Copyright © 2022, Los Angeles Times | | | | Advertisement If you’re being interviewed and a journalist asks you if you’re vaccinated, is that a violation of HIPAA?No.What if your employer is asking you to prove you’ve been vaccinated — is that a HIPAA issue?No.What if you go to a bar or restaurant or store and a person at the front door says you need to show proof of vaccination to enter? Are they violating your HIPAA rights?AdvertisementStill no. HIPAA — short for the — only covers what information specific healthcare-related entities can share about you without your consent. A journalist...…Copyright © 2022, Los Angeles Times | | | | Advertisement If you’re being interviewed and a journalist asks you if you’re vaccinated, is that a violation of HIPAA?No.What if your employer is asking you to prove you’ve been vaccinated — is that a HIPAA issue?No.What if you go to a bar or restaurant or store and a person at the front door says you need to show proof of vaccination to enter? Are they violating your HIPAA rights?AdvertisementStill no. HIPAA — short for the — only covers what information specific healthcare-related entities can share about you without your consent. A journalist...WW…

Copyright © 2022, Los Angeles Times | | | | Advertisement In a year without a Great Plague, we’d be in peak wedding season right about now. Unfortunately, passed appetizers and champagne toasts have largely been relegated to the same nostalgic category as spin classes and shared office doughnuts.Per the , “individual and family gatherings or parties of any size aren’t allowed.” But, whether advisable or not, some people are beginning to plan parties and weddings again. Which leaves potential guests wondering: How do I say no? Can I say no? What if I already RSVP’d? How do I phrase it...…Copyright © 2022, Los Angeles Times | | | | Advertisement In a year without a Great Plague, we’d be in peak wedding season right about now. Unfortunately, passed appetizers and champagne toasts have largely been relegated to the same nostalgic category as spin classes and shared office doughnuts.Per the , “individual and family gatherings or parties of any size aren’t allowed.” But, whether advisable or not, some people are beginning to plan parties and weddings again. Which leaves potential guests wondering: How do I say no? Can I say no? What if I already RSVP’d? How do I phrase it...WW…

Copyright © 2022, Los Angeles Times | | | | Advertisement A letter arrives in the mail. Oh, great: It’s from your health insurance company. It contains some variation on the phrase “Your claim has been denied” and possibly “You may file an appeal to challenge this decision.” There’s probably also an alarmingly large dollar amount with “patient responsibility” next to it.Take a deep breath. You are not on the hook for this bill just yet, and you probably didn’t do anything wrong to make this happen. There is a process to get your insurer to look into this again before you have to pay...…Copyright © 2022, Los Angeles Times | | | | Advertisement A letter arrives in the mail. Oh, great: It’s from your health insurance company. It contains some variation on the phrase “Your claim has been denied” and possibly “You may file an appeal to challenge this decision.” There’s probably also an alarmingly large dollar amount with “patient responsibility” next to it.Take a deep breath. You are not on the hook for this bill just yet, and you probably didn’t do anything wrong to make this happen. There is a process to get your insurer to look into this again before you have to pay...WW…

Copyright © 2022, Los Angeles Times | | | | Advertisement On Wednesday night, photos posted to Twitter appeared to show something borderline unthinkable: Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas boarding a flight to Cancun, Mexico. In the middle of a pandemic. And in the middle of a crisis that had left millions of his constituents without power or clean drinking water.Surely it must be a mistake, people theorized. But . And by Thursday, the Republican senator issued a statement saying that the once-in-a-generation ice storm that was endangering people all over his state had also canceled school, and his...…Copyright © 2022, Los Angeles Times | | | | Advertisement On Wednesday night, photos posted to Twitter appeared to show something borderline unthinkable: Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas boarding a flight to Cancun, Mexico. In the middle of a pandemic. And in the middle of a crisis that had left millions of his constituents without power or clean drinking water.Surely it must be a mistake, people theorized. But . And by Thursday, the Republican senator issued a statement saying that the once-in-a-generation ice storm that was endangering people all over his state had also canceled school, and his...WW…

