Health

Health Actions During President Biden's First 100 Days in Office
Monica Montano and Kendra Tully, June 2021
This federal update highlights health-related actions and policy changes made in the first 100 days of President Biden’s administration and explores how the changes will affect California.

Climate Change and Health: Understanding How Global Warming Could Impact Public Health in California
Julianne McCall, November 2018
Part I of this report describes the state of climate change in California and possible effects on human health. Part II summarizes a body of scientific research showing how California’s population already is affected by extreme heat and other suboptimal environmental conditions that could worsen with climate change. Senator Ricardo Lara requested the report.

Optimizing Public Benefits from State-Funded Research
Julianne McCall and Paul Jacobs with contributions from Teresa Feo, March 2018
Prepared at the request of Senator Bob Wieckowski, this report presents key principles and discusses structural components necessary to optimize public benefits from state-funded research programs.

Children's Health Insurance Program Funded Through 2023
Kim Flores, January 2018

The Benefits of Parental Leave Policies
Megan Lane, April 2017
Prepared at the request of the Select Committee on Women, Work and Families, this background paper highlights the impact of leave policies on maternal and infant health, as well as on the employer from a productivity standpoint.

Medicare and Medicaid Turn 50
Kim Flores, September 2015
The two largest government health care programs, Medicare and Medicaid, turned 50 this summer. Learn why these programs are so important for the country and especially for Californians.

Licensed California Residential Facilities for Adults
Daphne Hunt and Malaika Singleton, February 2014
Prepared at the request of the California Senate Human Services Committee for a Joint Oversight Hearing, this table offers an overview of state residential facilities for adults and includes facility descriptions, the number of facilities in the state, and who they serve. County level data also is offered for facilities licensed by the California Department of Social Services.

Understanding Alzheimer's Disease: A Review of Medical Advancements and Efforts to Address the Societal, Economic, and Personal Toll of an Impending Public Health Crisis
Malaika Singleton, June 2013
California's Alzheimer's disease (AD) population is expected to increase by nearly 40 percent between 2010 and 2025 to nearly 700,000 people. In 2011 California unveiled a 10-year state plan for AD, and in 2012 the Obama administration announced the first national plan to address AD and an aggressive research program and funding pledge to meet the nation's goal of preventing and effectively treating Alzheimer's by 2025.

Sequestration Is Now in Effect: What It Could Mean to California
Meredith Wurden and Meg Svoboda, March 2013
Find out which major programs are impacted by the sequester (automatic federal budget cuts) and what it could mean to California.

Sequestration: What Is It? And How Could It Impact California?
Erin Riches, Meredith Wurden, Meg Svoboda, and SOR Staff, October 2012
Automatic federal budget reductions—known as sequestration—could cut many federal programs and spare others beginning in January 2013.

The Water We Drink: What Is California Doing to Ensure Its Water Is Safe?
Michelle Baass, May 2011
"Every citizen of California has the right to pure and safe drinking water," according to California state law. And how safe is the state's water?

Building a Healthier Foundation for 2014: California Begins to Implement the Federal Health Care Reform Law
Kim Flores, March 2011
Federal health care reform was passed in March 2010 and, over the next several years, the new law will make major changes in the nation's health care system. Numerous provisions of the law have already gone into effect.

Path to Care: How Federal Legislation Requiring Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Treatment Will Impact California
Mareva Brown, February 2011
Nearly 1 in 5 California adults suffers from a mental disorder, about 1 in 25 has signs of a serious mental illness, and nearly 1 in 10 abuses or is dependent on illicit drugs or alcohol.

Finding Answers: A Resource Guide on the Licensing and Certification of Health and Community Care Facilities in California
Michelle Baass, Mareva Brown, and Sara McCarthy, July 2009
This report provides contact information on the state's community care, health, mental health, and substance-abuse-treatment facilities, where more than one million Californians now live or receive care. An overview of who governs the location (siting) of these facilities also is featured.

Inside California's Nursing Homes
Michelle Baass, February 2009
Nursing homes currently provide care to about 100,000 people. What is the quality of this care? And how will nursing homes change in the years to come?

Pedicures at What Price? The Nail-Salon Workforce Has Experienced Tremendous Growth, Prompting a Closer Look at the Health and Safety Issues Impacting its Employees
Rona L. Sherriff, December 2008
The health and safety of California's 96,000 licensed nail technicians is capturing the attention of policymakers, worker advocates, researchers, and regulators at a time when California is also embarking on a comprehensive program to reduce or eliminate hazardous chemicals in consumer products and the environment.

A Comparison of Núñez/Perata and Schwarzenegger Health Care Reform Proposals
Agnes Lee and Kim Flores, November 2007
A side-by-side comparison of AB 8 and the governor’s health care proposals.

Eye and Vision Care Services for California Children
Agnes Lee, November 2006
In recent years numerous legislative proposals have been introduced with the goal of improving the identification and treatment of eye and vision problems among children in California.

Monitoring Adverse Reactions to Drugs
July 2005
In late September of 2004 the drug manufacturer Merck voluntarily withdrew its arthritis pain reliever, Vioxx, from the world market.

The University of California's Compliance With the 1994 Memorandum of Understanding to Increase the Number of Primary Care Physicians Trained in California
Marlene Garcia, May 2005
Over the past 15 years, California has suffered a severe shortage of primary care physicians.

Stretched Thin: Growing Gaps in California’s Emergency Room Backup System
Peter Hansel, May 2003
In October 1998, a patient was brought by ambulance to a California hospital emergency room with symptoms of abdominal distress and shortness of breath.

Potential Medi-Cal Drug Expenditures Savings in the Fee-for-Service Population
Sherry Agnos, April 2003
For the 2002–03 fiscal year, it is expected that the Medi-Cal program will spend $3.8 billion on pharmaceuticals for its Fee-for-Service population.

Tissue Donations: Issues and Options in Oversight, Regulation, and Consent
Sherry Agnos, April 2003
Human tissues are used in a variety of medical procedures that significantly enhance the quality of life for thousands of individuals throughout the United States each year.

Seclusion and Restraints: A Failure, Not a Treatment—Protecting Mental Health Patients From Abuses
Laurel Mildred, March 2002 [1139-S]
Seclusion and restraint of psychiatric patients are known to be dangerous practices that can result in serious injury, trauma, and even death.

Options for Assisting Vulnerable Populations With Rising Costs and Declining Insurance Coverage for Prescription Drugs
Peter Hansel, February 2001
While Congress debates proposals to add a prescription-drug benefit to Medicare, many states are taking steps to better protect vulnerable residents, predominantly the elderly and disabled, from rising out-of-pocket costs and declining insurance coverage of prescription drugs. 

California's Ailing System of Caring for Children With Special Health Care Needs
Peter Hansel and Cori Reifman, May 2000 [1041-S]
The California Children’s Services (CCS) program provides specialized health care services to children with qualifying health care conditions.

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