At a Walgreens in this city’s bustling Japantown neighborhood, pharmacist Margaret On stocks two boxes of long-acting insulin pens from California’s new prescription drug label, CalRx, emblazoned with the state’s iconic grizzly bear. Although she hasn’t dispensed any, On plans to keep them on hand. “It’s good to have if a patient comes in and doesn’t ...

Kaiser Permanente reported nearly $1.7 billion in operating income (4.6% operating margin) during the second quarter of 2026, a more than $600 million improvement over the same period in 2025. The country’s largest nonprofit health system, in a quarterly financial update shared Friday that precedes its more granular regulatory filing, outlined $35.6 billion in operating ...

A quiet change in California law in 2018 unleashed a deluge of new hospices and spurred millions of dollars in Medicare fraud that state and federal authorities are still trying to unwind. Hospices shared addresses with burrito stands, car repair shops and vacant lots. They piled into nondescript office buildings offering cheap rent, month-to-month leases ...

California’s Medicaid program, Medi-Cal, is slashing asset limits 84% in July 2027. As a result, Medi-Cal members risk losing eligibility — and insurers are feeling the pressure. In 2022, California lifted the asset limit from $2,000 to $130,000 for individuals. CMS eventually approved a state proposal to drop the asset test, but California resurfaced the limits at the beginning of 2026. The 2027 ...

Thomas Zordani flew from his home in Denver to Phoenix for a consultation with a Mayo Clinic neurosurgeon, hoping to find out what could be done to treat his debilitating headaches after worrisome brain scan findings. When making the appointment, Zordani said, he’d been told the clinic was in his insurer’s network. Upon arrival, Zordani ...

A federal appeals court on Tuesday struck down a formula used by healthcare providers, insurers and the government that is designed to shield patients from staggeringly high “surprise” medical ​bills. In an unsigned decision, a majority of the 17-judge 5th U.S. Circuit Court of ‌Appeals in New Orleans assured the ruling would not lead to ...