- California Healthline Original Stories 1
- Key California Lawmaker Calls Eli Lilly’s Behavior 'Disingenuous And Offensive'
- Public Health and Education 2
- Southern California Gas Co. To Pay For Study Into Health Consequences Of Leak As Part Of $120M Settlement
- As Start Of School Inches Closer, Officials Get The Word Out On Strict Vaccination Requirements
- Hospital Roundup 1
- Crisis Stabilization Unit Closes As Tri-City Medical Center Prepares To Shut Down Behavioral Health Department
- Around California 1
- Sacramento Struggles To Find Location For Tent To Serve As Permanent Shelter For Homeless
- National Roundup 3
- Rep. Chris Collins Indicted On Charges Related To Insider Trading Following Probe Into His Ties To Drugmaker
- Medicare's Power To Negotiate Drug Prices Will Harm Patients With Chronic Illnesses, Advocates Warn
- There's A Big Asterisk In Bernie Sanders' Claim That 'Medicare For All' Plan Saves $2 Trillion In Health Spending
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Key California Lawmaker Calls Eli Lilly’s Behavior 'Disingenuous And Offensive'
Sen. Ed Hernandez is in a public spat with the Indianapolis drugmaker over the company’s refusal to heed a state law requiring advance notice — and justification — of large drug price hikes. The company says it is awaiting a court decision on the law’s constitutionality. (Barbara Feder Ostrov, )
More News From Across The State
Residents near the leak have complained of nausea, headaches and nosebleeds after a ruptured well began spewing gas as well as benzene and other air toxics in October 2015. It took nearly four months to seal the well, and residents have since filed hundreds of lawsuits against the company.
The Associated Press:
Huge Los Angeles Gas Leak Leads To $120 Million Settlement
A Southern California utility reached a nearly $120 million settlement over a massive blowout at a natural gas storage field that became the nation's largest known release of climate-changing methane and forced thousands to flee their Los Angeles homes almost three years ago, officials announced Wednesday. The settlement between Southern California Gas Co. and state and local governments aims to mitigate the greenhouse gases that spewed uncontrollably for nearly four months. The October 2015 blowout at an Aliso Canyon well sickened residents of the San Fernando Valley and led to evacuations of 8,000 homes. (8/8)
Los Angeles Times:
SoCal Gas Agrees To $119.5-Million Settlement For Aliso Canyon Methane Leak — Biggest In U.S. History
The deal between Southern California Gas Co. and city, county and state officials and prosecutors will fund a long-sought health study and numerous environmental measures intended to offset the damage caused by the leak. But it leaves unresolved questions about the root cause of the leak, the fate of the storage facility outside Los Angeles’ Porter Ranch neighborhood, the state’s reliance on planet-warming natural gas and residents’ medical claims against the company. The tentative agreement will resolve agencies’ lawsuits against the utility for violating the state’s health and safety laws by failing to promptly control the leak and alert authorities. (Barboza, 8/8)
The Wall Street Journal:
Southern California Gas Agrees To Settlement For 2015 Methane Leak
The Aliso Canyon underground site is the fifth-largest such gas-storage facility in the U.S. and is essential to the region’s power industry. It gushed methane—one of the most potent heat-trapping gases responsible for climate change—for 15 weeks, leading California to declare a state of emergency while locals reported headaches, nosebleeds, rashes and other woes. It eventually led to a federal review that called for a sweeping safety overhaul of more than 400 underground natural-gas storage fields. (Puko, 8/8)
As Start Of School Inches Closer, Officials Get The Word Out On Strict Vaccination Requirements
California has some of the strictest vaccination regulations in the country, and under legislation that took effect in July 2016, parents can no longer claim a personal belief exemption from the immunization laws.
Modesto Bee:
One More Thing On The Back-To-School List: Vaccinations For The Kids, Offered Friday
With schools set to open next week, health services officials with Stanislaus County and Modesto City Schools are pushing the state-required immunizations for schoolchildren. In an advisory this week, Dr. Julie Vaishampayan, county health officer, said the vaccinations protect children against serious diseases such as polio, measles, mumps, chicken pox and whooping cough. (Carlson, 8/8)
In other public health news —
The Mercury News:
Mothers Fight For Breast Milk In Silicon Valley
Wednesday morning, the San Jose-based non-profit [Mother’s Milk Bank], which provides milk to premature infants and non-lactating mothers, set up tables in front of Comprecare Health Center, a Gardner Health Services clinic to host its first breast-milk drive in Silicon Valley. The effort to celebrate and raise awareness about breastfeeding comes amid increased efforts from U.S. formula brands to push alternative nutrition options for young infants. ...Staffers at the Gardner clinic came prepared to fight for breast-feeding moms armed with shirts reading “Milk Warrior,” and pamphlets that listed the benefits of breast milk over formula, which ranged from providing antibodies that fight disease, lowering the chances of the child developing conditions like asthma and allergies, to offering higher quantities of nutrients essential to a newborn. (Lesiv, 8/8)
Los Angeles Times:
UC Irvine Needs Volunteers For Clinical Trials On Alzheimer’s Disease
Alzheimer’s disease is the most significant health challenge faced by our nation today, and California is home to more people with Alzheimer’s disease than any other state. California is also poised to make critical breakthroughs in solving the Alzheimer’s crisis. (Grill, 8/8)
Tri-City’s elected board voted in June to close the units, citing financial, regulatory and operational difficulties. The community has been worried that there will be no location for emergency psychiatric hospitalization on the North County coast.
