California Healthline

Politically, health care is one of the dominant issues in the country today. It’s complex, multifaceted, costs trillions of dollars and affects everyone. Even the most dedicated medical professional—or journalist, health-insurance executive or politician, among others—has difficulty keeping up with all that’s happening when it comes to such things as health-care reform, changes in Medicaid and Medicare, insurance-rate spikes, hospital finances and the like. That’s why this website, run by the California Healthcare Foundation, is so valuable. It’s a one-stop aggregator that’s self-described as “a daily digest of news, policy and opinion” focused on the politics and finances of health care in California. You won’t find info about the latest medical technologies or treatment protocols here, but if you sign up for its daily feed (also available via Twitter), you will be kept up to date on the state budget, federal legislation, relevant court decisions and the like. The June 8 feed, for example, reports that one-fourth of California children have never seen a dentist, that Blue Shield has been sued for overcharging some 6,000 clients, and that a million-dollar evaluation of the state’s mental-health programs is in the works.