The largest hospital operator in the San Joaquin Valley plans to close its pediatric specialty clinics over the coming six months, potentially creating a scramble for parents whose children need care for a wide array of health conditions.

A proposed ballot measure, backed by United Healthcare Workers West, would require some community clinics to spend at least 90% of their total revenue on direct patient care and “mission-related services.”

They voted for Trump — now his Medicaid cuts could leave their clinics and coverage at risk.

Amid ongoing uncertainty over federal funding of local health services, a project to prevent suicide and substance use among Native American youth in Kern County could be scaled back, or possibly eliminated.

Officials said reduced state and federal funding contributed to the cuts.

The San Joaquin Valley is expected to acutely feel the cuts. The region has the highest usage of the federal health insurance program in California.

House members in the San Joaquin Valley who voted for the bill defended their decisions, despite projections that some of their constituents will lose coverage.

Health advocates say the bill in several ways will limit health care access in addition to cutting social safety net resources for residents.

Doulas became a service that is covered under Medi-Cal in 2023. Now, families in rural areas are taking advantage.

California lawmakers are poised to delay the state’s much-ballyhooed new law mandating in vitro fertilization insurance coverage for millions, set to take effect July 1. Gov. Newsom has asked lawmakers to push the implementation date to January 2026, leaving patients, insurers, and employers in limbo.