It would cost California between $494 billion and $552 billion annually to operate the single-payer health care system envisioned in a bill that died last month in the supermajority-Democratic Legislature, according to a Tuesday analysis. The cost estimate from the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office is significantly higher than one prepared by committee staffers in January.

The winter Omicron surge hit Southern California harder than any other part of the state, a Times data analysis found, again underscoring the region’s vulnerability.

Medical bills have become a source of major financial trouble for millions of Americans, amounting to the largest source of personal debt in the U.S. Now, the top three credit reporting agencies plan to drop most medical debt from consumers' credit reports starting this summer.

When Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said March 13 that all Americans would need a second booster shot, it struck many covid experts as a self-serving remark without scientific merit. It also set off spasms of doubt over the country’s objectives in its fight against the coronavirus. The decision on how often and widely to vaccinate ...

Dive Brief: * The long-term shift from hospital-based care toward more treatment delivered in the home and ambulatory centers picked up pace during the COVID-19 pandemic and is expected to continue to gain momentum, pressuring revenue growth and margins in the hospital sector, according to new research from Moody’s Investors Service. * Reimbursement changes, risk-sharing, investment ...

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is examining risk adjustment tactics that have led to overpayments to some Medicare Advantage plans, Secretary Xavier Becerra told reporters Friday. Becerra said the agency has seen evidence of charges going beyond what would be necessary for MA plans using tactics such as up-coding. The remarks come ...