- California Healthline Original Stories 2
- As Surgery Centers Boom, Patients Are Paying With Their Lives
- State Pay Cut For Dental Hygienists Who Serve The Poor Was Illegal, Court Finds
- Elections 1
- Gubernatorial Candidate Uses History Supporting San Francisco To Build Single-Payer Credibility
- Coverage And Access 1
- Survey Projects Nearly 20 Percent Of Those On Individual Market Will Drop Coverage Next Year
- Marketplace 1
- 'Don’t Be Unfair To Us': Workers Continue Weeks-Long Rallies At Kaiser Permanente Facilities
- Around California 1
- UCD Med Center Offering Free Genetic Testing For Some Children Covered By Medi-Cal
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
As Surgery Centers Boom, Patients Are Paying With Their Lives
An investigation by Kaiser Health News and the USA TODAY Network discovers that more than 260 patients have died since 2013 after in-and-out procedures at surgery centers across the country. More than a dozen — some as young as 2 — have perished after routine operations, such as colonoscopies and tonsillectomies. (Christina Jewett and Mark Alesia, USA TODAY Network, )
State Pay Cut For Dental Hygienists Who Serve The Poor Was Illegal, Court Finds
California officials should have obtained federal approval before they cut reimbursement rates for dental hygienists who serve frail Californians living in nursing homes and board-and-care facilities, a judge has ruled. (Ana B. Ibarra, )
More News From Across The State
Gubernatorial Candidate Uses History Supporting San Francisco To Build Single-Payer Credibility
The issue is becoming a litmus test for Democrats on the ballot in 2018, and Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom is making sure his support is known.
KQED:
Newsom Claims S.F. Street Cred On Single Payer Issue
As the race for governor heats up, support for a government-run single payer health care system is becoming a kind of litmus test for Democrats — and no candidate has embraced the idea more closely than Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. But pressure to support single payer, including SB 562 which passed the State Senate before stalling in the Assembly, has gotten the attention of candidates up and down the ballot, some of whom fear alienating the powerful “take no prisoners” California Nurses Association, single payer’s most ardent supporter. (Shafer, 3/1)
Survey Projects Nearly 20 Percent Of Those On Individual Market Will Drop Coverage Next Year
When the penalty for not having insurance disappears in 2019, consumers are more likely to go without coverage.
The Modesto Bee:
Fewer Californians Will Be Insured Next Year, And Those Who Are Could Feel The Impact
Almost 20 percent of people with health insurance on the independent market in California will drop coverage next year because they won't face a tax penalty, a survey predicted. The study by Harvard Medical School researchers suggested that 378,000 fewer consumers in California will have insurance in 2019 when the Internal Revenue Service will no longer assess a tax penalty on the uninsured. The random survey of 3,010 adults was conducted in California last year to measure the impact of the federal tax reform law that does away with the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate. The survey results were reported Thursday in an online blog of the journal Health Affairs. (Carlson, 3/1)
'Don’t Be Unfair To Us': Workers Continue Weeks-Long Rallies At Kaiser Permanente Facilities
The union’s contract with the health care provider expires in September, and union representatives say Kaiser is considering 20 percent wage cuts for new hires in the Central Valley, and ten percent cuts in the Sacramento area.
KQED:
Labor Union Pressures Kaiser Permanente With Protests Across The State
Union workers employed by Kaiser Permanente are staging a series of protests across California. They say the health care provider is thriving financially, but still plans to outsource some jobs, and cut wages for some new hires. Ealy joined more than a hundred other employees who chanted and marched. Some dressed in hospital scrubs, others in street clothes, and many in the deep purple color associated with their union, Service Employees International Union – United Healthcare Workers West (SEIU-UHW). They chanted “Who’s got the power? We got the power! What kind of power? Union power!” The rally was one of 32 demonstrations that SEIU-UHW is organizing around California between Feb. 14 – Mar. 9. (Kivans, 3/1)
In other health system and hospital news —
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Scripps Promotes Six Doctors To Help Lead Restructuring Effort
Scripps Health has named a half-dozen doctors who will help lead an ongoing reorganization effort at all of its facilities countywide. Scripps has already reduced its number of hospital chief executives from five to two with a third overseeing all ancillary services. Plans also call for each hospital to have a pair of chief operating executives, one administrator and one physician, said Chris Van Gorder, Scripps’ chief executive. The equal-responsibilty arrangement, he said in a previous interview, is designed to make sure that medical quality and operating efficiency have equal standing as facilities work to cope with decreasing reimbursement levels from health insurance companies and federal programs such as Medicare. (Sisson, 3/1)
UCD Med Center Offering Free Genetic Testing For Some Children Covered By Medi-Cal
Medi-Cal provides limited access to genetic testing, often leaving families to pay out-of-pocket for it. The testing will be covered by a two-year grant.
