While other states are making efforts to preserve the ACA and expand coverage, California stands out by virtue of its ambition and size, economic clout, massive immigrant population and liberal bent.
In all but a few locations, Medicare's new prevention program isn't up and running yet. And there's no easy way (no phone number or website) to learn where it's available.
The screening, which requires a urine sample, can flag whether a patient is actually taking the prescribed medication and is meant to spark a more truthful conversation between patient and doctor.
Doctors have turned to second-choice pain drugs and increased their use of local anesthetics such as lidocaine. But even those local anesthetics are now in short supply.
