- California Healthline Original Stories 4
- Crucial California HIV Program In Disarray After Contract Switch
- Drugmakers Manipulate Orphan Drug Rules To Create Prized Monopolies
- GOP Vows To Defund Planned Parenthood. Reality Makes That Hard.
- Top Price Contributor Allegedly Leaned On Employees To Support PAC
- Covered California & The Health Law 2
- Supporters Rally To Save Health Law: GOP 'Wants To Go From Affordable Care To Chaos'
- After Fervently Embracing Obamacare, California Worries About Future Of Medicaid Expansion
- Hospital Roundup 1
- Open Heart Surgery Patients Exposed To Dangerous Bacteria, Pasadena Hospital Warns
- Health Care Personnel 1
- 'Concierge Doctors' Focus On Wellness Instead Of Illness -- For Those Who Can Afford It
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Crucial California HIV Program In Disarray After Contract Switch
Patients who depend on the state-run AIDS Drug Assistance Program are having trouble getting medical appointments and life-saving medications. (Anna Gorman, )
Drugmakers Manipulate Orphan Drug Rules To Create Prized Monopolies
Drugmakers have brought almost 450 orphan drugs to market and collected rich incentives but nearly a third of those products aren’t new or were repurposed multiple times, an investigation shows. (Sarah Jane Tribble and Sydney Lupkin, )
GOP Vows To Defund Planned Parenthood. Reality Makes That Hard.
Ending federal support of the group that helps supply women’s reproductive health care could complicate health law overhaul efforts. (Julie Rovner, )
Top Price Contributor Allegedly Leaned On Employees To Support PAC
President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet pick Tom Price "assisted" a company and campaign donor who tapped executives with an urgent request to donate. (Marisa Taylor and Christina Jewett, )
More News From Across The State
Covered California & The Health Law
Supporters Rally To Save Health Law: GOP 'Wants To Go From Affordable Care To Chaos'
Across the country and in California, advocates rallied this past weekend to protest Republicans' plans to dismantle the health law.
Los Angeles Times:
'We Are Not Going Back': California Democrats Protest GOP Efforts To Dismantle Obamacare
Democratic leaders on Monday urged Californians to fight GOP efforts to dismantle Obamacare, saying lives and jobs were at stake. “We are not going back. Understand that,” House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) said of Republican efforts to overturn the Affordable Care Act, President Obama’s healthcare overhaul law. “They want to go from affordable care to chaos. They want to make America sick again. We are not going to let that happen.” (Mehta, 1/16)
Orange County Register:
State's Congressional Democrats Slam Push To Repeal Obamacare
Hoping to mobilize a groundswell of support to save the Affordable Care Act from repeal, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi joined her Southern California congressional colleagues Monday to urge doctors, nurses, hospital officials and patients to step up and fight for the health care law. Her appeal was made during a gathering inside downtown Los Angeles’ California Endowment, a nonprofit organization that works to link people with health care. (Abram, 1/17)
After Fervently Embracing Obamacare, California Worries About Future Of Medicaid Expansion
Enrollment in the state's Medicaid program, called Medi-Cal, spiraled by 5 million through the federal health law, and officials are warily watching for signs of the GOP plan to revamp the law. Other outlets also look at what's at stake in California if the health law is dismantled.
Los Angeles Times:
13.5 Million Californians Are Covered By Medi-Cal. Here'S How Trump's Plan Could Cost The State
Along with his vow to repeal Obamacare, President-elect Donald Trump has promised to restructure Medicaid, the nation’s low-income health program — a move that could be acutely felt in California, where 1 in 3 residents receive health coverage through the state version, experts say. Medi-Cal enrollment surged by 5 million over the last three years to a total of 13.5 million under President Obama’s Affordable Care Act. (Karlamangla, 1/16)
Mercury News:
California Vs. Trump: What's At Stake For The Golden State?