The Sacramento Bee:
‘Not Experimental Anymore’: UCD Med Center Expands Free Testing For Medi-Cal Families
Families on Medi-Cal can now receive free genomic testing to diagnose rare genetic disorders at UC Davis Medical Center, according to an announcement Thursday. “Children with rare genetic disorders that come to our clinic and many times they don’t have an answer,” said Dr. Suma Shankar, associate professor of pediatrics and director of the Precision Genomics Clinic at UC Davis. (The genomic testing) helps us come to a definite diagnosis.” (Sullivan, 3/1)
In other news from across the state —
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
'Dementia Challenge' Sheds Light On What Alzheimer's Feel Like
Allowing caregivers of people living with Alzheimer’s to see the world through the eyes of someone with dementia is one of the goals of an upcoming, three-part program Glenner is co-presenting with the Alzheimer’s Association San Diego/Imperial County chapter starting Monday. While much of the general focus on Alzheimer’s centers on memory loss, participants of the interactive Dementia Challenge will experience — albeit temporarily — how a person’s perception, attention span, language skills, ability to control emotions and use reason and judgment, deteriorate with the disease and affect daily life. (Parente, 3/1)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Helix, A Startup That Stores Your Genetic Data Online, Nets $200 Million
Helix, a San Carlos startup that analyzes and stores customers’ genetic information online, has raised $200 million from venture capital and private equity funds, the company is slated to announce Thursday. Led by DFJ Growth — an investor in Tesla, Tumblr and Coinbase — the new financing brings Helix’s total funding to at least $320 million, signaling investors’ continued interest in the growing genetic testing market. (Ho, 2/28)
Trump Broaches Idea Of Death Penalty For Dealers To Help Curb Opioid Epidemic
At an opioid summit at the White House, President Donald Trump focused on criminal penalties, alarming advocates who want leaders to concentrate on treatment rather than punishment.
Reuters:
Trump Urges Lawsuit Against Opioid Companies, Tougher Sentences For Dealers
U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday called for a federal lawsuit against opioid companies and stiffer penalties for drug dealers, arguing that the government must take a strong approach to combat an opioid addiction epidemic. Trump said that he had urged Attorney General Jeff Sessions to take legal action."Hopefully we can do some litigation against the opioid companies," Trump said at a summit hosted by the White House on the nation's opioid crisis. (3/1)
The Associated Press:
Trump Says Drug Dealers May Deserve 'Ultimate Penalty'
President Donald Trump said Thursday the "ultimate penalty" may be in order for drug dealers because the nation's drug problem will never be solved without a show of strength and toughness. The comments were Trump's most explicit on the matter to date. He previously has alluded to death for drug dealers by noting that some countries are "very harsh" with drug dealers. Trump also has said he knows the answer to the drug crisis, but he isn't sure the country is "ready for it yet." (3/1)
The Washington Post:
President Trump Suggests Executing Drug Dealers At Summit On Opioid Crisis
Trump’s statements came at the end of a two-hour summit on opioid addiction, in which Cabinet secretaries talked about combating the nation’s opioid epidemic with treatment programs and law enforcement officials discussed efforts to disrupt the supply chain for heroin and fentanyl in Mexico and China. Trump’s emphasis on criminal penalties stands in contrast to the focus on treatment by some of his Cabinet secretaries and many fighting the epidemic nationwide. (Zezima, 3/1)
Politico:
Trump Suggests Death Penalty To Stop Opioid Epidemic
The remarks are likely to rankle administration critics who have urged the White House to focus on the public health component of the opioid crisis. The president's remarks did not touch on health approaches like providing additional funding for treatment. “It makes us all very nervous” that the U.S. could move back to a “penal-first approach,” said Andrew Kessler, who leads Slingshot Solutions, a consulting firm specializing in behavioral health policy that advocates for substance abuse treatment and prevention. “I have no love for high-level traffickers or cartels, but a very high percentage of people who sell drugs do it to support their own habit.” (Karlin-Smith and Ehley, 3/1)
Day After Embracing Comprehensive Gun Control, Trump Has 'Great' Meeting With NRA Lobbyist
The tone of tweets from both President Donald Trump and the lobbyist suggest that the president is walking back from the support he voiced the previous day for tighter gun restrictions.
