Author: Scott Welch

Two months after Michael McCormick lay in a San Francisco hospital bed fighting to breathe, he fought to prove he got COVID-19 on the job and deserved workers’ compensation — and won.

Michigan, Florida, Washington and other states are trying to deal with suspected fraud at a time when their unemployment benefit programs have seen a surge of demand

Gavin Newsom knew it was a political gamble when, as the newly elected mayor of San Francisco, he promised to eradicate chronic homelessness.

After nearly two months at home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Erica Schoenradt was making plans in May to see her dentist for a checkup.

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley said that he intends to push for a vote this year on a bill that would limit drug-price increases, even as pharmaceutical companies race to find treatments and vaccines for Covid-19.

San Bernardino County is home for Dr. Brian Savino. It is also an area of California with a pressing need for medical providers. Savino, an emergency room doctor, would like to serve the place he grew up for as long as he can.

Pneumonia. Heart problems. High cholesterol. Betsy Carrier, 71, and her husband, Don Resnikoff, 79, relied on their primary care doctor in Montgomery County, Maryland, for help managing their ailments.

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s medical mask deal with a Chinese manufacturer could be canceled after the company failed to obtain a federal safety certification.

California’s health care industry has a consolidation problem. Independent physician practices, outpatient clinics and hospitals are merging or getting gobbled up by private equity firms or large health care systems. A single company can dominate an entire community, and in some cases, vast swaths of the state.

The White House is renewing a push to end “surprise” medical bills — possibly as part of the next coronavirus rescue package — in a bid to deliver on protecting insured patients from sometimes staggering costs of emergency or out-of-network care.