The CHCF Blog

Welcome to The CHCF Blog, which features health policy insights from experts inside and outside CHCF. Get a round-up of the latest blog posts delivered right into your inbox every week.

Researchers Seek Reproductive Justice for Black Women

September 25, 2020

Maternal Health

An innovative approach to improving the birthing experience for Black people shifts reform efforts from patients to health care providers.

After Justice Ginsburg’s Loss, What a New Court Could Mean for the ACA

September 22, 2020

Expanding Health Coverage, Health Care Costs, Health Equity

Her death has led to a flood of questions about what comes next for the US Supreme Court and the country.

Online COVID-19 Self-Assessment Eases Burden on Southern California’s Safety Net

September 22, 2020

USC triage tool, piloted with AltaMed Health Services, helps half a million people worldwide decide whether to seek testing or in-person medical help.

COVID-19 Goes Viral on College Campuses

September 21, 2020

Xenia Shih Bion

Stories That Caught Our Attention: The New York Times has counted at least 88,000 COVID-19 cases and 60 deaths at American colleges.

Remembering Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

September 19, 2020

Sandra R. Hernández

The legendary Supreme Court justice died Friday after a lifetime devoted to her righteous battle for gender equality.

Stressors Take Toll on Students’ Mental Health

September 14, 2020

Xenia Shih Bion

Behavioral Health, Telehealth

Stories That Caught Our Attention: Experts worry that compounding pressures are taking a toll on the mental, emotional, and physical health of young people.

COVID-19 Tracking Poll: One in Five Californians Knows Someone Who Died of COVID-19

September 3, 2020

Kristof Stremikis

Black and Latinx Californians are more likely than white Californians to know someone who has died of the new coronavirus.

Public Health Officials Are Our COVID-19 Commanders. Treat Them With Respect.

September 1, 2020

Battle-scarred public health officers are making deeply personal sacrifices to steer us to safety.

California Wildfires Add Toxic Threat to Pandemic Crisis

August 31, 2020

Xenia Shih Bion

Stories That Caught Our Attention: Experts months ago warned that the crises would converge, but they didn't expect them to overlap so early in the year.

Coronavirus Contact Tracers: Part Detective, Part Social Worker

August 24, 2020

Xenia Shih Bion

Stories That Caught Our Attention: Public health workers are trying to slow the spread of the virus while addressing critical social needs.

Clinicians Call for Making COVID-19 Emergency Telehealth Benefits Permanent

August 21, 2020

Elizabeth Morrison, Elizabeth Horevitz

Behavioral Health, Telehealth

Telehealth has shown itself to be a critical tool for increasing access to vital behavioral health services and reducing health inequity.

Court Vacates Federal Rule Rolling Back ACA Protections for LGBT Individuals

August 20, 2020

The ruling applies to would-be changes to the definition of discrimination on the basis of sex, gender identity, and sex stereotyping.

Medicaid Is Essential for Workers as COVID-19 Spreads

August 17, 2020

Xenia Shih Bion

Expanding Health Coverage, Medi-Cal, Health Equity

Stories That Caught Our Attention: On August 4, Missouri voters narrowly approved the expansion of the state’s Medicaid program via ballot initiative, making it the second politically right-leaning state to do so during the pandemic.

Crumbling Data Infrastructure Undermines Nation’s Pandemic Response

August 10, 2020

Xenia Shih Bion

Workforce, Health Equity

Stories That Caught Our Attention: Without accurate, real-time, standardized data, the nation cannot defeat the pandemic.

The Health Care System Has the Black Community in a Choke Hold

A system that is literally supposed to help those who can’t breathe is figuratively applying a choke hold to Black people by sending them home to die when they say, "I can’t breathe."