The New York Times:
N.R.A. Suggests Trump May Retreat From Gun Control
The top lobbyist for the National Rifle Association claimed late Thursday that President Trump had retreated from his surprising support a day earlier for gun control measures after a meeting with N.R.A. officials and Vice President Mike Pence in the Oval Office. The lobbyist, Chris Cox, posted on Twitter just after 9 p.m. that he met with Mr. Trump and Mr. Pence, saying that “we all want safe schools, mental health reform and to keep guns away from dangerous people. POTUS & VPOTUS support the Second Amendment, support strong due process and don’t want gun control. #NRA #MAGA.” (Shear, Gay Stolberg and Kaplan, 3/1)
Politico:
Conservatives Floored By Trump's Gun Control Lovefest
Minutes into Donald Trump’s renegade embrace of the left’s wish list for gun control, Republican Rep. Warren Davidson’s phone lines blew up. “What is Trump doing?” texted one angry constituent from his conservative southwest Ohio district, according to Davidson. “You’ve got to stop this,” demanded another. “That can’t be real,” Davidson recalled thinking as his supporters — all Trump enthusiasts — unloaded on the president. (Everett and Bade, 3/1)
NPR:
Science On Gun Laws Is Lacking, RAND Report Finds
An analysis published Friday confirms the state of American gun policy science is not good, overall. The nonprofit RAND Corporation analyzed thousands of studies and found only 63 that establish a causal relationship between specific gun policies and outcomes such as reductions in homicide and suicide, leaving lawmakers without clear facts about one of the most divisive issues in American politics. (Hersher, 3/2)
In other national health care news —
The Associated Press:
Uber Starts Offering Rides To The Doctor
Uber is driving deeper into health care by offering to take patients in every U.S. market where it operates to their next medical appointment. The ride-hailing service said Thursday its Uber Health business will handle rides set up by doctor's offices or other health care providers and then bill that business, not the patient, for the service. The company said rides can be set up within a few hours or days in advance. Patients won't need access to a smartphone to use the service. (3/1)
California Healthline:
Buried In The Budget Bill Are Belated Gifts For Some Health Care Providers
When President Donald Trump signed the last-minute budget deal into law earlier this month, the news coverage emphasized how the bill boosted military funding, provided tens of billions in disaster aid and raised the debt ceiling. But buried deep in the 652-page legislation was a repeal of a limit on Medicare coverage of physical and occupational therapy. It received little public attention, but to the American Physical Therapy Association, this headline was decades in the making. (Luthra, 3/2)
The Hill:
Planned Parenthood Announces $20M Midterm Election Campaign
Planned Parenthood's political arm will target eight states in its largest-ever midterm election campaign, the organization announced Thursday. The campaign, called "March. Vote. Win.," will focus on competitive Senate and governor's races with an initial cost of $20 million. (Hellmann and Kamisar, 3/1)
Stat:
How A Society Gala Was Used To Sell Young-Blood Transfusions To Seniors
STAT got an inside look at this $195-a-head symposium, held last month in this wealthy beachside enclave. It offered a striking view of how promoters aggressively market scientifically dubious elixirs to aging people desperate to defy their own mortality. ... Beyond the questionable science, participants have to pay big money to join the trial. Faloon, an evangelist of anti-aging research who cut a slim figure in his black suit and had the thick dark hair of a younger man, acknowledged during his talk that it would be “expensive” to sign up for the trial. (Robbins, 3/2)
Kaiser Health News:
Tens Of Thousands Of Medicaid Recipients Skip Paying New Premiums
When Arkansas lawmakers debated in 2016 whether to renew the state’s Medicaid expansion, many Republican lawmakers were swayed only if some of the 300,000 adults who gained coverage would have to start paying premiums. This “skin-in-the-game” provision — endorsed by conservatives in Washington and in many statehouses — is designed to make Medicaid recipients value their government health insurance more and lead healthier lives. It’s “to encourage more personal responsibility,” Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson told reporters in 2016. “We want to incentivize better, healthy living.” (Galewitz, 3/1)
Kaiser Health News:
ACA’s Popularity Grows, Even As GOP Lauds Change To Requirement To Have Coverage
Despite President Donald Trump’s boasting that “we have essentially repealed Obamacare,” a new poll shows the Affordable Care Act is more popular than ever. In fact, many people don’t know Congress repealed the ACA’s penalty for not having insurance. The poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation found 54 percent of Americans had a favorable view of the 2010 health law that expanded health coverage to millions. That was up four points from January, and it’s highest point since the monthly survey began in 2010. (Galewitz, 3/1)
Viewpoints: An Actual Feasible Plan For Universal Health Coverage Exists
A selection of opinions on health care developments from around the state.
