- California Healthline Original Stories 2
- Why Teens Are Smoking Less, In Their Own Words
- Podcast: What The Health? Senate Bill Sparks Fireworks Before The Fourth
- Sacramento Watch 2
- Nurses Keep Up Pressure For Single-Payer Bill
- Who Were The Patients Who Sought Help Under California's Aid-In-Dying Law?
- Covered California & The Health Law 1
- Low-Income Seniors, Disabled People Vulnerable To Cuts In GOP's Health Care Bill
- Public Health and Education 1
- Public Health Roundup: Wide Gap In Black Infant Mortality Rates; High Temps Lead To Toddlers Falling Out Of Windows
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Why Teens Are Smoking Less, In Their Own Words
New CDC data suggests teens are smoking fewer cigarettes than ever before, and even vaping is on the decline. But other studies – and teens themselves – suggest adolescents may be swapping tobacco for marijuana. (Kellen Browning, )
Podcast: What The Health? Senate Bill Sparks Fireworks Before The Fourth
Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post discuss the state of the Senate’s effort to replace Obamacare. (Julie Rovner, )
More News From Across The State
Nurses Keep Up Pressure For Single-Payer Bill
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon blocked legislation that would be a first toward a single-payer system in the state, and faced threats because of the decision.
The Mercury News:
As Bernie Sanders Delays National Single-Payer Debate, California Nurses Keep The Heat On The Legislature
The day after Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders told CNN he would delay the release of his universal health-care plan until the Affordable Care Act debate has ended in Congress, the sponsors of a similar California proposal are keeping the heat on a legislative leader who moved to block it from advancing this year. The California Nurses Association and other supporters held a rally at the Capitol Monday, staging a sit-in outside the Assembly chamber, to pressure Speaker Anthony Rendon to change his mind and allow the state’s single-payer health care bill to move through his house. (Murphy, 7/3)
The Mercury News:
Bipartisan Blowback To `Bullying’ In California’s Single-Payer Health Care Debate
Since Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon revealed this week that he had received death threats on social media for his decision to block a single-payer health care bill from advancing this year, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have pushed back against the highly charged rhetoric and violent images targeting the Democrat. Labor unions, at least one gubernatorial candidate and lawmakers from both parties have criticized the tenor of the campaign by the California Nurses Association to persuade Rendon to change his mind, including one violent image its leaders circulated — a meme featuring a California bear with a knife bearing Rendon’s name stuck in its back. (Murphy, 6/30)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Infighting Among Allies Over State’s Tabled Health Care Bill
An effort to create a government-paid health care system for all Californians has morphed into a massive fight between Democrats at the Capitol and a nurses union, with insults, death threats and violent imagery of backstabbing directed at the legislative leader who pulled the plug on the bill. In an unusual move, the Assembly Democratic caucus issued a statement Friday condemning what they called bullying tactics used against Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, D-Paramount (Los Angeles County). (Gutierrez, 6/30)
Who Were The Patients Who Sought Help Under California's Aid-In-Dying Law?
The Sacramento Bee looks at ages, conditions, races and more.
Sacramento Bee:
California Assisted Suicide Patients Mostly White, Well-Educated
California residents choosing legal assisted suicide are disproportionately white and well-educated, new figures show. ... Of the 111 individuals, 87 percent were at least 60 years old and 44 percent relied solely on Medicare for health insurance. (Xu, 6/30)
Covered California & The Health Law
Low-Income Seniors, Disabled People Vulnerable To Cuts In GOP's Health Care Bill
The vulnerable groups include 18,700 disabled people and 13,700 seniors in Stanislaus County. A separate report looks at the economic impact the legislation would have on the state.
