Voice of OC (https://voiceofoc.org/tag/kaiser-permanente/)
The former Kaiser Permanente executive played a pivotal role in the founding and development of CalOptima, the county’s health plan for low income residents. He died July 14 after a prolonged illness at the age of 82.
“What we saw with…the hysteria from Irvine, is this: It’s simply a class-based argument that if ‘I pay enough for where I live, I shouldn’t have to deal with my homeless problem. I should shift it to some other city,’ ” said county Supervisor Andrew Do.
No longer just filling prescriptions, pharmacists are playing a bigger role in caring for patients, coordinating medicines and ensuring access to important drugs. That role is likely to become more common under federal health care reforms.
The panel wants to wait for closer examination of a death, among other issues.
Children with autism and others with special needs are losing services as they are transferred out of the Healthy Families program.
While it is becoming increasingly clear that some level of immigration reform is on the horizon, the picture remains unfocused when it comes to how it will mesh with health care reform.
A lack of awareness and timely testing for this potentially deadly disease has had serious consequences for some.
At least 500,000 county residents are believed to lack health
insurance. Clinics like those staffed by Kaiser doctors and
volunteers help fill the need.
People living on the streets in Orange County have few options
when they fall ill. A coalition of programs is working to improve
the situation.