- California Healthline Original Stories 4
- California’s Republican Congress Members Face Quandary Over Health Bill
- Low-Income AIDS Patients Fear Coverage Gains May Slip Away
- Trump's Promise To Rein In Drug Prices Could Open Floodgate To Importation Laws
- GAO To Launch Investigation Of FDA’s Orphan Drug Program
- Covered California & The Health Law 3
- GOP Doesn't Have The Votes Locked Up Yet To Guarantee Health Plan Will Pass
- More Than Half Of Republicans In California's Delegation Leaning 'Yes' On Congressional Health Bill
- California Health Advocates Not Satisfied By Tweaks To Replacement Plan
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
California’s Republican Congress Members Face Quandary Over Health Bill
Many constituents could lose coverage under the AHCA. Half of California’s Republican-led districts voted against Donald Trump. (Chris Rauber, )
Low-Income AIDS Patients Fear Coverage Gains May Slip Away
The federal health law made it feasible for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program to expand its efforts and help patients buy marketplace insurance plans to cover drugs and other health care. (Carmen Heredia Rodriguez, )
Trump's Promise To Rein In Drug Prices Could Open Floodgate To Importation Laws
Sen. Bernie Sanders’ bill to allow Americans to buy cheaper medicines from Canada would bypass a requirement that blocked past legislative efforts over two decades. (Rachel Bluth, )
GAO To Launch Investigation Of FDA’s Orphan Drug Program
The Government Accountability Office said it will investigate potential abuses of the orphan drug program, which offers incentives to drugmakers to develop medicines for rare diseases. (Sarah Jane Tribble, )
More News From Across The State
Covered California & The Health Law
GOP Doesn't Have The Votes Locked Up Yet To Guarantee Health Plan Will Pass
Twenty-three Republicans still say they either will outright oppose the legislation or are strongly leaning against it. The caucus can lose 21 votes in the House and still pass their replacement plan. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump warns the reluctant lawmakers that there will be political ramifications if they don't vote for the bill.
The Washington Post:
There Are Still Enough Republicans Opposed To The Obamacare Replacement Bill To Kill It (For Now)
As the House of Representatives prepares to vote Thursday on an Obamacare replacement plan, there is still enough Republican opposition in Congress to kill the bill. Assuming no Democrats support the measure, Republicans can lose two votes in the Senate and 21 votes in the House. (Phillips, 3/21)
Roll Call:
House Health Care Bill Teetering On The Brink Of Failing
The GOP health care bill appears poised for failure with at least 19 Republicans committed to voting “no,” absent additional substantial changes, and several more likely to join them in opposition. This reality seems to be sinking in with GOP leaders, as they have started discussions with the House Freedom Caucus that accounts for most of the current opposition to the bill. However, neither leadership, nor the Freedom Caucus would say serious negotiations about changes were underway Tuesday night. (McPherson and Rahman, 3/22)
The New York Times:
Trump Warns House Republicans: Repeal Health Law Or Lose Your Seats
President Trump on Tuesday turned up the pressure on recalcitrant Republicans to support a sweeping bill to overhaul the health care system, threatening wavering lawmakers in his party with political payback if they failed to get behind a measure that has become an early test of his negotiating power. (Davis, Kaplan and Pear, 3/21)
The Washington Post:
Trump To GOP Critics Of Health Care Bill: ‘I’m Gonna Come After You’
[Trump] singled out Rep. Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), the chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, which has led the right-wing opposition to the bill. “I’m gonna come after you, but I know I won’t have to, because I know you’ll vote ‘yes,’ ” Trump said, according to several lawmakers who attended the meeting. “Honestly, a loss is not acceptable, folks.” Trump’s remarks — which Meadows said he took as good-natured ribbing — reflected his mounting urgency to secure a major legislative victory in the early months of his presidency and fulfill a central campaign promise by repealing the signature domestic achievement of President Barack Obama. (DeBonis, Snell and Costa, 3/21)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Warns House GOP To Support Health-Care Bill Or Risk Losing Votes In 2018
Mr. Meadows, whose bloc claims it has enough votes to defeat the bill, said he wasn’t convinced by Mr. Trump—a sign GOP leaders have more work to do to secure the votes needed to pass the bill. “It won’t lower premiums, and until it does, I’m going to be a ‘no,’ even if it sends me home,” Mr. Meadows said of the legislation after the president addressed lawmakers. “As a person, I love him,” said Rep. Rod Blum (R., Iowa), after the president’s presentation. Hearing from Mr. Trump “was a lot of fun. But it didn’t change me at all.” (Armour, Peterson and Hughes, 3/21)
Politico:
Trump's Penchant For Vengeance Casts Shadow On Health Care Vote
For a president with a penchant for vengeance — who named “an eye for an eye” as his favorite biblical passage, who banned media outlets from campaign events when he didn’t approve of their coverage, who after the election ousted a GOP state chairman whom he viewed as disloyal, who just last week reminded a GOP governor who hadn’t endorsed him that “I never forget” — the roll-call vote on the Republican health care plan, expected Thursday, will be the first accounting of who’s with him and who’s against him on Capitol Hill. (Goldmacher, 3/21)
The Wall Street Journal:
Ryan’s Leadership Is Tested By GOP’s Civil War On Health Bill
