SACRAMENTO, Calif. – This has been a banner year for making health care more accessible and affordable in California, according to consumer and health advocacy groups.

The open enrollment period for CoveredCA, which started this week, was expanded significantly – so people can now sign up for subsidized coverage on the individual market through end of January.

The state also expanded Medi-Cal to all low-income people under age 26, regardless of immigration status.

Xiomara Pena, California deputy director and national Latino outreach manager for the organizationSmall Business Majority, says the state also increased subsidies for people in the middle class, a group that includes many small business owners.

"These are evident wins for the small business community, because these new measures do hold the potential to both reduce costs for small businesses and to ensure that more people are able to access affordable health insurance," she points out.

The state also ended the so-called senior penalty, slightly raising the income levels for low-income seniors and people with disabilities so that more can qualify for Medi-Cal.

A coalition of health and consumer groups known as Care4All California is thanking Gov. Gavin Newsom for signing a bill to enact a state-based mandate to carry health insurance, since the federal penalty is no longer in effect.

Linda Nguy, policy advocate at the Western Center on Law and Poverty, praises a new bill to require better data sharing and implicit bias training for health care providers, in order to reduce the mortality rates for black women in childbirth.

"We've seen in California that, while the state has drastically decreased maternal mortality, for black women, the maternal mortality rates remain three to four times higher than for other women," she states.

Consumer advocates note that despite this year's progress, 2.9 million Californians still lack health insurance, so future efforts will focus on lowering costs and expanding access even further.


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It's almost time for kids in Washington state to head back to school, and some might gravitate toward soda and other drinks with lots of sugar. Health professionals say consuming these drinks on a regular basis has a number of ill health effects.

Dr. Ruchi Kapoor is a cardiologist at the University of Washington and American Heart Association Puget Sound chapter president. She said sugary drinks have more calories and don't make for good lunchbox items.

"They're not as satisfying as calories that you get from actual food, actual meals that you end up consuming at dinner or lunchtime," said Kapoor. "But because of that, you don't get full as quickly and you end up consuming a lot more of this added sugar than you would otherwise."

Kapoor said these drinks can lead to weight gain, diabetes, and high blood pressure and cholesterol. Eventually, she said they can lead to higher risks of stroke and heart attack.

Kapoor added that people consume nearly 20 teaspoons of sugar per day, which is well over twice the recommended amount.

Sugary drinks also increase the risk of cavities.

Dr. Kyle Dosch is dental director of Delta Dental of Washington. He said the risk is greater for children, who have thinner enamel on their teeth.

The beginning of school also means the start of school sports, where people could be drinking sports drinks. Dosch said people typically bathe their teeth in these sugary liquids.

"Say during a basketball game or a baseball game, something where the game is a couple hours in length and you're kind of sipping on this," said Dosch. "There used to be a slogan in the dental-health care world of 'Sip all day, get decay.'"

Kapoor said water is the best alternative for people's health. She said there are natural ways to make water taste like their less healthy counterparts.

"Fruits, like a little bit of berries or some orange slices or lemon slices," said Kapoor. "Or even cucumbers, mint, rosemary. There's a lot of natural flavor out there that you can add to your water without having that downside of the added sugar that companies give you."

A relatively new virus known as monkeypox has made its way to the state of Washington. About 280 cases have been reported, with 240 occurring in King County, according to the state Department of Health.

Dr. Mark Cook, medical director of gender health for Kaiser Permanente in Seattle, said monkeypox has been known to medical professionals since the 1970s, but the virus has now begun a troubling trend of spreading from person to person.

"The symptoms are fever, body aches, swollen glands, fatigue and a characteristic rash; little round vesicles that can appear on your skin and many different parts of your body," Cook explained.

Cook emphasized monkeypox is spread through skin-to-skin contact, and so the best way to prevent getting the disease is not to touch people who are infected. He pointed out it is related to smallpox but is much less severe. A vaccine is available, but it is in short supply. There are close to 12,000 cases nationwide.

Cook noted fortunately, there have not been any reported deaths from the virus. But he added monkeypox is uncomfortable and people who are infected have to be isolated for a few weeks. There can also be scarring from the blisters.

"We should be concerned simply because it is a pretty significant illness, and it's miserable to have it for some people," Cook stressed. "That alone, I think, speaks to why we should do our very best to try to control it."

Changes in how to prevent COVID-19 at the start of the pandemic as medical professionals were learning about the disease may have sown distrust in the wisdom of authorities on the issue. Cook acknowledged doctors are more cognizant of it now.

"We've all learned how to try to deliver those messages in a more clear way to help people understand that the message isn't necessarily changing, but the information that we have does evolve over time," Cook stated.

Coloradans struggling economically put their health at risk when they decide not to turn on cooling systems, frequently out of fear of not being able to pay their utility bill and taking a hit on their credit score, or having services cut off.

Luke Ilderton, deputy director of Energy Outreach Colorado, said as homes get hotter, heat stress can come on very quickly. Prolonged exposure can lead to heart attacks, and can cause the body to shut down. Ilderton encouraged all Coloradans to make health priority number one.

"If people are suffering, they should turn on their cooling systems and look for resources -- like Energy Outreach Colorado, the Energy Office's weatherization program -- to be able to afford their cooling bill, but not at the sacrifice of their own personal health," Ilderton advised.

Help is available for those who cannot afford to pay their utility bills or repair or replace broken cooling systems, and for those at risk of being disconnected. To be connected with the right program, call Energy Outreach Colorado's helpline toll-free at 866-432-8435.

Ilderton pointed out there are ways to make your summer utility bill more affordable, especially for households participating in Xcel Energy's time-of-use rates.

"Try to precool your house in the early morning hours when electricity rates are at its lowest," Ilderton suggested. "You will be paying more in the afternoon, and you certainly will pay more from 3-7 p.m."

Climate change is bringing even more summer days above 90 degrees, and the Biden administration is encouraging states to add cooling assistance to programs initially created to help the nation's most vulnerable residents stay warm in winter.

Ilderton added the Inflation Reduction Act recently passed by Congress could help more people find long-term price relief by switching to lower-cost heat pump technology, which can be used to heat and cool homes, and does not require the use of fossil fuels.

"There's a significant amount of rebates and incentives, specifically targeting low- to moderate-income households, that will help with this transition," Ilderton noted.