Pauline Bartolone

Pauline Bartolone, Sacramento Correspondent for California Healthline, has been a radio and print journalist for 15 years, most recently covering state health policy from California’s capital. She reported on the rollout of the Affordable Care Act for NPR’s Sacramento affiliate and delved into the complex world of pharmaceutical prices for CALmatters. She has been a frequent contributor to NPR and KHN. Pauline has won multiple regional Edward R. Murrow awards, national recognition from the Society of Professional Journalists, and a first-place prize from the Association of Health Care Journalists. She also freelanced throughout Latin America, where her coverage of climate change in the Ecuadorian Andes co-won a 2006 George Polk award in radio. Pauline has a master’s in new media from the University of California, Berkeley’s School of Journalism.

Posts by Pauline Bartolone

Kaiser

California Attorney General: Trump admin has gone ‘AWOL’ on ACA insured patients

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said attacks by the Trump Administration threaten healthcare for millions of Americans.

Democrats are talking public option again. How might that work?

A public option “would look just like an insurance plan,” except that the state or federal government would pay for medical care, potentially set up the network of doctors and hospitals, and make rules about paying providers, according to Gerald Kominski, director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

Health IT

Reducing Clinical and Staff Burnout with AI Automation

As technology advances, AI-powered tools will increasingly reduce the administrative burdens on healthcare providers.

Pharma, Policy

How Mylan cornered the consumer epinephrine market

High-profile deaths in several states have helped to spur legislative action and fuel demand for consumer-dispensed epinephrine. At the same time, no other company has been able to effectively compete with Mylan’s EpiPen.

Hospitals

Patients often win if they appeal a denied health claim

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Federal rules ensure that none of the millions of people who signed up for Obamacare can be denied insurance — but there is no guarantee that all health services will be covered. To help make sure a patient’s claims aren’t improperly denied, the Affordable Care Act creates national standards allowing appeals to […]

Hospitals

Healthcare union workers in California want to cap CEO salaries at nonprofit hospitals

SACRAMENTO – A California health care workers’ union is collecting signatures to get two measures onto the ballot that it says would lower health care costs. United Health Care Workers West, or SEIU-UHW, wants to cap what hospitals can charge to 25 percent above the actual cost of services. SEIU-UHW says on average, hospitals charge […]

Hospitals

Nevada health plan has patients and providers, but no insurance

Shelley Toreson had health insurance for years, but not anymore. Instead, she is part of an unusual Nevada nonprofit that helps connect 12,000 uninsured residents to doctors and hospitals who are willing to accept a lower-cost, negotiated fee for their...

Consumer / Employer