California voters will decide on 14 statewide policy proposals come November, including the high-stakes billionaire tax, an $11 billion affordable housing bond and voter ID requirements.
Author Archives: Kristen Hwang, CalMatters
Kristen Hwang is a health reporter for CalMatters covering health care access, abortion and reproductive health, workforce issues, drug costs and emerging public health matters. Her series on soaring rates of maternal and congenital syphilis won a first place award from the Association of Health Care Journalists. Her recent work has also been recognized by the Sacramento Press Club and Asian American Journalism Association.
Prior to joining CalMatters, Kristen earned a master’s degree in journalism from UC Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism and a master of public health degree from Berkeley’s School of Public Health. Her graduate student research focused on water quality in the Central Valley and uncovered chemicals related to fracking in drinking water wells. During the pandemic, she joined a team of graduate student journalists contributing to the New York Times COVID-19 data tracker and West Coast coverage. While at Berkeley, Kristen also directed and produced “When They’re Gone,” a short documentary on migratory beekeepers and sustainable agriculture. “When They’re Gone” won the 2021 Student Academy Award and has screened at festivals around the world.
Kristen is based in the Sacramento area. She has worked as a reporter in Washington, D.C., Arizona, Alabama and California. She cut her teeth as a beat reporter at The Desert Sun in Palm Springs covering education and criminal justice. There she also worked with a team to investigate the impact of Proposition 47, a California criminal justice sentencing reform ballot measure. Kristen directed a documentary for the Prop. 47 project that won an Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association.
Posted inHealth
Should a California union dictate how clinics spend money? Employers sue to block ballot measure
The union proposal would require federally qualified health centers to spend 90% of revenue on services that “provide primary and preventive care to low-income and underserved populations.”
Posted inPolitics & Government
Can medical malpractice lawsuits protect LGBTQ youth from conversion therapy? This California lawmaker thinks so
The strategy: extend the statute of limitations for medical malpractice claims.
Posted inHealth
Trump’s Medicaid work mandate could kick thousands of homeless Californians off coverage
A majority of California’s roughly 180,000 people experiencing homelessness have health insurance through Medi-Cal. Providers predict that many will lose insurance under President Donald Trump’s upcoming work mandates even if they qualify for exemptions.
Posted inHealth
Aetna to cover IVF treatments for same-sex couples in national settlement
Aetna will provide equitable fertility benefits to LGBTQ members, including 91,000 Californians, under the terms of a class action lawsuit settlement.