The test for Mr. Ryan is whether he can make the leap from serving as the architect of conservative policy, a role he played for years as the party’s leading budget author, to the more difficult role of guiding legislation into law. The task is much tougher now than when Republicans passed bills with the knowledge that a Democratic president would veto them. “Everybody understands that we’re dealing with live ammo now,” said Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.), a roommate of Mr. Ryan when they served together in the House. (Peterson, 3/21)
The Washington Post Fact Checker:
Trump’s Biggest Obamacare Bloopers
President Trump is like a broken record of Pinocchios, incessantly repeating false and misleading claims that have been debunked. As Congress debates the Republican replacement bill for the Affordable Care Act, Trump has been on a greatest-hits tour of his favorite, and questionable, claims about Obamacare. We compiled a round-up of his most notable claims from the past week. (Lee and Kessler, 3/22)
Politico:
House Democrats' New Obamacare Strategy: Get Out Of The Way
House Democrats have a new plan to tank Paul Ryan’s Obamacare repeal: Get out of the way. Democratic leaders in the House know they’re powerless to stop the GOP’s health care bill. So instead, with a repeal vote looming Thursday, they’re executing a strategic retreat. (Caygle and Schor, 3/22)
Los Angeles Times:
The GOP Drive To Repeal Obamacare Threatens A Quiet Revolution In How U.S. Cities Care For Their Poor
Over the last four years, this city at the foot of the Rocky Mountains has quietly transformed how it cares for its poorest residents. As hundreds of thousands of Coloradans gained health insurance through the Affordable Care Act, known as or Obamacare, Denver built an extensive new system to keep patients healthy, hiring dozens of mental health specialists and nurses, expanding dental clinics and launching efforts to help patients manage debilitating illnesses, such as diabetes and heart disease. (Levey, 3/22)
Los Angeles Times:
Welcome To The GOP's Obamacare War Room -- Coffee And Pastries Not Included
Each weekday morning, groggy aides pile into House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s conference room and suit up for battle.No pastries. Bring your own coffee. The niceties are limited. (Mascaro, 3/21)
More Than Half Of Republicans In California's Delegation Leaning 'Yes' On Congressional Health Bill
The Los Angeles Times offers a guide to where the lawmakers stand. Meanwhile, protesters hold a "die-in" outside Rep. Darrell Issa's office.
Los Angeles Times:
This Is Where All Of California's House Republicans Stand On The GOP Healthcare Bill
Less than two days before they are scheduled to vote, a handful of California’s 14 Republican members of Congress say they are still weighing how to vote on the GOP plan to undo and replace parts of the Affordable Care Act. California’s 38 House Democrats have lined up pretty firmly against the bill, as have most of the chamber’s Democrats, so Republicans are on their own to pass the bill. House Republicans can afford to lose up to 20 members and still pass it with a simple majority. (Wire, 3/21)
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
'Die-In' At Issa's Office Protests Changes To Health Care
With Congress set to vote on health care this week, hundreds of protesters staged what they dubbed a ‘die-in’ Tuesday outside the Vista office of U.S. Rep Darrell Issa. The event was part protest, part street theater, with many of the 300-plus participants lying on the lawn, holding signs shaped like tombstones. Organizers put the number of attendees near 380...This week’s theme centered on the potential repeal of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and its possible replacement with the American Health Care Act introduced by House Republicans. (Figueroa, 3/21)
California Health Advocates Not Satisfied By Tweaks To Replacement Plan
In a state where 14 million children and adults rely on the health program, scaling back federal funding for the program could have drastic consequences, they warn.
Modesto Bee:
Health Advocates Fear Impacts To Hospitals In California And Stanislaus County Despite Changes To GOP Repeal Plan
Republican leaders made more changes to their proposed legislation to replace the Affordable Care Act, though the amendments didn’t impress advocates who want to preserve the gains of Obamacare in California. House Speaker Paul Ryan called for more support in the bill to make insurance affordable for older adults. In addition, the changes would accelerate tax cuts for the wealthy and health care corporations, give states more flexibility in spending health care funds and allow them to tie work requirements to Medicaid benefits. (Carlson, 3/21)
In other news —
San Francisco Chronicle:
Fear Of Obamacare Repeal Paralyzing Millions
The uncertain future of Obamacare isn’t just wreaking havoc for insurers, hospitals and other companies in the health care ecosystem. It’s paralyzing the lives of millions of regular Americans, too. These are people who have made major, hard-to-reverse life decisions contingent on the health care system we have today — including a functioning individual insurance market and the subsidies to make those individual insurance plans affordable. (Rampell, 3/21)
Sacramento Bee:
Abortion Restriction In GOP Proposal Puts Covered California Enrollees In A Bind
A California law requiring all health plans cover abortions is set to collide with federal Affordable Care Act repeal efforts that would cut federal subsidies for health plans that pay for the procedure. State officials and health advocates have pledged to fight a stipulation of the Republican-authored American Health Care Act that could deprive 1.4 million Californians of the federal tax credits that help them afford coverage on the Covered California health exchange. (Caiola, 3/22)
Although Gaining In Popularity, Right-To-Try Laws' Ethics Still Up For Debate
Experts weigh in on whether allowing terminally ill patients access to experimental treatments is fair or just provides false hope.
