PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — A Florida man undergoing kidney dialysis three times a week is upset that he can't bring a life-sized cardboard cutout of President Donald Trump for emotional support. Nelson Gibson told WPBF that his family can't sit with him during his three-and-a-half-hour treatments. To help, he...
Judge Blocks California Law on Dialysis Clinics
SANTA ANA — A federal judge on Monday blocked enforcement of a California law aimed at preventing increased billing costs at dialysis clinics. There is “a dire public interest" in granting a preliminary injunction that would bar enforcement for months while a lawsuit against it proceeds through the courts, Judge...
How Much Did Interest Groups Pay per Vote? The Answer, as We Break Down the Midterms With Data.
Ballot propositions are an expensive business in California. In the lead-up to November’s election, advocates spent an eye-popping $409 million for or against 11 ballot measures. Among these were a mix of earnest policy initiatives of broad public interests (say, making daylight saving time permanent) and narrow proposals that sought to...
Dialysis Companies Spend $111 Million to Kill Prop. 8
SACRAMENTO — Dialysis companies have contributed an extraordinary $111 million and counting to defeat a California ballot initiative that would cap their profits, the most any one side has spent on a U.S. ballot issue since at least 2002. A $5 million donation this week from dialysis provider Fresenius Medical...
Commentary: Two Arcane Ballot Measures Show Need for Reform
There’s a symbiotic relationship between two of the 11 statewide ballot measures facing voters next month, Propositions 8 and 11. Both would have voters decide very narrow union-management conflicts in two relatively small medical service sectors — with sponsors of both claiming that passage would reduce health care costs. And...