Los Angeles Times:
Finally, A Universal Healthcare Proposal That Would Work For Everyone
Up to now, single-payer and universal health coverage proposals in the U.S. have foundered on one shoal or another: They're ungodly expensive; they replace plans that people like; they're too sudden; they're not sudden enough; they're politically impossible, etc., etc., etc. But now take a look at "Medicare Extra for All." It's a universal coverage proposal released last week by the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank associated with the Democratic Party. (Michael Hiltzik, 2/27)
Sacramento Bee:
California: Stop Nursing Homes From Sedating Seniors With Antipsychotics
Three years ago, I had to make a decision that broke my heart: I had to move my 88-year-old mother into a nursing home. Eight years earlier, my mom, Lenora, was diagnosed with dementia. For years, I cared for her in my home but after she fell and broke her hip in January 2015, the hospital where she received treatment would not release her to my care. They told me it was no longer safe to have her at my home. Reluctantly, I found my mom a spot in a nursing home just outside of Los Angeles. At least she will be safe there, I told myself. (Laurel Cline, 2/28)
Los Angeles Times:
The Stupidity Of Trumpcare: Government Will Spend $33 Billion More To Cover 8.9 Million Fewer Americans, As Premiums Soar
Those fiscal geniuses in the White House and Republican-controlled Congress have managed to do the impossible: Their sabotage of the Affordable Care Act will lead to 6.4 million fewer Americans with health insurance, while the federal bill for coverage rises by some $33 billion per year. Also, by the way, premiums in the individual market will rise by an average of more than 18%. (Michael Hiltzik, 2/26)
Sacramento Bee:
Stop Finger Pointing On Hoarded Mental Health Millions. Just Spend It Wisely
It turns out that Sacramento County isn’t alone in stashing millions of dollars that could be spent to help Californians with mental health problems. A new state audit uncovered that California’s 59 county and local mental health agencies had piled up $2.5 billion in unspent cash as of 2015-16. State Auditor Elaine Howle blames state agencies for failing to give enough guidance or oversight. (3/1)
The Mercury News:
High Schooler Says Youth Will Bridge Gun Divide
As the gun control debate rages across the country once again, we see the same talking points spewed out. Republicans call for safer schools while not infringing on the Second Amendment. Democrats call for expanded background checks and weapon bans. But, as adults talk and talk and do nothing, a new group of activists has risen. The students of Stoneman Douglas High School are speaking out on gun control and forcing the American public to recognize, once and for all, the importance of this issue as it pertains to the physical and emotional safety of my generation. (Zeigler, 3/1)
Los Angeles Times:
How Can A Place With 58,000 Homeless People Continue To Function?
Homelessness affects the lives of all Angelenos, not just those forced to live on the streets. And it does so almost daily, in ways large and small. Consider the pairs of thick gloves that George Abou-Daoud has stashed inside the nine restaurants he owns on the east side of Hollywood. When a homeless person accosts his customers, Abou-Daoud says, he can no longer count on the police for help; unless there’s an imminent threat to safety, he contends, they don’t respond quickly and can’t just haul the person away. So he’s had to take matters into his own hands, literally, by physically ejecting problematic homeless people himself. That’s why he has the gloves — to keep his hands clean. (3/1)
Los Angeles Times:
Treating And Housing The Mentally Ill Is Harder Than Jailing Them. But It Might Actually Work
If only we could make Les Jones’ story more commonplace. As the 62-year-old Texas native leans back from his desktop computer in his small apartment, he details his journey from a successful radio career to a mental breakdown, to the streets, to shelter and finally to treatment and a healthy, happy life in this tidy complex at perhaps the most enviable corner of Santa Monica, steps from the Third Street Promenade, a short walk to the beach. “I am one verse,” Jones says of the composition of the American population of the mentally ill. “There are others. Modern treatment of mental illness produces miracles. It literally saved my life.” (2/28)
Los Angeles Times:
The Homeless In L.A. Are Not Who You Think They Are
Many people think of homelessness as a problem of substance abusers and mentally ill people, of chronic skid row street-dwellers pushing shopping carts. But increasingly, the crisis in Los Angeles today is about a less visible (but more numerous) group of “economically homeless” people. These are people who have been driven onto the streets or into shelters by hard times, bad luck and California’s irresponsible failure to address its own housing needs. (2/26)
Los Angeles Times:
Don't Let NIMBYs — Or Weak-Kneed Politicians — Stand In The Way Of Homeless Housing
“Homes end homelessness.” That was the simple and ultimately persuasive slogan of the Proposition HHH campaign in 2016. In November of that year, an overwhelming 77% of Los Angeles city voters opted to raise their own property taxes to pay for $1.2 billion in homeless housing — 10,000 units to be built over a decade. Politicians exulted in the win and vowed that after years of short-lived strategies and half-hearted measures, they would finally address the crisis with the resolve and the resources needed to bring it under control. (2/27)