- California Healthline Original Stories 1
- Race, Ethnicity Affect Kids’ Access To Mental Health Care, Study Finds
- Covered California & The Health Law 1
- San Joaquin Valley's Drop In The Uninsured Outpaces State's Rate, Survey Finds
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Race, Ethnicity Affect Kids’ Access To Mental Health Care, Study Finds
An analysis in the International Journal of Health Services finds disparities between white young people and their black and Hispanic counterparts in how often they receive mental health treatment. (Shefali Luthra, )
More News From Across The State
Covered California & The Health Law
San Joaquin Valley's Drop In The Uninsured Outpaces State's Rate, Survey Finds
In the valley, more than 75 percent of residents who did not have coverage before the federal health law took effect now have insurance, according to the survey from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Fresno Bee:
Valley Has Insured 78 Percent Of Uninsured Since Obamacare Began
The San Joaquin Valley has insured more than 75 percent of its previously uninsured residents since the Affordable Care Act went into effect, according to a new survey. ... [That is] is higher than the 72 percent insured statewide. ... The survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation also showed only 13 percent of people in the Valley who are eligible for coverage remain uninsured. (Anderson, 8/22)
CBS News:
Obamacare Leads To More Insured Californians, Access To Drugs
Seven out of 10 Californians who were uninsured prior to the launch of the Affordable Care Act now have health insurance, a new survey found. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation California Longitudinal Panel survey, 72 percent of Californians who had no insurance in 2013 have health insurance in 2016. ... But a national study released in Health Affairs journal this week, conducted by researchers at the Rand Corporation, revealed another impact of the Affordable Care Act and increased access to health insurance coverage: increased access to prescription drugs across the country. (Albarazi, 8/19)
Sierra Sun Times:
New Survey Shows The Affordable Care Act Has Dramatically Reduced California's Uninsured Rate
Covered California Executive Director Peter V. Lee said a survey released Thursday by the Kaiser Family Foundation titled “A Final Look: California’s Previously Uninsured After the ACA’s Third Open Enrollment Period” provides a compelling picture of how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is changing the lives of millions of Californians. The survey found that 72 percent of California’s previously uninsured population has gained health coverage since the Affordable Care Act went into effect. That share is up from 58 percent of Californians who became insured after the launch of Covered California and the Medi-Cal expansion in 2014. (8/20)
In other national news about health enrollment --
The New York Times:
Think Your Obamacare Plan Will Be Like Employer Coverage? Think Again
When Obamacare was developed, one goal was to allow middle-class Americans to use the new marketplaces to buy the same kind of health insurance they had at their jobs. People could retire early, or quit a corporate job and become a freelancer, and still have the great care and financial protection that come with high-end plans. But six years into the health law, the reality is that a typical Obamacare plan looks more like Medicaid, only with a high deductible. (Sanger-Katz, 8/21)
The New York Times' The Upshot:
Obamacare Options? In Many Parts Of Country, Only One Insurer Will Remain
So much for choice. In many parts of the country, Obamacare customers will be down to one insurer when they go to sign up for coverage next year on the public exchanges. A central tenet of the federal health law was to offer a range of affordable health plans through competition among private insurers. But a wave of insurer failures and the recent decision by several of the largest companies, including Aetna, to exit markets are leaving large portions of the country with functional monopolies for next year. According to an analysis done for The Upshot by the McKinsey Center for U.S. Health System Reform, 17 percent of Americans eligible for an Affordable Care Act plan may have only one insurer to choose next year. (Abelson and Sanger-Katz, 8/21)
The Associated Press:
Tanning Industry Blames 10,000 Salon Closings On 'Obamacare'
The tanning salon industry is feeling burned by "Obamacare." Business owners around the country say the little-noticed 10 percent tax on tanning in President Barack Obama's health care overhaul has crippled the industry, forcing the closing of nearly 10,000 of the more than 18,000 tanning salons in the U.S. Experts say the industry is overstating the effects of the "tan tax" and that it has been hurt by other factors, too, including public health warnings about the dangers of tanning and the passage of laws in dozens of states restricting the use of tanning salons by minors. (Kennedy, 8/20)
Pfizer To Buy Medivation, Adding Cancer Drugs To Portfolio
Several companies have tried to reach a deal with San Francisco-based Medivation Inc. but Pfizer announces that it will acquire the biotech for about $14 billion.