But health care experts around the state say California has plenty to lose if ‘Obamacare’ is eliminated and the GOP doesn’t enact an effective alternative. They note that premium price hikes in California have been moderate compared to much of the country and that the Golden State has reduced its uninsured rate from nearly 19 percent in 2010 to 8.6 percent in 2015 — the biggest drop of any state in the nation over the last three years. At least 5 million Californians are now insured — including 3.7 million, or 1 in 3 Californians — through a provision in the law that allows adults without children to enroll in Medi-Cal, the state’s health care plan for poor. Another 1.2 million are enrolled in private health plans through Covered California, the state’s insurance exchange — most of them receiving government subsidies that keep their costs down. (Murphy, Rogers, Sanchez, and Seipel, 1/14)
Los Angeles Times:
Gov. Jerry Brown Warns Of Major Ripple Effects In California If Obamacare Is Repealed
Gov. Jerry Brown issued a terse but pointed response Friday to House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy's request for input on repealing the Affordable Care Act, warning of spiraling damage to healthcare coverage, premium costs and the state budget. Brown's letter to McCarthy argued that repealing Obamacare without an alternative plan would lead to instability in the commercial insurance market. He also warned of returning to an era where emergency room care is a fallback for many. (Mason, 1/13)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Study: Obamacare Repeal To Cost Sonoma County 2,000 Jobs, $200M
If lawmakers successfully sink the law, they could eliminate a source of health insurance for more than 35,000 Sonoma County residents — like Tighe — cost the county 2,000 jobs and saddle it with an economic loss of nearly $200 million, according to University of California health care researchers. Patients would lose access to preventive care, treatment for acute and chronic conditions, as well as mental health services and dental care, local public health officials said. (Kovner, 1/13)
Ventura County Star:
Obamacare Repeal Could Cost Jobs In Ventura County
Repealing the Affordable Care Act could take away 4,000 jobs from Ventura County and cost $331 million in lost goods and services, according to University of California, Berkeley, researchers. Hospitals, clinics and other health entities that met the flood of 55,000 uninsured Ventura County residents who gained coverage through the health care law would absorb more than 70 percent of the job loss. (Kisken, 1/13)
Open Heart Surgery Patients Exposed To Dangerous Bacteria, Pasadena Hospital Warns
The risk of getting an infection from the device is very low, and local officials said Friday that they had not yet found a patient who was sickened.
Los Angeles Times:
Pasadena Heart Surgery Patients Warned Of Possible Infections
Pasadena’s Huntington Hospital has sent letters to all patients having open heart surgery in the last four years warning them that they may have been infected with a dangerous bacteria. The hospital is one of many across the country using a device that has been linked to dozens of infections in heart surgery patients, including some who died. Federal health officials have estimated that the risk of getting an infection from the device is very low — between about 1 in 100 and 1 in 1,000. (Petersen, 1/13)
'Concierge Doctors' Focus On Wellness Instead Of Illness -- For Those Who Can Afford It
Many of the physicians take limited insurance or none at all.
Los Angeles Times:
'Concierge' Docs Offer 24/7 Access, Spa Treatments And More — For A Price
Every Saturday morning, dozens of cyclists and walkers gather in Redlands outside a restored Victorian to exercise with Dr. Steven Wilson. With its huge bike rack and organic vegetable garden out back, it’s not what you’d expect from your primary care doctor’s office. But this isn’t your typical practice. (Fulmer, 1/14)
In other news —
Sacramento Bee:
Being Rude To Your Doctor Can Have Fatal Consequences, Medical Study Finds
Have something negative to say to your doctor? Keeping your mouth shut could keep you healthier, researchers at the University of Florida found. The study, published this month in the journal Pediatrics, observed five different teams of nurses and doctors treating a mannequin infant for conditions including severe respiratory distress and shock. (Caiola, 1/16)
Voters Approved Stem Cell Agency On Rosy Promise Of Cures -- Will They Do It Again?
Since its first awards in 2005, the agency has given away money at a rate of $22,000 an hour, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. But it has yet to come up with a therapy that reaches the general public, and the money is running out.
Sacramento Bee:
California’s Stem Cell Agency Will Run Out Of Money In Three Years. Should Voters OK Spending More?
Voters were told that stem cell therapies would ease afflictions found in nearly 50 percent of California families. The agency would create the “cures for tomorrow,” then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said. Since its first awards in 2005, the agency has given away money at a rate of $22,000 an hour, seven days a week, 24 hours a day. But it has yet to come up with a therapy that reaches the general public despite rosy expectations raised by the ballot campaign.Today, the future of the program is unclear. (Jensen, 1/17)
Diet Plays A Role In Fending Off Dementia, Expert Says
Brain foods such as berries and fish can help people of any age ward off Alzheimer's and dementia, UC Davis nutrition expert Liz Applegate says.