Modesto Bee:
Report: GOP Health Care Bill Threatens The Most Vulnerable Residents In Stanislaus County
Low-income seniors and disabled people who rely on Medi-Cal have been mostly ignored in the discussion over Republican attempts to replace the Affordable Care Act, a new report says. About 90,000 of those residents in the Northern San Joaquin Valley are at risk of service cuts under the Better Care Reconciliation Act, proposed by Republican leaders in the U.S. Senate. (Carlson, 7/4)
KPBS:
California Faces Financial Pain If Senate Health Bill Passes: State Report
Devastating. That is the word state officials use to describe the effects of the Senate health care bill on California in a new analysis by the California Department of Health Care Services. The report found that by cutting Medicaid funding, the Senate bill would shift an enormous amount of costs from the federal government to the state. In particular, California would face a $3 billion shortfall in 2020. That would grow to more than $30 billion a year by 2027. (Goldberg, 7/3)
And in other news —
KPCC:
California School Leaders Fear GOP Cuts To Medicaid Could Harm Special Education
California education officials are sounding the alarm over Congressional Republicans' proposed health care overhaul bills, saying changes to Medicaid could leave the state or school districts scrambling to pay for critical special education services they don't have the option of cutting... Funding from Medicaid, referred to in California as Medi-Cal, helps school districts cover the costs of serving special education students who are entitled to receive critical healthcare services in school — such as a child who needs a ventilator or a feeding tube. (Stokes, 7/3)
Making End-Of-Life Care Discussions Easier Through Technology
Entrepreneurs are hoping their free chatbot will help people in the 25-45 year-old age bracket be more prepared when talking about end-of-life care.
The Mercury News:
Meet Emily, The Bot That Helps You Talk About Your End-Of-Life Wishes
As product launches go, a technology meant to improve the way people think and talk about death may not be the most uplifting, especially when it’s aimed at young and middle-aged adults. But two Bay Area entrepreneurs are betting that one of the most important discussions 25- to 45-year-olds should be having will be a lot easier via a friendly computer program designed to simulate that conversation online. Meet Emily, the free messenger chatbot from LifeFolder. (Seipel, 7/3)
In other health technology news —
Los Angeles Times:
Glendale Adventist Partnership Aims For Better Healthcare Coordination Across L.A. County
Glendale Adventist Medical Center’s recent partnership with a nonprofit group is designed to make access and delivery of electronic medical records more efficient for those in its network. Glendale Adventist and White Memorial Medical Center — both part of the health system called Adventist Health — have signed two-year contracts with the Los Angeles Network for Enhanced Services, or LANES, an L.A. County-based nonprofit that provides a platform for the exchange of electronic patient data among public and private healthcare providers. (Landa, 7/3)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Tuning In To Telemedicine
n El Cajon resident with diabetes can’t make it to her medical appointment in City Heights. A physician in Mexico needs a specialist in the U.S. for a second opinion. These are just two examples of how the rapidly growing field of telehealth or telemedicine can help healthcare facilities increase accessibility to more of their patients. Two health organizations in San Diego using this technology are La Maestra Community Health Centers and the Telemedicine Program at UC San Diego Health. (Wood, 7/3)
Anonymous $10M Donation To Go Toward Marin General Hospital's Renovation
Marin’s new hospital will feature bigger operating and patient rooms, nine gardens and 177 private rooms, with some that can convert to doubles if needed.
San Francisco Business Times:
Marin General Gets Anonymous Donation Of $10M To Build New Hospital Campus
The Marin General Hospital Foundation this week received a $10 million gift from an anonymous local family. The Marin-based family foundation has given to other health care organizations but is a first-time donor to this hospital. This donation will go toward the hospital’s $535 million renovation, which is a part of the effort to meet seismic safety regulations required by 2030. (Siu, 6/30)
In other hospital news —
The Bakersfield Californian:
USC Partners With Kern Medical Center To Open Central Valley's First Dedicated Epilepsy Neurology Center
By next month, local epilepsy patients won’t have to travel so far for complex procedures. That’s because Kern Medical Center has partnered with the University of Southern California’s Neurorestoration Center to bring an epilepsy program and center to Bakersfield. It’s the first time USC has partnered with a Kern County healthcare provider. (Pierce, 7/4)
Ventura County Star:
Simi Hospital Changes Its Name
What was Simi Valley Hospital is now Adventist Health Simi Valley. The name change for the nearly 52-year-old hospital, announced to employees in April, became official on Saturday, according to a news release. (Kisken, 7/3)
And in other public health news: autism, genomics, West Nile virus, vaping, yoga and teen birth rates.
