To Try To Tackle High Drug Prices, Lawmakers First Have To Figure Out Who ‘Bad Guy’ Is
The California Legislature is taking aim at skyrocketing costs through a variety of bills targeting different players in the industry.
Sacramento Bee:
Soaring Drug Prices Prompt CA Bills To Control Costs
From presidential campaign promises to congressional hearings on the price of EpiPens, 2016 was the year that public anger over the rising cost of prescription drugs boiled into a national outrage. California lawmakers responded this session with a half-dozen measures targeting players across the complex supply chain that brings medications to patients and determines what they pay. To tackle what those legislators say is a problem of drug affordability, however, they’ll first have to agree on who is to blame. (Koseff, 5/29)
In other news from Sacramento —
Sacramento Bee:
Paid Maternity Leave For Teachers In California Bill
California public school employees would be fully paid for at least six weeks during their maternity leave under a bill moving through the California Legislature. In a move that would apply to those working for school districts and community colleges, pregnant certificated, academic and classified employees would not need to spend their accrued leave to compensate for those days. The measure passed the state Assembly on Monday and will next be considered in the state Senate. (Ko, 5/26)
Fresno Bee:
Proposed California Dialysis Clinic Bill Advances
Clinics that provide dialysis for people with diabetes and others with end-stage kidney disease in the central San Joaquin Valley and statewide could be required to have more staffing and be inspected annually if a bill in the California Legislature becomes law. The legislation, which would also require a set amount of time for cleaning equipment between patients, moved out of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday. It has to be approved on the floor of the state Senate by next Friday to move to the Assembly. (Anderson, 5/28)
KPCC:
Bill Aims To Train Daycare Workers To Care For Traumatized Foster Kids
The California legislature is considering a bill that would train childcare providers in how to better take care of children who've been traumatized. Nearly 20 percent of Los Angeles County’s children have experienced at least two traumatic events, including abuse, neglect, or poverty. And that number spikes when you're talking about kids in foster care. (Petrie, 5/26)
Los Angeles Times:
The Effort To Make Tampons Tax Free In California Has Been Delayed Until 2018
Legislation to eliminate California sales taxes on the purchase of tampons was delayed Friday by the Assembly's fiscal committee until 2018, a blow to advocates who say the tax is an unfair burden on low-income women and families. The delay imposed on AB 9 is the second setback this month for efforts to eliminate taxes on products for women and children. A separate bill that included a tax-free provision for diapers was killed in a legislative committee on May 8. (Myers, 5/26)