its grant of review in King v. Burwell, the nation's highest court has set the stage for yet another Affordable Care Act showdown.King is different from the hundreds of cases challenging…