Los Angeles Times:
Pfizer To Pay $14 Billion For Medivation, Whose Big Cancer Drug Was Discovered By UCLA
Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. on Monday announced a $14-billion deal to purchase Medivation Inc., a San Francisco biotech company that sells a high-priced prostate cancer medication discovered by UCLA. A year’s worth of the drug, Xtandi, sells for about $129,000, and the medicine has generated about $2.2 billion in net sales around the world over the last year, the companies said in announcing the deal. (Puzzanghera, 8/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
Pfizer To Buy Medivation For $14 Billion
Pfizer Inc. said Monday that it had agreed to buy biotech Medivation Inc. for about $14 billion, in a move that adds one of the crown jewels of the multibillion-dollar market for cancer drugs to Pfizer’s portfolio. News of the impending deal was reported Sunday. The deal ends months of bidding for San Francisco’s Medivation, one of the most desired independent biotechs because it sells a leading prostate-cancer drug. (Rockoff, 8/22)
The New York Times:
Pfizer To Buy Medivation In $14 Billion Deal
Pharmaceutical companies from all over the world placed bids for Medivation in an auction after it rebuffed an offer by the French drug maker Sanofi. On Monday, Pfizer said that it had prevailed, with a $14 billion agreement to acquire Medivation, representing about $81.50 a share in cash. (Picker, 8/22)
Reuters:
Pfizer Boosts Cancer Drug Pipeline With $14 Billion Medivation Deal
Pfizer, whose oncology offerings include breast cancer drug Ibrance and several other promising immuno-oncology products, will now get access to Xtandi as well as Talazoparib, another breast cancer treatment under development. Xtandi, which generated U.S. net sales of $330.3 million in the second quarter, has posted double-digit growth, putting Medivation on track to achieve its target of more than 50 percent in revenue growth for the year. (Banerjee, 8/22)
Southern California Farmers, Manufacturers Could Feel Pinch From Zika Outbreak
The threat of virus-carrying mosquitoes hitching a ride on exported goods prompts Chinese officials to demand that U.S. take decontamination steps. And state officials urge residents who traveled to infected areas to use bug spray.
LA Daily News:
China’s Fear Of Zika Has U.S. Exporters, Shippers Scrambling
Fears of the Zika virus aren’t just unnerving tourists in Miami or scaring off some athletes from competing in Rio. They’re giving Southern California farmers, manufacturers and others exporting goods to China a major headache. Worried that almonds, livestock feed and other products shipped to Asia could be hiding virus-carrying Aedes mosquitoes, mainland Chinese officials are demanding U.S. exporters certify that all cargo is free of the pest. (Uranga, 8/20)
East County Magazine:
Traveled To An Area With Zika? Use Bugspray After Coming Home
California health officials are warning travelers coming home from Zika-infected places to use insect repellant and practice safe sex for several weeks after coming home—even if you’ve had no symptoms of the virus. Here’s why. The mosquitoes that can transmit Zika are found in San Diego and other parts of our state. So far, the local mosquitoes haven’t been found to carry the Zika virus. But if a local mosquito bites a recent traveler with Zika virus in their blood and then bites other people, the virus can spread, causing outbreak here. Zika virus can also be transmitted via sex for up to six months. (Raftery, 8/21)
Riverside The Press Enterprise:
State Health Official Urge Zika Precautions
California health officials on Friday urged travelers returning home from countries where Zika is spreading to continue to wear insect repellent and to practice safe sex for several more weeks, to help prevent the spread of the virus in the Golden State. While Zika is spread primarily through the bite of the black and white striped Aedes mosquito, the virus also can be passed through sex, health officials said. (Abram, 8/19)
In Zika news from other parts of the country —
Morning Consult:
McConnell: HHS Should Use Funds for ACA Advertising for Zika
The top Senate Republican is urging the Obama administration to use any funding it is planning to use to increase enrollment in the Affordable Care Act exchanges to respond to the Zika virus. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) wrote to Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell on Friday, seeking details on reports of an advertising campaign for the federal health insurance exchanges created under the Affordable Care Act. Any funding the department has for such a campaign should instead go toward the Zika virus, McConnell said. (McIntire, 8/19)
The New York Times:
The Beat, And The Bug Spray, Go On In South Beach Despite Zika Threat
As local government and tourism officials emphasized that the safety of residents, workers and guests came first, it was hard to sidestep the obvious: Would tourists stay away from the island’s alluring beaches, hip hotels and just-about-anything-goes clubs? And if they did, what would it mean for the economy of Miami Beach — the superstar of the county’s $36 billion tourism industry? (Alvarez and Madigan, 8/20)
The Associated Press:
Health Official: Gulf Coast States Most Vulnerable To Zika
A National Institutes of Health official said Sunday that the Zika virus could "hang around" the United States for a year or two. Dr. Anthony Fauci told ABC's "This Week" that other Gulf Coast states, besides Florida, are most vulnerable to the spread of the disease. (8/21)
Hoag Health Center To Open Medical 'Village' In Irvine
The new facility will feature four buildings offering cancer care, cardiac rehabilitation, neuro-rehabilitation and breast cancer imaging, as well as a compounding pharmacy.
