CalViva-Kaiser Split Highlights Health Care Complexities, Patient Confusion
October 23, 2017
Earlier this summer, a contract between CalViva health and Kaiser Permanente left 9,000 Medi-Cal patients in the San Joaquin Valley to find all new doctors. We were curious how that transition happened, so we set out to find out how significant this change was in the healthcare world and how... 
Study shows Flame retardants linked to lower child IQ
October 11, 2017
A hazardous class of flame retardant chemicals commonly found in furniture and household products damages children’s intelligence, resulting in loss of IQ points, according to a new study by UC San Francisco researchers. “Despite a series of bans and phase-outs, nearly everyone is still exposed to... 
Trumpcare: Is it the Right Treatment for what Ails the American Health Care System?
October 11, 2017
All health care systems must strike a delicate balance between cost, quality and access. While Obamacare focused largely on increasing access to coverage and spreading the cost of illness across the entire population, Trumpcare tips the balance largely in favor of reducing federal spending, at the... 
When It Comes To Doctor Access, The San Joaquin Valley Is Being Left Behind
August 30, 2017
The US could be short of at least 40,000 doctors by the year 2030. In particular, San Joaquin Valley is already being impacted. According to Janet Coffman, a professor of health policy at the Healthforce Center at UC San Francisco, the problem is particularly pronounced here. “The San Joaquin... 
A look at the Tobacco Industry's marketing of Nicotine Replacement Therapy Products
August 25, 2017
Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) is recommended for tobacco cessation on the basis of pharmaceutical industry research showing its effectiveness when combined with counseling. The tobacco industry opposed NRT when it first appeared in the 1980s but by 2016 was marketing its own NRT products.... 