The End of Frontier Medicine in California

Why Obamacare Can’t Save the Health Clinic I Built in Western Sierra County

Thirty-eight years ago, a young nurse practitioner, who was a veteran of the Air Force and the Army, moved his family from Denver to Downieville, California, the Sierra County seat, to volunteer for the National Health Service Corps. The village was founded during the gold rush—in 1851, its population peaked at 5,000—but by the time we arrived, there were only about 500 residents in Downieville and 1,200 in the immediate surrounding area.

On my first night in town, I was hooking up the television for my children and by sheer …

by Frank Lang | September 19, 2014

Obamacare, Meet Your Schoolmarm. Her Name Is Healthy San Francisco.

What National Lessons Can We Learn from the City by the Bay’s Health Reform History?

by Sarah Rothbard | August 12, 2014

Before Obamacare became part of the American lexicon—before Barack Obama had been elected president—San Francisco implemented healthcare reform of its own. What can Healthy San Francisco, which launched in 2007 …

Where Obamacare Isn’t a Dirty Word

What Can San Francisco Teach the Country About Health Reform?

August 8, 2014

Before Barack Obama was elected president, San Francisco embraced health reform. In 2006, the city rolled out the Healthy San Francisco program with the goal of providing healthcare access to …

I Quit My Job to Teach People About Obamacare

I Hosted 23 Workshops in San Luis Obispo to Explain the New Law. Here’s How It Went.

by Michael Framberger | June 25, 2014

When I first moved to San Luis Obispo, I thought I’d go back to my native Wisconsin after I finished my degree at Cal Poly. More than 40 years later, …

Will Obamacare Make My Nursing Job Impossible?

Sicker Patients Are Coming Into My Care—Even As the Hospital Cuts Staff

by Amy Dertz | May 5, 2014

As the first enrollees in the Affordable Care Act begin seeking care at my hospital, I wonder how my practice as a registered nurse will change. We’re told the goal …

Should We Bet on Obamacare in Fresno?

A Place With the Most to Gain From the New Healthcare Law Faces Serious Challenges to Implementation

by Sarah Rothbard | May 1, 2014

Fresno County stands to gain a lot from Obamacare: It has high rates of poverty, a large population of uninsured residents, and a problem with doctor shortages. But these are …

19 New Californias