Looking for an opportunity to serve? There are plenty of ways to connect with your community, including distributing meals at a food bank, tutoring from home or delivering meals to seniors.The Times has compiled a list of places to volunteer in the L.A. area, but the rules are a little different this year. Many organizations have limited capacities, dress codes and medical testing requirements. Please make sure to register in advance and contact the organization directly if you’re interested in offering your time.Any opportunities we didn't cover? Let us know .How to volunteer:All In-person...…Looking for an opportunity to serve? There are plenty of ways to connect with your community, including distributing meals at a food bank, tutoring from home or delivering meals to seniors.The Times has compiled a list of places to volunteer in the L.A. area, but the rules are a little different this year. Many organizations have limited capacities, dress codes and medical testing requirements. Please make sure to register in advance and contact the organization directly if you’re interested in offering your time.Any opportunities we didn't cover? Let us know .How to volunteer:All In-person...WW…

Copyright © 2022, Los Angeles Times | | | | Advertisement The vaccine is here. Well, sort of.Healthcare workers, residents of skilled-nursing and long-term-care facilities, and people 65 and older are to receive the vaccine in L.A. Everyone else needs to wait their turn. Gov. Gavin Newsom recently announced California was doing away with the tier system and would be instead of occupation going forward. At the current rate, it will take until June just to finish vaccinating those 65 and over.If you are not in an eligible group, you can sign up in a few different places to be alerted when...…Copyright © 2022, Los Angeles Times | | | | Advertisement The vaccine is here. Well, sort of.Healthcare workers, residents of skilled-nursing and long-term-care facilities, and people 65 and older are to receive the vaccine in L.A. Everyone else needs to wait their turn. Gov. Gavin Newsom recently announced California was doing away with the tier system and would be instead of occupation going forward. At the current rate, it will take until June just to finish vaccinating those 65 and over.If you are not in an eligible group, you can sign up in a few different places to be alerted when...WW…

Copyright © 2022, Los Angeles Times | | | | Advertisement Election day is finally here. And even if you’ve never registered to vote in California before, you haven’t missed your chance to cast your ballot.Oct. 19, was the last day to use the state’s online voter registration system. But last year, California enacted . Sometimes called “same-day voter registration,” conditional registration lets you register up until or on the day of the election at your county elections office or a community vote center. You can then cast a ballot, which will be processed and counted after county election...…Copyright © 2022, Los Angeles Times | | | | Advertisement Election day is finally here. And even if you’ve never registered to vote in California before, you haven’t missed your chance to cast your ballot.Oct. 19, was the last day to use the state’s online voter registration system. But last year, California enacted . Sometimes called “same-day voter registration,” conditional registration lets you register up until or on the day of the election at your county elections office or a community vote center. You can then cast a ballot, which will be processed and counted after county election...WW…

Copyright © 2022, Los Angeles Times | | | | Advertisement There will still be a march in support of Black Lives Matter in L.A. on June 14. But Christopher Street West, the organization that produces L.A. Pride, will not be involved.After last week, L.A. Pride organizers for seeking a police permit to hold the event and for not collaborating with Black Lives Matter leadership before announcing it.For the record:On Friday evening, the board of directors posted an apology on social media and said it was “reevaluating” the event. On Monday afternoon, the board posted a statement on social media...…Copyright © 2022, Los Angeles Times | | | | Advertisement There will still be a march in support of Black Lives Matter in L.A. on June 14. But Christopher Street West, the organization that produces L.A. Pride, will not be involved.After last week, L.A. Pride organizers for seeking a police permit to hold the event and for not collaborating with Black Lives Matter leadership before announcing it.For the record:On Friday evening, the board of directors posted an apology on social media and said it was “reevaluating” the event. On Monday afternoon, the board posted a statement on social media...WW…

Copyright © 2022, Los Angeles Times | | | | Advertisement Mail-in ballots, registration deadlines, voting centers — we’ve got you covered with the basics of voting in the Nov. 3 election. If you want to do more than vote in the 2020 election, consider becoming a poll worker to participate in democracy and facilitate a free and fair election. Polling places in Los Angeles County are in particular need of tech-savvy people to help voters navigate balloting technology and bilingual people to meet the needs of a diverse electorate.Traditionally, many poll workers have been retirees who don’t...…Copyright © 2022, Los Angeles Times | | | | Advertisement Mail-in ballots, registration deadlines, voting centers — we’ve got you covered with the basics of voting in the Nov. 3 election. If you want to do more than vote in the 2020 election, consider becoming a poll worker to participate in democracy and facilitate a free and fair election. Polling places in Los Angeles County are in particular need of tech-savvy people to help voters navigate balloting technology and bilingual people to meet the needs of a diverse electorate.Traditionally, many poll workers have been retirees who don’t...WW…