Healthcare

Rural voters rank the cost of living and cost of healthcare as top issues they want to hear about from midterm candidates as they face a tightening pocketbook pinch.

Voters in California’s 22nd Congressional District call healthcare a top priority in November’s midterm elections. Although challenger Randy Villegas has built a following among residents craving change, undecided voters say they want to hear more from the Democrat and from GOP incumbent Rep. David Valadao on their affordability plans.

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made an appearance in Atwater, where he unveiled a new funding stream for health clinics nationwide.

The Trump administration has warned more than 500 hospitals nationwide, including three in the Central Valley, that they are failing to provide the public with enough information about prices.

A new medical institute in Fresno is bringing advanced neuroscience treatment and research to the San Joaquin Valley, reducing the need for patients to travel to San Francisco or Los Angeles for care.

California school districts are struggling to balance rising healthcare costs with declining enrollment and federal aid, leading to labor battles between teachers and districts over healthcare premiums.

Driving the decline, experts say, are several state and federal policy changes that block or discourage immigrants from getting coverage.

Family members and attorneys for patients hospitalized after being detained by federal immigration officials said they are facing extreme difficulty trying to locate patients, get information about their well-being, and provide them emotional and legal support.

Some are concerned the ongoing political controversy in Congress over the expiration of Obamacare tax credits is causing people to sit on the sidelines and take no action to enroll or renew.

Months after a public health clinic shut down in the city of Shafter, health officials say they are continuing to weigh options for health services in the community.