Los Angeles Times:
In The U.S., Infant Mortality Gap Costs The Lives Of About 4,000 Black Babies Each Year
If black infants born in the United States had all of the health and medical benefits enjoyed by white infants, nearly 4,000 fewer of them would die each year, new research suggests. That would amount to a nearly 60% decrease in the number of black infants that die each year. Instead, black babies are nearly 2.5 times more likely than white babies to die during their first year of life. (Kaplan, 7/3)
The Mercury News:
Toddlers Often Fall From Windows When Temperatures Rise
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center officials on Friday said four toddlers who have fallen out of second- or third-story windows since June 17 provide a cautionary tale to all parents: When temperatures rise, so does the risk of these falls. “Just like adults, when it’s hot, children are drawn to a breeze from a window,’’ said Dr. Adella Garland, VMC’s director of general surgery. (Seipel, 6/30)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Autism Still Gets Dismissed By Some Doctors, Family Learns In Yearlong Challenge
oe and Rafeef Samo knew something was wrong with their younger son when, at the age of two and a half, he began regressing socially. At times, he didn’t appear to be aware of others. At other times, he had tantrums that lasted interminably. He began hurting himself. These were abundant signs of problems that needed attention. But it took the San Diego couple an entire year to get a diagnosis that their son, now 7, had autism. They were the drivers, saying that their then-pediatrician was dismissive of their concerns. (Fikes, 7/4)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
What Is Genomics, And How Can It Help You?
he study of genes, called genetics, has been around for decades. But of late, it has been overshadowed by genomics, which studies all the DNA in an organism. San Diego County’s large biotech industry has made this region a hotbed of genomics, as shown during the Biotechnology Innovation Organization’s recent national convention here and the Festival of Genomics, which took place this past week in the same city. (Fikes, 7/2)
The Bakersfield Californian:
West Nile Virus Infects First Resident In Kern County This Year
A Kern County resident has been infected with West Nile virus, the first human to have reported contracting the disease in the county, according to the Kern County Public Health Services Department. West Nile virus, an arthropod-borne virus, is transmitted through mosquitos, which contract the virus through birds they feed on. (Pierce, 6/30)
KPBS:
Cost Of Vaping Goes Up Again In California
Thanks to the passage of Proposition 56, the tax rate of tobacco products other than cigarettes is being raised again. The new, higher tobacco tax does not apply to vaping devices. But it does apply to any other vaping products that contain nicotine, including e-liquids. (Goldberg, 6/30)
The Mercury News:
For Girls In Juvenile Hall, ‘Trauma-Informed’ Yoga Is A Saving Grace
The young women sat in a tight circle on purple mats, ready to start their weekly yoga session before lunch. A small centerpiece was set on the gym floor with flameless candles and inspirational stones that read “believe,” “courage” and “blessing.” “You’re in control of your body,” said instructor Rocsana Enriquez as she guided them through a series of classic poses: Cat. Warrior. Tree. (Sanchez, 7/4)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Nation's Teen Birth Rate Falls To Record Low, New Report Says
he nation’s birth rate for teenagers has fallen to an all-time low, according to new provisional data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The agency’s National Center for Health Statistics estimated that overall, American women had nearly 40,000 fewer babies last year than they did in 2015. The overall birth rate declined from 62.5 to 62 newborns per 1,000 females aged 15 to 44. Almost all of that year-over-year drop occurred among girls and young women, with every age bracket from 10 to 29 showing declines in births. (Sisson, 7/4)
Kaiser Permanente Dinged Again For Deficiencies In Mental Health Operations
The Department of Managed Health Care agreed Kaiser had undertaken “substantial actions” to improve access to follow-up mental health appointments, but said Kaiser has not proven with “verifiable results” that it is complying with state access laws.
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
State Regulators Once Again Critical Of Kaiser Mental Health Access.
