health Medicaid cuts stand to hit everyone (yes, even you). Here’s why By Kristen Hwang | CalMatters | August 7, 2026 Medi-Cal cuts will strain hospitals already operating at a loss, resulting in fewer services and higher costs for the privately insured too.
health California nearly achieved universal healthcare. Now, millions are losing coverage By Kristen Hwang | CalMatters | August 4, 2026 Two years ago, nearly every person in California qualified for health insurance, pushing the state’s insured rate to a record 95%. Now that progress is unravelling.
Elections California unions, hospitals strike deal — but billionaire tax heads to ballot By Kristen Hwang | CalMatters | June 25, 2026 The one-time tax on billionaires could potentially reshape how California funds healthcare.
California California union’s billionaire tax qualifies for ballot amid fierce opposition By Kristen Hwang | June 18, 2026 The governor is reportedly trying to negotiate a last-minute deal that would pull the initiative before the ballot is finalized on June 25.
health Can medical malpractice lawsuits protect LGBTQ youth from conversion therapy? This California lawmaker thinks so By Kristen Hwang | CalMatters | April 13, 2026 Medical and mental health organizations condemn conversion therapy, which is rooted in the now-debunked theory that homosexuality is a mental illness.
health Measles is back in California. Health departments are fighting it with less. By Kristen Hwang | CalMatters | March 2, 2026 Battling outbreaks as federal funding cuts gut local health departments and vaccine skepticism fuels spread among unvaccinated children.
health Kaiser strike hits fourth week as 31,000 workers demand higher pay and better staffing By Kristen Hwang | CalMatters | February 16, 2026 Striking workers with one of Kaiser's largest unions have never before walked off the job.
California California gives Planned Parenthood $140 million boost to keep clinics open By Kristen Hwang | CalMatters | October 24, 2025 And still financial troubles loom.
Education Newsom signs first-in-nation law to ban ultraprocessed food in school lunches By Kristen Hwang | CalMatters | October 9, 2025 Officials will decide which additives, dyes, and other forms of processing don’t belong in school meals and K-12 cafeterias.
health As RFK pushes MAHA, federal cuts shut down California health and nutrition programs By Kristen Hwang | CalMatters | September 15, 2025 Whether federal cuts are legal is still undecided, but local health departments have already made moves to scale back.