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Tri-City Medical Center Closes Crisis-Stabilization Unit
Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside has closed its 12-person crisis-stabilization unit, a move that precedes plans to shut down the hospital’s 18-bed behavioral health unit later this month.In a short statement made Wednesday afternoon, Tri-City management confirmed that it closed the unit on Friday, Aug. 3. ... Opened in 2017 under contract with San Diego County Behavioral Health Services, the unit provided comfortable recliners in a quiet setting to provide up to 24 hours of recuperation time for patients experiencing psychiatric symptoms. It was not clear Wednesday how Tri-City was providing similar respite care for patients with its crisis-stabilization unit closed. (Sisson, 8/8)
In other hospital news —
Sacramento Bee:
Here's A Look At New, Second Hospital On UC Davis Campus In Downtown Sacramento
UC Davis, on August 8, 2018, announced that along with Kindred Healthcare, it will construct and operate a second hospital on its downtown Sacramento campus to provide rehabilitation services for stroke, spinal cord and brain trauma patients. (Caraccio, 8/8)
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Hansen Set To Become Permanent CEO At Palomar Health
A notable string of accomplishments in less than 12 months have made Diane Hansen a lock for the top spot at Palomar Health, despite initial plans for a nationwide search. Today, rather than sifting through a stack of resumes, the hospital system’s board is negotiating a two-year contract with Hansen, though some in the community have continued to call for directors to cast a wider net for CEO candidates to administer an organization with $732 million in net revenue, medical centers in Escondido and Poway, a skilled nursing facility and many outpatient services. (Sisson, 8/8)
Sacramento Struggles To Find Location For Tent To Serve As Permanent Shelter For Homeless
The giant tents have been credited with reducing homelessness in San Diego, but, though Sacramento has the funding, it has yet to figure out a good place to put them.
Sacramento Bee:
City Cannot Find Site For Giant Tent
The city is struggling to find suitable locations for giant tent structures that would serve as permanent shelters and service centers for homeless people, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg acknowledged Wednesday. ...But officials are having trouble finding sites to accommodate such a structure, he said Wednesday. (Hubert and Lillis, 8/8)
In other news from across the state —
The Associated Press:
Famed California Research Center Settles 2 Gender Bias Suits
Southern California’s Salk Institute for Biological Studies has settled two of three gender discrimination lawsuits filed by top female scientists. The renowned research center and two former plaintiffs, Kathy Jones and Vicki Lundblad, said in a statement Tuesday that they’ve agreed to “put our disagreements behind” and “move forward together.” Terms were not disclosed. The third plaintiff, Beverly Emerson, will continue the lawsuit against the Salk, according to her attorney Alreen Haeggquist. (Tu, 8/8)
Capital Public Radio:
Marijuana Grows Destroyed By California Wildfires — But It’s Unclear How Many
The Mendocino Complex Fire, consisting of the Ranch and River fires and that has now burned more acreage than any blaze in California history, lies a couple miles east of Highway 101 near the town of Hopland, where a strip of cannabis farmers grow their crop. There are an estimated 10,000 marijuana growers in Mendocino County. But it’s unclear how many farms have been affected by the Complex fire because that information isn’t tracked by Cal Fire. (Sebai, 8/8)
Rep. Chris Collins (R-N.Y.) is alleged to have passed inside information on the failure of an Innate Immunotherapeutics' drug trial to his son, who then passed it to another alleged conspirator. Collins describes the charges as "merit-less" and says he will stay in office and run for reelection. Meanwhile, House Speaker Paul Ryan says that Collins would not serve on the House Energy and Commerce Committee "until this matter is settled."