Orange County Register:
Hoag's New Center In Irvine Creates 'Health Care Village'
Hoag has opened a new health center across from its Irvine hospital so patients can receive specialized services without driving to Newport Beach. The Hoag Health Center Irvine on Sand Canyon Avenue is intended to create a “health care village” in Irvine, said Marcy Brown, vice president of Hoag Hospital Irvine and ambulatory services. Designed to complement the adjacent hospital, the center offers outpatient services in cancer care, neurosciences, women’s health, heart and vascular and orthopedics. Sometimes, patients don’t even have to step into the hospital, which can be intimidating. (Shimura, 8/19)
In news on hospital trends from around the U.S. —
The Wall Street Journal:
Nonprofit Hospitals’ Business Relationships Can Present Conflicts
Nonprofit hospitals have extensive business ties that can pose conflicts of interests for their administrators and board members, a Wall Street Journal analysis of newly released Internal Revenue Service data shows. While having relationships with companies doing business with a nonprofit hospital isn’t necessarily improper—as long as the deals are disclosed and at market rate—administrators and board members sometimes may be forced to choose between what’s best for the hospital and what’s best for their private interests. (Fuller and Evans, 8/21)
Residents Warned Not To Eat Shellfish From Half Moon Bay And Monterey Bay
Elsewhere, potential health concerns are raised over a renewable energy plant planned for Orange County. And, the San Francisco Chronicle reports on wearables' role in research efforts.
San Francisco Chronicle:
Health Warning For Shellfish From Half Moon Bay, Monterey Bay
State public health officials have issued a warning that consumers should avoid eating rock crabs caught in Half Moon Bay and bivalve shellfish and rock crabs caught in Monterey Bay. Crabs and bivalve shellfish caught in waters south of Pigeon Point and north of Monterey County’s Cypress Point were found to have dangerous levels of domoic acid, a naturally occurring toxin that can cause vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, headache and dizziness in humans who eat them. Rock crabs caught in Half Moon Bay had domoic acid levels of more than 10 times the level that requires the warning — 30 parts per million, according to the state Department of Public Health. Officials warned that dangerous levels of domoic acid were also detected in mussels, clams and the viscera of scallops caught in the area. (Ho, 8/21)
Orange County Register:
Bad Energy? Some Locals Upset Over Proposed Renewable Energy Plant In Anaheim
Some residents within several miles of a proposed renewable energy plant that would convert food waste into clean electricity are questioning whether the idea smells. Carlsbad-based Anaergia proposes to build a facility where daily hundreds of tons of processed organic waste from food scraps, carrot peelings to rotten potatoes, would be turned into electricity and possibly clean vehicle fuel. ... “It’s a dump,” Anaheim Hills’ Judy Morton recently told the Anaheim City Council. “Because it is so close to home, I do not feel comfortable with my health. ...When you put a place like this near homes your property (value) dumps quickly. They cannot equivocally say this is not going to stink.” (Pimentel, 8/21)
San Francisco Chronicle:
How Fitbit And Others Have The Pulse Of Health Research
Consumer activity trackers like Fitbit are increasing becoming a tool used by researchers in clinical trials like [Joe] Casserly’s, which look at activities that could stop diseases from progressing or recurring. More than 100 studies listed on the federal government’s trial-tracking website feature Fitbits, with smaller numbers relying on the Apple Watch or Jawbone, Garmin, Pebble and other devices. Wearables have made their way into the precision-oriented world of clinical trials in part because patients like them, they’re easy to use and more convenient for participants than coming to a clinic to be monitored. While the devices may lack clinical-grade accuracy, particularly when it comes to heart-rate technology and tracking calorie burning, they are considered far more accurate that self-reported data. (Colliver, 8/21)
Sonoma State To Target Cultural Stigma Of Mental Health Issues Among Latinos
The university received a $1.18 million grant from the state to fund the four-year project. Meanwhile, news outlets cover other issues related to the mental health of female vets and California kids.
