An older man jogs up a desert mountain peak in California. (Photo: Sirtravelalot, via Shutterstock)OPINION:“OK Boomer” has gained popularity as a sarcastic refrain, but if millennials and all other generations fail to take baby boomers seriously, we will all share in the consequences. The 2020s will be the decade of the baby boomer.
Kaiser Permanente workers picketing during a five-day strike in December. (Photo: National Union of Healthcare Workers) United Healthcare Workers Mental health workers at Kaiser Permanente have overwhelmingly rejected a contract offer — a move that followed months of negotiations between Kaiser and the National Union of Healthcare Workers. Negotiations between Kaiser and NUHW are continuing.
A scientist examines cells in a biological laboratory. (Photo: anyalvanova, via Shutterstock)The man expected to lead the drive for $5.5 billion more for California’s stem cell agency today said the Trump restrictions on fetal tissue research represent a dangerous precedent that threatens the health of all Americans.
Downtown Los Angeles in the distance. (Photo: EvijaF, via Shutterstock) OPINION: When it comes to climate action, it will be hard for California to top 2018. Last year legislators passed a law committing our state to 100% emission-free electricity by 2045, and our governor issued an executive order setting the goal of a carbon-neutral economy by the same year. Now the architects of those initiatives have moved on, and a new crop of leaders faces the enormous task of meeting these goals.
San Francisco Marriott hotel employees picketing in October in support of better wages, benefits. (Photo: 1000Photography, via Shutterstock)California labor confronted major challenges last year but responded with frenetic organizing and a newfound aggressiveness—momentum unions hope to maintain in 2019. As 2018 opened, California had 2.49 million union members, roughly 15.5 percent of the state’s official working population
Hundreds of people rally for improved health care in front of San Francisco City Hall, 2017. (Photo: Kim Wilson, via Shutterstock)OPINION: In the national debate over immigration, one proposal threatens the health and well-being of every person living in this country. The proposed “public charge” rule would make it more difficult for legal immigrants to become permanent residents and prevent immigrants from using the programs their tax dollars help support, like Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California) or nutrition assistance.
A 3-year-old child with a cardboard sign. (Photo: Discha-AS, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Blanca was seven months pregnant when her husband’s sciatica rendered him unable to work. The pain in his back was so intense he couldn’t stand upright. They had no medical insurance and could not qualify for unemployment or disability. For months they survived off savings until there was nothing left. Their food budget dwindled to $2, “maybe $3, or sometimes nothing at all,”
Doctors and their patient in a California hospital. (Photo: Monkey Business Images, via Shutterstock) OPINION: While Washington’s changes to the Affordable Care Act and calls for a radical upheaval of our health care system may have you confused about the state of health care in California, make no mistake — our state’s system is strong and getting stronger.
Solar panels arrayed in the Mojave Desert. (Photo: Andrei Orlov, via Shutterstock)OPINION: As firefighters from across the West come together to battle wildfires, and legislators meet for their last week of this year’s legislative session, our state’s leadership has before them a real opportunity to take decisive action to help mitigate the climate trends that are weighing on our state today.
A patient receiving blood dialysis treatment. (Photo: Khajornkiat Limsagul, via Shutterstock)The Madera patient says he likes his Kaiser doctor and has no desire to switch to publicly funded Medicare, even though he qualifies. But if Senate Bill 1156 is approved, Adames likely wouldn’t get that choice. The bill would require that patients like him receiving third-party assistance would either need to enroll in Medicare or Medi-Cal (for those who are low income), or if they choose to stay on private insurance, they will only receive reimbursement at Medicare or Medi-Cal’s much lower rates.