Few Seniors Benefiting From Medicare Obesity Counseling
A little known part of Obamacare pays primary care doctors to help overweight seniors drop pounds and improve their health. So why aren’t more seniors taking advantage of the free benefit?
Sarah Varney
Sarah Varney was a senior correspondent for 51ÊÓƵ Health News until August 2023.
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How A State’s Choice On Medicaid Expansion Affects Hospitals
In negotiating the creation of the Affordable Care Act, hospitals took a big gamble, with the expectation that they would soon have millions of new Medicaid customers. In states that expanded Medicaid, the bet paid off. Sarah Varney of Kaiser Health News reports on financial gains made by some hospitals as more patients are able to pay their bills, and the heavy price being paid by hospitals in states that opted against expansion.
By Sarah Varney -
How Obamacare Went South In Mississippi
In the country’s unhealthiest state, the failure of Obamacare is a group effort.
By Sarah Varney -
Soda Makers Battle Proposed Taxes In Berkeley, San Francisco
Voters could impose a penny per ounce tax on sugary drinks in Berkeley and a two-cent per ounce tax in San Francisco. Research shows that when soda prices go up, people drink less.
By Sarah Varney -
For Formerly Obese, Stigma Remains Even After Weight Is Lost
People who have lost significant weight are uneasy about how much to reveal in online dating profiles, and research shows they have good reason to be.
By Sarah Varney -
Leaving Jail Doesn’t Have To Mean Losing Health Care
California is among 25 states to open Medicaid to childless adults, including thousands of ex-offenders. Covering this group is expected to save money and perhaps reduce recidivism.
By Sarah Varney -
By The Numbers: Mental Illness Behind Bars
There are now three times more people with serious mental illness incarcerated in the United States than in hospitals, and the types of behavioral and mental health problems among inmates are becoming more severe.
By Sarah Varney -
Low T Business Is Booming, Despite Questions About Risks
Testosterone prescriptions in the U.S. more than tripled in the last decade, but recent studies raise serious safety and financial concerns.
By Sarah Varney -
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Insurance, Not Injuries, May Determine Who Goes To Trauma Centers
A new Stanford University study shows that patients with critical injuries are less likely to be transferred to trauma centers if they have insurance.
By Sarah Varney -
Obamacare Thrives In San Francisco’s Chinatown
The immigrant community became self-sufficient by necessity, building its own hospital more than a century ago. Now, that hospital offers a health plan on Covered California that is exceeding its enrollment goals.
By Sarah Varney -
Emergency Rooms Are Front Line For Enrolling New Obamacare Customers
While it may be a logical place to enroll the uninsured, consumer confusion -- and illness -- are hurdles for outreach workers.
By Sarah Varney -
Obamacare Comes To Skid Row
In Los Angeles, there's a concerted effort to enroll the homeless into Medicaid, as the federal-state health insurance program opens for the first time to all poor adults.
By Sarah Varney -
Covered California: Older Jump In First, But Officials Buoyed By Number Of Young Enrollees
More important than age, however, will be how healthy or unhealthy the enrollees are. Those who are sick are more motivated to sign up early, researchers said.
By Sarah Varney and Anna Gorman -
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California Considers Its Options On Canceled Insurance Plans
The insurance commissioner and the health insurance industry lobby disagree over President Obama's plan.
By Sarah Varney and Anna Gorman -
Health Law Brings Changes In How Therapists Do Business
Mom-and-Pop shops give way to large group practices that often accept discounted rates from insurers.
By Sarah Varney -
California Working Overtime To Enroll Consumers On Marketplace — And To Train People To Help
Once consumers are primed to enroll, the hand-off to counselors has been rocky. Many counselors are still attending training or are awaiting background checks and state-issued licenses; some just need a computer log-in.
By Sarah Varney -
A Former ‘Young Invincible’ Looks Forward to Health Insurance
Brad Stevens, 54, learned the hard way that being uninsured was risky as accidents and illness took a toll. Soon, he'll qualify for California's expanded Medicaid program.
By Sarah Varney -
Back To Work After A Baby — But Without Insurance This Time
Pardit Pri, 29, is among the 5 million uninsured people in California. Insurance would give her peace of mind, but she worries whether she can afford it.
By Sarah Varney
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