Posts Tagged: procedures

Opinion

Deadly opioid overdose epidemic overshadowed by COVID-19

Illustration: Hydrocodone pills and prescription bottles. (Image: Andy Dean Photography, via Shutterstock.)

OPINION: A record 3,200 Californians lost their lives to opioids in 2019 — well before the stress and disruption caused by COVID-19 caused overdose deaths to spike to new highs nationwide. By May 2020, powerful synthetic opioids such as fentanyl caused California’s 12-month all-drug overdose death rate to spike nearly 27%, significantly faster than the national average.

News

Medi-Cal patients get something to smile about

A patient is treated at a dental clinic. (Photo: sirtravelalot, via Shutterstock)

Susan Inglett’s dental coverage changed just after she got a root canal on one of her top teeth. It was 2009, and California was in the midst of a budget crisis. To cut costs, Medi-Cal, the state health insurance program for low-income residents, eliminated non-emergency dental benefits for adults.

News

Lobbyist’s Notebook: Reforming legislative procedures

The state Capitol in Sacramento. (Photo: Adonis Villanueva)

Capitol observers often complain about certain procedural aspects of California lawmaking. So I took an informal poll: I asked some of my lobbying colleagues, as well as staff in the Legislature from both houses and both political parties, for suggestions on how to make things more efficient.

News

A peek under the Capitol’s hood

State Capitol in Sacramento. (Photo: Shuttesrstock)

This is the final installment in a series of articles dealing with the procedural myths and realities of the California Legislature.

News

DMV, Judicial Council hit over fees

California drivers in a Los Angeles traffic jam.(Photo: ShutterStock)

A motorist who faced more than $1,600 in fines for a traffic violation is suing the Department of Motor Vehicles and the state Judicial Council in federal court, contending that millions of California drivers had their licenses suspended illegally because they were unable to pay spiraling fees. “Traffic courts in California routinely impose exorbitant penalty assessments, fines and fees on all traffic court cases over and above the statutory fines” required for public safety, the pending suit contends.

Opinion

For democracy’s sake, fix our voting infrastructure

Voters in Ventura County cast ballots during a recent election. (Photo: Spirit of America, Shutterstock)

OPINION: The administrative procedures, technology systems and people who manage elections are the essential elements of self-governance – the distribution of ballots and information, the collecting, the counting, the reporting. Like much of our public infrastructure, these systems are not always adequately maintained or updated, until they make headlines themselves.

Recent News

Stem cell agency okays $150 million ‘powerhouse’

Examining a liquid nitrogen bank containing suspended stem cells. (Photo: Elena Pavolvich)

Directors of California’s stem cell agency this morning approved financing terms for a proposed, $150 million, public-private company that the agency hopes will accelerate the creation of long-sought stem cell therapies. The plan to create a stem cell “powerhouse” is likely to be one of the landmark legacies of the state’s $3 billion research effort — for better or worse.

News

Despite need, 15% fewer dentists serving Medi-Cal patients

A state review of a dental program that serves low-income Californians shows that significantly fewer dentists are accepting those patients, despite a surge in demand. According to the California Department of Health Care Services report, released July 1, the number of dentists accepting Medi-Cal patients fell by 14.5 percent between 2008 and 2013. That’s a loss of 1,354 providers for the Denti-Cal program, which is the dental portion of Medi-Cal.

Opinion

Eye surgery: Training not a matter of politics, public opinion

OPINION: The Legislature had a critical opportunity to help increase access to medical services and reduce the wait times for patients who need ocular services. SB 492 would have allowed doctors of optometry to perform limited laser and minor procedures around the eye and freed up ophthalmologists to perform the complex surgical procedures only they are trained and educated to perform.

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