Nitrous oxide goes mainstream: Southern California sees surge in quick-and-cheap drug

Associated Press

Authorities say the use of nitrous oxide as a recreational drug has grown from a rave party phenomenon to mainstream use, propelled by the ease of social media to reach young people. They say the drug has spurred fatal car accidents, rapes and teen deaths — all in the name of a temporary high that lasts just a few minutes and costs just a few dollars.

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Marijuana Vending Machines May Be Coming To California

Huffington Post

Vending machines have long dispensed chips and candy bars to Californians. But what if it could also sell the marijuana one consumed before eating said chips and candy bars? Medical cannabis vending machines are gradually becoming a reality in the Golden State. A number of companies have begun offering their products for sale or lease to pot shops in California, and San Diego's city council will look at approving their wider use later this month. The city of Los Angleles already has at least three dispensaries using the technology.

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Health Insurers Warn on Premiums

Wall Street Journal

Health insurers are privately warning brokers that premiums for many individuals and small businesses could increase sharply next year because of the health-care overhaul law, with the nation's biggest firm projecting that rates could more than double for some consumers buying their own plans. The projections, made in sessions with brokers and agents, provide some of the most concrete evidence yet of how much insurance companies might increase prices when major provisions of the law kick in next year—a subject of rigorous debate.

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States Urged to Expand Medicaid With Private Insurance

New York Times

The White House is encouraging skeptical state officials to expand Medicaid by subsidizing the purchase of private insurance for low-income people, even though that approach might be somewhat more expensive, federal and state officials say. Ohio and Arkansas are negotiating with the Obama administration over plans to use federal Medicaid money to pay premiums for commercial insurance that will be sold to the public in regulated markets known as insurance exchanges.

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Health Reform's Success Depends on Language Access

Huffington Post

This isn't groundbreaking news, but shopping for health insurance is difficult. In addition to cost issues, there are a number of obstacles that keep more than 45 million people in this country from getting covered. Finding and comparing insurance companies, individual plans and the different ways in which they are structured is confusing. That's even before you get to the paperwork and the litany of questions a person has to answer just to apply! And unfortunately, selecting a plan is not much easier. Comparing co-pays, deductibles and premiums is a rigorous mental exercise that will give anyone a headache. It can be a logistical nightmare.

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Loopholes Allowed Health Care Worker To Transmit Hepatitis C To Patients

CBS Baltimore

He’s accused of exposing nearly 2,000 patients to hepatitis, including several in Maryland. Now a new report details how a healthcare worker lied to keep working at hospitals in eight different states. Meghan McCorkell has more on the loopholes officials are trying to close. David Kwiatkowski was fired three times and suspended once for suspicion of stealing drugs, yet was still able to continue working at hospitals across the country.

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Kaiser Mental Health Care Report: California Regulators Slam Hospital Giant For 'Serious' Deficiencies

Huffington Post

A report released earlier this week by the California Department of Managed Health Care slammed Kaiser Permanente, one of the state's largest health care providers, for numerous problems in the way it handles mental health coverage for more than 6.8 million plan members. "These deficiencies are serious," Shelly Rouillard, the department's chief deputy director, told The Huffington Post. "We want to ensure that consumers are getting the care they need when they need it, and, in some cases, we found that wasn't happening."

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