Health Care - Observer News Group

Time Is Running Out: Black Californians Encouraged to Enroll in Covered California by Jan. 31

by Stefi Mar | Jan 28, 2025 | ** FEATURED STORY **, Bakersfield, Features, Health Care, Los Angeles, Valleys | 0

The opportunity to secure quality, affordable health coverage through Covered California is coming to a close, with open enrollment ending Jan. 31, 2025. For Black and African American Californians, this is the moment to take charge of your health and access the care you deserve. Whether renewing your plan or signing up for the first time, Covered California offers affordable options that meet the needs of individuals, families and communities.

White House Celebrates Record ACA Enrollment as Trump Administration Plans to Overhaul Health Care

by Stefi Mar | Jan 14, 2025 | Bakersfield, Health Care, Los Angeles, Valleys, White House, World & Nation | 0

The Biden-Harris Administration has announced a historic milestone: nearly 24 million Americans—including approximately 64,000 District residents—have signed up for Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplace coverage for 2025, with one week remaining in the open enrollment period. The record-breaking figure represents nearly doubling enrollment since President Joe Biden took office. Over 45 million Americans are covered through the ACA’s Marketplace and Medicaid expansion, marking an all-time high in health insurance coverage in U.S. history.

Doctors, Nurses Press Ahead as Wildfires Strain Los Angeles’ Health Care

by Stefi Mar | Jan 14, 2025 | Bakersfield, Front Page, Health Care, LA Fires, Los Angeles, National, Valleys | 0

The rapidly spreading wildfires that have transformed much of Los Angeles County into a raging hellscape are not only upending the lives of tens of thousands of residents and business owners, but also stressing the region’s hospitals, health clinics, first responders, and nursing homes.

14 States Awarded $1 Million Grants to Address Mental Health and Substance Use Crises

by Stefi Mar | Jan 14, 2025 | Bakersfield, Features, Health Care, Los Angeles, National, Valleys | 0

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has awarded $1 million in planning grants to 14 states as part of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Medicaid Demonstration Program. Funded through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022, the program aims to address the ongoing mental health and substance use crises nationwide.

Ranking Member Maxine Waters Applauds CFPB’s Rule to Ban Medical Debt from Credit Reports

by James Luckey | Jan 8, 2025 | Featured, Health Care, Los Angeles, Maxine Waters, Valleys | 0

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RFK Jr.’s Vaccine War Threatens to Resurrect the Ghosts of Jim Crow Medicine

by Stefi Mar | Dec 17, 2024 | Bakersfield, Features, Health Care, Los Angeles, Valleys | 0

In the looming shadow of a second Trump administration, the battle over vaccines and public health policy is being revived with unsettling vigor. Public health leaders, particularly those in African American communities who recall the long, painful history of medical neglect and systemic racism, are alarmed by the campaign to revoke approval of life-saving vaccines, including the polio vaccine. This modern war on vaccines is led by figures like Aaron Siri, a lawyer closely associated with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s controversial choice for health secretary. It threatens to unravel decades of hard-fought progress that began when Black Americans demanded equitable treatment in the fight against polio.

Who Gets Obesity Drugs Covered by Insurance? In North Carolina, It Helps If You’re on Medicaid

by Stefi Mar | Dec 3, 2024 | Bakersfield, Features, Health Care, Los Angeles, Valleys | 0

After losing and regaining the same 20-plus pounds more times than she could count, Anita Blanchard concluded that diets don’t work.

Biden-Harris Administration Moves to Expand Medicare and Medicaid Coverage for Anti-Obesity Medications

by Stefi Mar | Dec 3, 2024 | Bakersfield, Health Care, Joe biden, Los Angeles, Valleys | 0

As the incoming administration prepares to enact sweeping changes to health policy, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s controversial appointment to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Biden-Harris Administration is addressing a critical health issue: obesity. A new proposal aims to expand Medicare and Medicaid coverage for anti-obesity medications (AOMs), potentially providing millions of Americans access to life-saving treatments.

Medicaid Faces Uncertain Future as Republicans Target Program Under Trump Administration

by Stefi Mar | Nov 25, 2024 | Bakersfield, Donald Trump, Features, Health Care, Los Angeles, Valleys | 0

Medicaid, a critical lifeline for millions of Americans, faces an uncertain future as Republicans prepare to take control of Washington. The program, along with the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), provides health and long-term care coverage to 80 million low-income children, pregnant women, adults, seniors, and people with disabilities, is under scrutiny with proposed funding cuts and new eligibility requirements.

Three Percent of Calif’s Doctors are Black. Advocates Want Increased Representation

by Stefi Mar | Nov 19, 2024 | African Americans, Bakersfield, Front Page, Health, Health Care, Los Angeles, Valleys | 0

Only 3% of doctors in California are Black, compared to about 5% nationwide. The California Black Health Network (CBHN), Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science (CDU) in Los Angeles and other health advocates are working to increase that percentage.

Advocates: Calif.’s Maternal Health Blueprint Ignores Systemic Racism, Community Solutions

by Stefi Mar | Nov 19, 2024 | Bakersfield, Front Page, Health Care, Los Angeles, State, Valleys | 0

Black mothers in California experience a maternal mortality rate that is three times above the average in the state.

Affordable Care Act’s Lifeline in Jeopardy as Enhanced Subsidies Face Expiration in 2025

by Stefi Mar | Nov 19, 2024 | Bakersfield, Features, Health Care, Valleys | 0

As Congress prepares to finalize its leadership in both chambers, the fate of health insurance subsidies for millions of Americans hangs in the balance. Essentially, if Republicans wrest control of the House along with their victories at the White House, Senate, and Supreme Court, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) likely will end. In 2024, enrollment in ACA marketplaces reached historic highs, with over 45 million nationwide now enrolled in ACA-related coverage—a 46% increase since 2021 and more than three times the enrollment since the ACA’s early years in 2014.

Category: Health Care

Time Is Running Out: Black Californians Encouraged to Enroll in Covered California by Jan. 31

White House Celebrates Record ACA Enrollment as Trump Administration Plans to Overhaul Health Care

Doctors, Nurses Press Ahead as Wildfires Strain Los Angeles’ Health Care

14 States Awarded $1 Million Grants to Address Mental Health and Substance Use Crises

Ranking Member Maxine Waters Applauds CFPB’s Rule to Ban Medical Debt from Credit Reports

RFK Jr.’s Vaccine War Threatens to Resurrect the Ghosts of Jim Crow Medicine

Who Gets Obesity Drugs Covered by Insurance? In North Carolina, It Helps If You’re on Medicaid

Biden-Harris Administration Moves to Expand Medicare and Medicaid Coverage for Anti-Obesity Medications

Medicaid Faces Uncertain Future as Republicans Target Program Under Trump Administration

Three Percent of Calif’s Doctors are Black. Advocates Want Increased Representation

Advocates: Calif.’s Maternal Health Blueprint Ignores Systemic Racism, Community Solutions

Affordable Care Act’s Lifeline in Jeopardy as Enhanced Subsidies Face Expiration in 2025

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