KPCC:
The Ethics Of ‘Right-To-Try’ In California – Exploitation Or Hope?
Right-to-try was created to allow terminally ill patients to try to access experimental therapies that haven’t been fully approved by the FDA. With the backing of two physicians, a terminal patient in California can ask a company for a drug or device that has completed only the first phase of the FDA’s testing... Criticisms of right-to-try are that it could cause patients to lose access to health insurance or hospice, could allow companies to exploit patients, could expose patients to drugs that worsen their already deteriorated condition and that the law unfairly demonizes the FDA when pharma companies are the real problem. (Chudnovsky, 3/21)
State: Tulare Medical Center Violated Bylaws In Dealings With Medical Executive Committee
Key parts of the Department of Public Health report claim that board members failed to attempt to resolve their differences with the prior MEC, instead casting them aside in favor of a new medical staff and executive committee.
Valley Voice:
State Takes TRMC To Task For Medical Staff Feud
The State of California has once again stepped into the feud between between the Tulare Regional Medical Center’s (TRMC) Board of Directors and doctors representing its prior Medical Executive Committee (MEC), and it’s got choice words for both sides. A new report, published by the California Department of Public Health, originally obtained by the Visalia Times-Delta, and available below, comes as the district battles a lawsuit from the prior MEC. (Maldonado, 3/22)
Hospital Bills Due To Gun Injuries Cost $6.6 Billion Over Last 8 Years
And that tally does not include expensive emergency room treatment.
Los Angeles Times:
Gun Injuries Cost Americans $730 Million A Year In Hospital Bills
Americans paid more than $6.6 billion over eight years to care for victims of gun violence, according to a new tally of hospital bills. And U.S. taxpayers picked up at least 41% of that tab. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, say the authors of a study published this week in the American Journal of Public Health. Their sum does not include the initial — and very costly — bill for gunshot victims’ care in emergency rooms. Nor does it include hospital readmissions to treat complications or provide follow-up care. The cost of rehabilitation, or of ongoing disability, is not included either. (Healy, 3/22)
In other public health news —
Los Angeles Times:
Sorry, Moms: Prenatal Vitamins With DHA Won’t Boost Your Kids' IQ After All
Researchers have some bad news for moms who used DHA supplements while they were pregnant in hopes of boosting their baby’s brains: It didn’t work. At age 7, kids whose mothers took DHA scored no higher on an IQ test than kids whose moms swallowed capsules that were DHA-free. (Kaplan, 3/21)
Orange County Register:
What Lifestyle Prevents Heart Disease? California Cardiologist Looks To The Amazon For Answers
A Southern California cardiologist’s study of indigenous South Americans found that an extremely healthy lifestyle appears to prevent coronary artery disease, a leading cause of death in the U.S. Dr. Gregory Thomas, medical director of the Heart and Vascular Institute at Long Beach Memorial, helped lead the research project that was published Friday, March 17, in the British journal The Lancet. Researchers took CT scans of the hearts of 705 Tsimane adults who live in the Bolivian Amazon. (Perkes, 3/21)
San Jose Mercury News:
UC Berkeley: Health Officials Send Meningitis Alert After Student Recovery
A UC Berkeley student’s recent recovery from meningitis has spurred city, state, and campus health officials to urge students Tuesday to watch out for symptoms as spring break approaches and to offer a vaccine at a drop-in session this week. In an alert, officials with the University Health System said the ill student is recovering after coming down with the condition, which spreads most commonly through close contact such as kissing or sharing drinks, utensils or cigarettes. (Kelly, 3/21)
Modesto Bee:
Socks Get Conversation Started On Down Syndrome Awareness
By wearing socks that are eye-catching and different, observers of World Down Syndrome Day helped spread awareness that people with the genetic disorder aren’t much different from the rest of us. The idea is that someone will ask, “What’s with the wacky socks?” and the wearer will be able to talk a bit about Down syndrome. (Farrow, 3/21)
San Jose Mercury News:
Walgreens' "Disney" Animal Crackers Contain Cancerous Chemical, Group Says
“The Jungle Book” may be one of Disney’s most beloved animated movies, but a consumer health watchdog group is warning parents to lay-off feeding their kids Walgreens’ Disney Jungle Book whole grain animal crackers, featuring the storybook characters Mowgli and Baloo on the package. Turns out the bare necessities involved in making that version of the crackers requires higher baking temperatures, which produces excessive levels of a cancer-causing chemical called acrylamide, said Charles Margulis of the Oakland-based Center for Environmental Health. (Seipel, 3/21)