Healthcare

At least seven Fresno-area healthcare workers lost their jobs recently, with more challenges expected to emerge in the coming days.

Average monthly premiums for families with employer-provided health coverage in California’s private sector nearly doubled over the last 15 years, from just over $1,000 in 2008 to almost $2,000 in 2023, a KFF Health News analysis of federal data shows. That’s more than twice the rate of inflation.

California this year completed its Medi-Cal expansion to include income-eligible residents regardless of their immigration status. This final installment of the “Faces of Medi-Cal” series profiles three of those newly eligible patients and how coverage has affected their health.

A hospital closure in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley a year and a half ago underscored something that people in the region have long known: They don’t have enough doctors or access to medical care.

A law created in 2002 paved the way for Mexican physicians to practice in communities across California. Twenty years later, half a dozen are practicing in the San Joaquin Valley.

The bankrupt Madera Community Hospital still owes more than $30 million to creditors, according to the most recent update.

The hospital says a reopening plan is needed to apply for the funding and a $250,000 cost to produce the plan is holding back those efforts.

More than two months after shutting down all services and clinics, Madera Community Hospital officially filed for Chapter. 11 bankruptcy.

The financial viability of Madera Community Hospital continues to be a question two months after the hospital shut its doors with the intention to file for bankruptcy.

The closure of Madera Community Hospital left thousands of people without access to regular checkups, emergency services and specialized care.