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Health Care

Hope and Hypocrisy Under the Golden Arches

June 20, 2011
As advocates for deep change know, big success is often preceded by small incremental changes that may go unnoticed by the general public. It seems the effort to stop fast food companies from hawking toys to kids is gaining ground. I was watching Friday Night Lights recently (a great show if I don’...
Susan Linn's picture

On the line: Health care for 1 in 3 kids!

June 18, 2011
Summer is heating up and so are the politics in Washington. Right now, Congress is debating how to reduce the deficit. Well-heeled lobbyists representing big business and the very wealthy are descending on Washington, D.C. in full force to make sure that their corporate subsidies and tax cuts don't...
Ashley Boyd's picture

Belshe Encourages Stakeholder Participation in Health Benefit Exchange

June 14, 2011
California Health Benefit Exchange Board member Kim Belshe, left, talks to members of the Having Our Say coalition. California Health Benefit Exchange Board member Kim Belshe spoke to members of the Having Our Say (HOS) coalition last week in Sacramento about the implementation of the Affordable...
Cary Sanders's picture

Pregnant Women Need Health Care, Not Jail Time

June 13, 2011
By Alexa Kolbi-Molinas, Staff Attorney, ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project June 2011 marks the 40th anniversary of President Richard Nixon's declaration of a "war on drugs" — a war that has cost roughly a trillion dollars, has produced little to no effect on the supply of or demand for drugs in the...
ACLU's picture

Helping MRMIB Prioritize Children and Families During Transition

June 10, 2011
At this critical time for California’s safety-net programs, I am honored to have been appointed by Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg to serve on the state’s Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board (MRMIB). MRMIB oversees the Healthy Families Program, which provides low-cost health, dental,...
Ellen Wu's picture

Let’s Stop Paying for Unwanted Treatment at Life’s End

June 7, 2011
In 2002, an elderly client of Compassion & Choices , Margaret Furlong, went to the hospital armed with her advance directive, clearly stating she did not want elaborate, life-extending treatment. The hospital delivered those treatments anyway. She spent ten miserable days in the ICU, tethered...
Barbara Coombs Lee's picture

I Ran My First Half Marathon!

June 7, 2011
ALAMEDA, Calif. -- Ever since I lost my pregnancy weight running -- I gained between 48 and 50 pounds with each of my two kids -- my friends have been pushing me to run a half marathon. I wanted to do it, but like every other mom out there, I had no time. As a New Year's Resolution, I signed up for...
Elisa Batista's picture

GOP Would Cut Health Insurance for 1.7 Million Kids

May 31, 2011
Having grown up in a family that could not afford health care, I know how difficult it can be to go to a doctor when you need one. That's one of the reasons I worked on health insurance reform. No person in the United States should go without care when they need it. I remember an afternoon in...

Navigating a Sunscreen Wonderland

May 31, 2011
Memorial Day has come and gone, which means summer is just around the corner. Whether you tan or don’t tan, whether you lounge on tropical beaches or prefer to spend your summer afternoons doing less sun dappled activities, sunscreen is a must. I’m sure you’ve all been dutifully applying sunscreen...
Claire Moshenberg's picture

Those first few days are critical...

May 27, 2011
In the first days following my son’s birth, a lactation specialist visited me in the hospital no fewer than five times. I was a confident, mature woman with a lot of life experience but the small bumps in the road to breastfeeding felt insurmountable. The empathetic, knowledgeable help I received...
Ashley Boyd's picture

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