Despite efforts to hire more therapists, Kaiser Permanente continues to fall short in delivering timely and appropriate access to mental health services, according to state regulators. In its latest routine survey of the HMO, the state Department of Managed Health Care, which regulates and monitors health plans, identified several deficiencies in Kaiser’s Northern and Southern California mental health operations. Among other findings, the state said Kaiser does not adequately track the “availability and timelines” of follow-up mental health appointments, nor does it take effective and timely action when it finds problems. (Espinoza, 7/4)
In other news from across the state —
Sacramento Business Journal:
UC Davis Health System Dropping Out Of Western Health Advantage Provider Network
UC Davis Health System is dropping out of Western Health Advantage's provider network. (Robertson, 6/30)
KQED:
Chemicals Sicken Two Dozen Central Coast Farmworkers In One Week
Two dozen people who work in agricultural fields in the Salinas and Watsonville areas were hospitalized after chemical drifts apparently made them ill in the last week. But the state agencies that regulate pesticide and workplace safety are not investigating the incidents, and in one case authorities are not releasing the name of the companies that employed the sickened workers. (Goldberg, 6/30)
East Bay Times:
Richmond Plant Owner Slapped With $5.2 Million In Penalties
The owner of a defunct Iron Triangle metal plating company has been ordered to pay $5.2 million in civil penalties to the state for hazardous waste violations. But the lawyer for Marion Patigler, owner of Electro-Forming Co. at 130 Nevin Ave., said the state will collect only a small fraction of the judgment that was trumpeted on June 26 by the state Department of Toxic Substances Control. (Lochner, 7/3)
Los Angeles Times:
1,800 Tons Of Radioactive Waste Has An Ocean View And Nowhere To Go
The nation’s inability to find a permanent home for the dangerous byproduct of its 50-year-adventure in nuclear energy represents one of the biggest and longest running policy failures in federal government history. Now, the Trump administration and Congress are proposing a fast track fix. (Vartabedian, 7/2)
New Center Offers Homeless Patients Safe Place To Recover After Leaving A Hospital
"When you and I are discharged from the hospital, we go home and we eat chicken noodle soup, drink ginger ale and watch 'The Young and the Restless,'" said Kelly Bruno. "When you're an individual experiencing homelessness, you have no home to go to.
Ventura County Star:
New Ventura Center Gives Homeless Patients Place To Mend
The dozen beds that will open a week from Monday at Ventura's downtown Salvation Army are intended to close a revolving door. In rooms decorated with signs that offer thoughts like "Dream Big," the beds are the core of a long-awaited recuperative care center aimed at homeless patients ready to be discharged from a hospital but with nowhere to go to complete their recovery. (Kisken, 7/2)
In other news —
KQED:
California Taps Health Care Money To Pay For Homeless Services
The Whole Person Care program represents a breakthrough in using health care money for housing services, which the federal government had long been wary of doing. The five-year pilot program allows local governments to pay for support services, but not actual rental costs, through a matching grant from Medicaid. (Marzorati, 7/3)
KPBS:
Social Workers Go 'Tent To Tent' In Push To Help San Diego's Homeless
As San Diego leaders scramble in boardrooms and high-rise offices to combat one of the worst homeless problems in the nation, social workers are on the front lines of the crisis, already putting plans into action. ... The number of people sleeping outside in tents and under overpasses has soared 40 percent over the last three years. (Murphy, 7/5)
Some Republicans Keep Low Profile To Avoid Fireworks From Constituents Over Health Bill
Lawmakers are home for recess and some are ducking out of public events so as not to incur their voters' wrath over the legislation.