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Sonoma State University Has $1 Million Grant To Improve Latino Mental Health
For many Latinos, the thought of seeking help for depression or other mental health issues is often plagued by cultural stigma that can lead to more isolation. One way of bridging that cultural gap may be found in the culture itself, according to a Sonoma State University professor spearheading a $1.18 million grant project aimed at identifying cultural practices that lead to improved mental and behavioral health. These practices could include the traditional healing arts of curanderismo, Aztec dancing, mural painting and the tamaliza, the highly social and familial practice of making tamales... (Espinoza, 8/21)
The Press-Enterprise:
Women Veterans Have Elevated Suicide Rates, Sexual Assault Major Factor
Results of a massive study issued Aug. 4 by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs show that the rate of suicide among female veterans is several times higher than that of women in the general population. ... “Military sexual trauma plays a big part,” she said, when it comes to reasons female veterans report for considering or attempting suicide. “We’re talking rape. It’s so close to 100 percent.” Often, she said, it is coupled with sexual trauma experienced before entering the military. In her own case, she said, she was sexually abused as a child and a teenager. (Muckenfuss, 8/20)
California Healthline:
Race, Ethnicity Affect Kids’ Access To Mental Health Care, Study Finds
One in five Americans is estimated to have a mental health condition at any given time. But getting treatment remains difficult — and it’s worse for children, especially those who identify as black or Hispanic. That’s the major finding in research published last week in the International Journal of Health Services. The study examines how often young adults and children were able to get needed mental health services, based on whether they were black, Hispanic or white. Using a nationally representative sample of federally collected survey data compiled between 2006 and 2012, researchers sought to determine how often people reported poor mental health and either saw a specialist or had a general practitioner bill for mental health services. (Luthra, 8/22)
When Kids Are Sick, Parents Must Navigate California Health Care Systems
In Bakersfield, a family works to get treatment for a 5-year-old with cancer, while Children’s Hospital of Orange County helps critically ill patients to stay in touch with their siblings. Nationally, HPV vaccine requirements are an issue for wary parents.
The Bakersfield Californian:
Bakersfield Couple Battles Daughter's Cancer — And Insurance Company
The Segundos have chosen an aggressive course of treatment that is nearly as dangerous as the rare form of medulloblastoma diagnosed last spring in the couple’s 5-year-old daughter, Abigail...Earlier this month, [Julie Segundo's] strength was tested yet again. At the 11th hour — just days before a ramped-up treatment regimen was scheduled to begin — the parents received word from Health Net, their insurance carrier, that it had decided it will not cover the course of treatment chosen by the Segundos and their daughter’s doctors, a treatment plan that began last May. (Mayer, 8/20)
Orange County Register:
CHOC Honors Brothers And Sisters Of Critically Ill Children
Children’s Hospital of Orange County celebrated “Super Sib Day” on Saturday, recognizing the family heroes who perhaps too often go unsung: the brothers and sisters of critically sick children. The event was co-sponsored by Allie’s Helping Hands, an Orange County nonprofit that supports the siblings of CHOC patients. (Winslow, 8/20)
ABC News:
Parents Want 'Opt-Out' Option For HPV Vaccine, Study Finds
The HPV, or Human Papilloma Virus, vaccine has continued to be seen as controversial. Despite years of recommendations and support from leading medical institutions, parents remain wary about requiring children to receive an HPV vaccination for school admissions, according to a new study. While just 21 percent of parents thought laws requiring the vaccine for school were a "good idea," that number rose significantly -- to 57 percent -- if there was an "opt-out" provision offered, according to the study published today in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. (Chevinsky, 8/19)
Obama Tops List Of Health Care's Most Influential People For Third Time
Modern Healthcare's annual rankings put President Barack Obama at No. 1. Industry executives and thought leaders from California also make the 2016 list.
Modern Healthcare:
100 Most Influential People In Healthcare: Obama's Historic Achievements Earn Him Third Time As No. 1
The new president was facing America's biggest economic crisis since the Great Depression. Key advisers urged him to keep his focus on economic recovery. The opposition party signaled it would wage an all-out fight to block healthcare reform. And his own party was divided on how to proceed. But President Barack Obama charged ahead. “Now is the time to deliver on healthcare,” he told Congress in September 2009. (Meyer, 8/20)
Check out the influencers from California who made Modern Healthcare's list.
Modern Healthcare:
The Trends And News Behind This Year's List
As President Barack Obama heads into the homestretch of his two terms in office, he once again tops Modern Healthcare's ranking of the 100 Most Influential People in Healthcare—the third time he's won the honor. And that's not surprising given his name—courtesy of his most vitriolic opponents—will be forever attached to the most significant expansion of health insurance coverage since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965. (May, 8/20)