Sacramento Bee:
Brain Food That Can Help Ward Off Demention, Alzheimer's
UC Davis nutrition expert Liz Applegate wants us to think about exactly what we’re shoveling down our throats. Not just to lose weight but to protect our brains. "Brain food is real and it really does matter,” said Applegate, an author, professor and director of sports nutrition at UC Davis. She’s an advocate of the MIND diet, a combination of two long-studied diets that have been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and Type 2 diabetes. (Buck, 1/16)
In other news —
Capital Public Radio:
Counties Struggle To Support In-Home Supportive Services, As State Funding Agreement Ends
California counties are trying to figure out how they’ll keep funding a program that helps seniors and disabled people. That’s because the state is poised to end a five-year agreement that helped pay for In-Home Supportive Services. Now counties say they’re facing more than $500 million in new costs. (Potter, 1/17)
KPBS Public Media:
New KPBS Documentary Series Explores Inspirational Aging
An 81-year-old competitive runner, a 71-year-old woman who doesn't let her age or disability prevent her from volunteering all over San Diego and getting around using public transportation. KPBS television is broadcasting a new 6-part documentary series, "Re'flect, Successful Aging Defined"... The series, which is part of the KPBS Explore Project, which helps launch and provide seed funding for locally produced television and radio programs, is about San Diegans who are thriving well-past retirement age. (Burke and Cavanaugh, 1/16)
Workouts Don't Have To Be Grueling To Provide Health Benefits
A brisk walk can be enough to trigger the body's anti-inflammatory response, researchers in San Diego find.
KPBS Public Media:
San Diego Study: Even Short, Moderate Workouts Impart Health Benefits
Workouts don't have to be exhausting or time-consuming to improve your health. That's the message from a recent study carried out by researchers in San Diego. The scientists had 47 participants walk briskly on a treadmill for 20 minutes. Even this short, low-intensity bout of exercise was enough to trigger the body’s anti-inflammatory response, as the researchers observed in blood samples taken before and after the exercise sessions. (Wagner, 1/16)
Sutter To Donate $1.5M Toward Improving Mental Health Services In State
The money will be given to the Steinberg Institute.
Sacramento Bee:
Steinberg Institue, Sutter Health Tackle Homelessness, Mental Illness
Sutter Health will donate $1.5 million to the Steinberg Institute to advance mental health services and promote an understanding of mental illness throughout California, the institute announced Friday. The 2-year-old Steinberg Institute, founded by former state Senate leader and Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, advocates for expanded services for the mentally ill, including health care and affordable housing. The Sutter donation is the largest in the institute’s history and will be used in part to bring mental health services to more communities, with an emphasis on children and adolescents, according to a statement released by the institute. (Caiola, 1/13)
In other news from across the state —
Ventura County Star:
Fresh Fruit, Veggies Given Away Each Month In Camarillo
The cost of a healthy diet that includes fresh fruits and vegetables can be out of reach for some people. That's why the Camarillo Health Care District gives away fresh produce to about 250 people who show up from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. the second Thursday of each month at the district offices on East Las Posas Road. During the first Produce Day of the New Year on Thursday, those who braved the rain were able to pick up a bag of pears, apples and bananas, which are supplied by FOOD Share, the Ventura County food bank. (Kallas, 1/13)
Modesto Bee:
Taking Pot Cookies To Ill Granddaughter In Texas, Californian Wound Up In Jail
All Newman resident Phillip Blanton wanted to do, he said, was bring some comfort to his granddaughter, who has stage 4 Hodgkin’s lymphoma. But his California medical marijuana card counted for nothing in Texas, where the 67-year-old now faces felony drug possession charges. (Farrow, 1/16)
Trump Pledges His Health Care Plan Will Provide 'Much Better' Insurance For 'Everyone'
But the incoming president offered no further details on what that would look like. Meanwhile, Congress has scored an early victory with the budget vote, but now it will face pressure to deliver on its promises.
The Washington Post:
Trump Vows ‘Insurance For Everybody’ In Obamacare Replacement Plan
President-elect Donald Trump said in a weekend interview that he is nearing completion of a plan to replace President Obama’s signature health-care law with the goal of “insurance for everybody,” while also vowing to force drug companies to negotiate directly with the government on prices in Medicare and Medicaid. (Costa and Goldstein, 1/15)
San Jose Mercury News:
Obamacare Repeal: Could Trump's 'Insurance For Everybody' Work?
