A doctor writes out a drug prescription for a patient. (Photo: Lisa-S, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Step therapy forces patients to try insurer-preferred medications before approving the medication initially prescribed by the doctor. Utilized by both public and private insurers, step therapy undermines the clinical judgment of doctors and puts patients’ health at risk.
A woman balancing her books with the help of a calculator. (Photo: fizkes, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Oversight can protect and level the playing field for both parties, as we will see soon in California with the state’s recent decision to “modernize” its lead financial regulatory agency, the Department of Business Oversight, into the new Department of Financial Protection & Innovation (DPFI).
Dermonstrators in front of the U.S. Post Office in Torrance protesting federal funding cuts. (Photo: Vince360, via Shutterstock)Vote-by-mail ballots have been sent to all registered voters in Amador County, with Solano reporting they will be mailing ballots today, while Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego counties — and maybe others – will be mailing next week. These counties are getting ahead of the Oct. 5 deadline for California counties to mail ballots. In other states, meanwhile, voting has been taking place for weeks.
The state Capitol in Sacramento, the seat of California government. (Photo: Always Wanderlust, via Shutterstock)Landmark legislation to improve California’s notoriously fractured mental-health system has been passed and sent to the governor in the waning days of a chaotic legislative session disrupted by the COVID pandemic. “This package of legislation is a game-changer,” said Maggie Merritt, executive director of the Steinberg Institute.
Police officers in Los Angeles observe a public protest. (Photo: Matt Gush, via Shutterstock)OPINION: As members of our California communities call for reform, our state legislators have proposed almost two dozen bills aimed at fundamentally changing the practice of law enforcement in our state. Unfortunately, many of these bills were developed overnight, in silos and behind closed doors.
A nurse dons protective gloves in a unit dealing with coronavirus cases. (Photo: David Herraez Calzada)OPINION: We have all witnessed the chaos which has enveloped healthcare facilities as they try to respond to such an unprecedented calamity. State governments have been critically challenged with developing measures to ensure public health and safety.
Housing under construction in Riverside. (Photo: Orange Grove, via Shutterstock)OPINION:Instead of moving forward with progressive and innovative policies that would expedite new housing or encourage Californians to take the risk and buy their first rental property, legislative leaders have decided to shelve most of those proposals and support failed policies that have been rejected by voters and communities for years.
On the USC campus, a view of the Suzanne Dowark Peck School of Social Work. (Photo: Kit Leong, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Last fall, the University of Southern California (USC) settled a federal class-action lawsuit filed by women alleging sexual misconduct by the former head gynecologist at the student health center, George Tyndall. Regarded by many as one of the largest settlements of its kind, the $215 million federal settlement covered every one of Tyndall’s USC patients who received women’s health services during a specific period.
The pharmacy area in a Costco store in Folsom, east of Sacramento. (Photo: Cassiohabib, via Shutterstock)OPINION: The high costs of prescription drugs have rightly prompted concern from Californians and lawmakers looking for ways to bring down costs. Recently, both California and the federal government have taken positive steps to address this concern by increasing transparency. Still, more action is needed to reduce costs to consumers at the prescription counter.
A California freeway at rush hour, with traffic that includes commuters and rideshare drivers. (Photo: EGD, via Shutterstock)OPINION: My wife and I are union members working for a union employer in the Sacramento area. As full-time employees, we make a fair living, but not nearly enough for us to be able to live the life we want. In order to supplement our wages, we have chosen to work as independent contractors driving for app-based delivery and rideshare companies that service Sacramento.