The New York Times:
Senate Republicans Lay Low On The Fourth, Or Face Single-Minded Pressure
It is a tough summer for Senate Republicans, who are trying to combine a long-promised repeal of the Affordable Care Act with a replacement that has, in legislation drafted so far, been as popular as sunburn. Protesters have held sit-ins at Senate offices, phone lines have been jammed and editorial writers have blasted their states’ congressional delegations. Planes have even flown admonitory, if occasionally poorly conceived, banners over state capitals. Republican senators have had to decide whether public appearances would be fruitful or the crowds hostile. Many lawmakers seem to have given up on town hall-style meetings and parades. Others are still braving them, knowing they may get an earful on the health care bills. (Robertson, Philipps, Bidgood and Cochrane, 7/4)
The New York Times:
For Millions, Life Without Medicaid Services Is No Option
Frances Isbell has spinal muscular atrophy, a genetic disorder that has left her unable to walk or even roll over in bed. But Ms. Isbell has a personal care assistant through Medicaid, and the help allowed her to go to law school at the University of Alabama here. She will graduate next month. She hopes to become a disability rights lawyer — “I’d love to see her on the Supreme Court someday,” her aide, Christy Robertson, said, tearing up with emotion as Ms. Isbell prepared to study for the bar exam in her apartment last week — but staying independent will be crucial to her professional future. (Goodnough, 7/1)
The New York Times:
$45 Billion To Fight Opioid Abuse? That’s Much Too Little, Experts Say
The Senate leadership’s efforts to salvage the Republican health care bill have focused in part on adding $45 billion for states to spend on opioid addiction treatment. That is a big pot of money. But addiction specialists said it was drastically short of what would be needed to make up for the legislation’s deep cuts to Medicaid, which has provided treatment for hundreds of thousands of people caught up in a national epidemic of opioid abuse. (Goodnough, 6/30)
The New York Times:
Trump Backers ‘Furious’ That Senator Stood Against Health Care Bill
Senator Dean Heller’s biting denunciation of the Republican health care bill last week infuriated the White House and helped unravel his party’s attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act days before a vote was expected in the Senate. Now Mr. Heller is facing an intense backlash in Nevada, his home state, where there is talk of a primary race challenge against him next year and a pair of the state’s wealthiest Republican donors are fuming. (Martin and Vogel, 6/30)
The Wall Street Journal:
Republican Senators Face Pushback From Governors On The Health Bill
Republican senators back home on recess this week are hearing from some influential critics of their health-law effort: GOP governors, many of whom are urging them to push back on the legislation because it would cut Medicaid funding. (Peterson and Hackman, 7/3)
Politico:
Nevada Governor Wields Outsize Clout In Obamacare Repeal Debate
Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval may as well be the Senate’s 53rd Republican. GOP leaders are trying to win over the popular moderate and outspoken Obamacare repeal critic, believing his strong influence over Sen. Dean Heller in the health care debate could get them one vote closer to victory. (Haberkorn and Pradhan, 7/3)
Los Angeles Times:
Meet The 6 Governors Leading The Charge Against The Senate Health Plan
The Senate GOP healthcare bill would cut Medicaid spending by $772 billion over the next decade, leaving millions of low-income people uninsured in states where Medicaid was expanded under the Affordable Care Act, commonly known as Obamacare. The governors from states that took advantage of the Medicaid expansion have worked together in crafting letters, holding teleconferences with reporters and hosting private meetings with members of Congress. (Lee, 7/2)
The Washington Post:
Trump Administration Remains Confident Health-Care Bill Will Pass
Top Trump administration officials insisted Sunday that the odds of passing health-care legislation when the Senate returns to Washington next week remain high, but others in the GOP charged that the bill’s problems require more than a quick fix. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and White House legislative affairs director Marc Short are fighting off a tide of discontent that has been exacerbated in recent days by President Trump’s tweet that the Senate could simply repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it later if it cannot pass the pending measure. (Demirjian, 7/2)
The Wall Street Journal:
What To Expect As Health-Law Debate Moves Forward
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has delayed until after the July 4 congressional recess a vote on the Senate Republican bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act. That means that when Congress returns next week, a vote could happen soon after if negotiations on changes to the bill are successful. The timing will depend on when lawmakers get an updated nonpartisan analysis of the latest version of the bill. Here’s what to expect as the debate moves forward. (Jamerson, 7/4)
NPR:
GOP Health Bill Might Bring Back Lifetime Caps On Insurance Coverage
The health care legislation under discussion in the Senate could allow states to remove some of the Affordable Care Act's consumer protections — including the prohibition that keeps insurers from limiting how much they'll pay for medically needy, expensive patients. Clara Hardy's parents worry about the Senate bill for just this reason. (Olgin, 6/30)