The news left many California health care experts perplexed. “I’ve yet to see the unicorn Trump promised, and I doubt it exists, but I would be overjoyed to welcome it to America,” said Jill Horwitz, a law professor and health policy expert at UCLA. She defined the unicorn — according to what Trump has suggested he’d like to see — as universal coverage, low deductibles, insurance for those with pre-existing conditions, and no mandates, among other hints. (Seipel, 1/16)
The Associated Press:
Early Win On Budget Pressures GOP To Deliver On Health Care
Republicans have won a gateway victory in Congress in their seven-year trek toward scuttling President Barack Obama's health care law. Now with Donald Trump a week from taking the presidential oath, achieving that goal is possible, but the pressure is on for them to deliver a final product. (1/14)
Politico:
Trump, Price And Hill GOP At Odds On Obamacare
Donald Trump and his pick to lead the Obamacare repeal effort, Rep. Tom Price, share a vision that the current health care system needs to be completely uprooted. But the two men have articulated wildly divergent visions for what comes next — and that's making it hard for Hill Republicans to figure out where to start on a coherent replacement plan once Obamacare is gone. (Everett and Haberkorn, 1/16)
The New York Times:
‘Repeal And Replace’: Words Still Hanging Over G.O.P.’s Health Care Strategy
In March 2010, on the day before President Obama was to sign the Affordable Care Act into law, a group of senior Republican aides huddled in Senator Mitch McConnell’s Capitol suite to try to come up with a catchy slogan to use against it. Many conservatives were simply advocating a vow to repeal the new law, but Republican strategists worried that pressing for repeal without an alternative could backfire. So they batted around a few ideas before Josh Holmes, then a top communications adviser to Mr. McConnell, tossed out the nicely alliterative phrase “repeal and replace.” (Huse, 1/15)
The Wall Street Journal:
Chief Senate Parliamentarian Will Play Crucial Role In Health Care Legislation
Late last year, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R., Wis.) told a group of senior GOP lawmakers that the person they needed to watch in the Senate in 2017 was Elizabeth. “Elizabeth Warren?” one lawmaker asked. “No,” Mr. Ryan replied, according to a lawmaker in the room, “Elizabeth, the Senate parliamentarian.” Elizabeth MacDonough, the sixth person and first woman to hold the title of chief Senate parliamentarian, will play a crucial role in determining what can be included in legislation enabling the Senate to roll back major parts of the Affordable Care Act with just a simple majority, rather than the 60 votes usually needed. (Peterson, 1/16)
The Associated Press:
IRS Letters Warn Millions About Health Insurance Penalty
If you haven't signed up for health insurance, you may soon be getting a not-too-subtle nudge from the taxman. The IRS is sending personalized letters to millions of taxpayers who might be uninsured, reminding them that they could be on the hook for hundreds of dollars in fines under the federal health care law if they don't sign up soon through HealthCare.gov. It's an unusual role for a revenue-collection agency. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 1/14)
And in other national health care news —
The New York Times:
Trump Health Secretary Pick’s Longtime Foes: Big Government And Insurance Companies
The assuredness that defined Mr. Price as a surgeon has carried into his political career. He has always listened politely to other viewpoints but never swerved from his policy mission to protect his former profession from what he views as heavy-handed government intrusion. Many who knew Mr. Price as a doctor here in Atlanta’s affluent northern suburbs praise his commitment to his patients. But his legislative record shows that over eight years in the Georgia Senate and 12 years in Congress, he has advocated at least as much for physician groups and health care companies — seeking to limit damages in malpractice cases, for instance, and voting against legislation that would have required the government to negotiate lower drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries. (Goodnough, 1/16)
Reuters:
Trump Team Defends Health Pick Tom Price Over Ethics Charge
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's transition team defended his nominee for health and human services (HHS) secretary, Tom Price, from charges that he bought shares in a company days before introducing legislation that would have benefited the firm. A Senate confirmation hearing is scheduled for Wednesday for Price, a Republican congressman from Georgia who, if confirmed, would be a lead agent in carrying out Trump's plans to overhaul President Barack Obama's signature health care law. (Holland, 1/17)
Politico:
Ryan And Trump Set For Medicare Showdown
Since the election, Paul Ryan has accommodated and deferred to Donald Trump on all sorts of issues they don’t see eye-to-eye on. But when it comes to Ryan’s career-defining cause — overhauling Medicare and other entitlements — the speaker has held his ground. The clashing philosophies between the GOP's two top pols — Trump once called Ryan's doctrine "political suicide" — is about to come to a head. Left unresolved, it threatens to sink tax reform, a top priority for both men. (Bade, 1/17)
The Washington Post:
The United States Already Has A Vaccine Safety Commission. And It Works Really Well, Experts Say.
This week, President-elect Donald Trump met with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a leading proponent of a scientifically discredited conspiracy theory that vaccines cause autism. Afterward, Kennedy said that he and Trump had discussed creating a commission on vaccines, which Kennedy would chair. The United States already has a commission on vaccines. A top U.S. public health official said Friday that it relies on an array of medical, scientific and community experts to set policy on vaccines, and does so in an open and deliberative process. (Sun, 1/13)
The New York Times:
Physician Aid In Dying Gains Acceptance In The U.S.
Historically, aid in dying has generated fierce resistance from the Catholic Church, from certain disability-rights activists, and from others who cite religious or moral objections. Even the terminology — aid in dying? assisted suicide? death with dignity? — creates controversy. But the concept has long drawn broad support in public opinion polls. (Span, 1/16)