The New York Times:
New York Congressman Chris Collins Is Charged With Insider Trading
Representative Chris Collins was at the Congressional Picnic on the South Lawn of the White House last summer when he received an unexpected email from the head of a drug company in which he was heavily invested. The company’s only product — an experimental treatment for multiple sclerosis — had just failed a do-or-die scientific trial. What Mr. Collins did next, apparently in a state of panic, forms the core of a federal indictment unsealed on Wednesday in New York that accuses him of insider trading and lying to federal agents. Federal prosecutors charged Mr. Collins with brazenly using his private information about the company to help his son and others avoid financial disaster. (Feuer and Goldmacher, 8/8)
The Associated Press:
GOP Congressman From New York Charged With Insider Trading
Collins, a staunch supporter of President Donald Trump who was among the first sitting members of Congress to endorse his candidacy for the White House, pleaded not guilty to an indictment unsealed at a court in Manhattan. The indictment charges Collins, his son and the father of the son's fiancee with conspiracy, securities fraud, wire fraud and making false statements to the FBI. Speaking to reporters in Buffalo hours after his release on bail, Collins, 68, professed his innocence and said he would remain on the ballot for re-election this fall. (8/8)
The Washington Post:
Rep. Chris Collins Charged With Insider Trading, Federal Prosecutors Announce
The charges could turn into a headache for several House Republicans who invested in Innate Immunotherapeutics at Collins’s encouragement. Prosecutors did not allege in the indictment that Collins tipped off any of his colleagues in Congress about the failed drug trial before it was made public, but Democrats pounced on the charges and said those lawmakers would have to answer tough questions about their investments in Innate. (Merle and DeBonis, 8/8)
The Wall Street Journal:
New York Congressman Chris Collins Arrested On Insider-Trading Charges
According to the indictment, Rep. Collins passed the confidential results to his son, Cameron Collins, so he could trade on the tip. Prosecutors say his son sold nearly 1.4 million Innate shares and gave the information to at least four individuals, including his fiancée and her father, Stephen Zarsky. Mr. Zarsky then sold all of his Innate shares and shared the tip with at least three other individuals, including his brother and sister, before the public release of the trial results, according to the indictment. (Hong and Peterson, 8/8)
Politico:
GOP Rep. Chris Collins Charged With Securities Fraud
"Congressman Collins, who by virtue of his office helps to write the laws of our nation, acted as if the law didn't apply to him," said Geoffrey Berman, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, announcing the charges. (Cheney, Vielkind and Nahmias, 8/8)
The Associated Press:
Indicted Rep. Collins Was Early Loyalist To Trump
Collins, 68, backed Trump on Feb. 24, 2016 — well before it was clear Trump had a shot at winning the Republican nomination in a crowded field of seasoned politicians. But that’s why, Collins said at the time, he was backing Trump. He said the country needs “a chief executive, not a chief politician.” Collins became one of Trump’s most ardent and public backers, promoting him as a businessman who would boost the economic fortunes of areas that have suffered. (Kellman, 8/8)
Medicare's Power To Negotiate Drug Prices Will Harm Patients With Chronic Illnesses, Advocates Warn
Medicare Advantage's negotiating tool -- requiring patients to try lower-cost treatments before the more expensive ones -- is derided as a "fail first" process to those who oppose the strategy. “Consumers may have to go through one or more drugs before they can get a particular treatment they really need,” said Ellen Albritton, a senior policy analyst at Families USA. Meanwhile, there are already signals that implementing the new rules is going to be complicated.
The Hill:
Patient Groups Rattled By New Medicare Power To Negotiate Lower Drug Prices
A new federal policy intended to drive down drug prices could have a negative effect on patients, particularly those with chronic conditions, according to health advocates. The policy announced Tuesday by the Department of Health and Human Services will give some private insurers the option to require patients try cheaper drugs before turning to more expensive ones, regardless of what their doctor prescribes. (Hellmann, 8/9)
Stat:
Private Medicare Leverage Over Drug Costs Would Boost PBMs And Biosimilars
In its latest effort to attack high drug costs, the Trump administration wants to allow privately run Medicare Advantage plans to require patients to pursue step therapy, which means anyone who needs a costly, physician-administered drug must first try a cheaper medicine to see if it works. With about 19 million beneficiaries covered by these plans, the move is projected to save 15 percent to 20 percent of the $11.9 billion spent on Part B drugs, which are infused or injected medicines. Some of these are pricey specialty drugs for hard-to-treat diseases and ailments. (Silverman, 8/8)
In other news from the pharmaceutical industry —
Reuters:
CVS Health Beats Profit Estimates, Defends PBM Business
CVS Health Corp beat analysts' estimates for quarterly profit on Wednesday and the drugstore operator defended its pharmacy benefits management business in the face of the Trump administration's move to clamp down on escalating drug costs. Shares of CVS Health, which agreed to buy health insurer Aetna for $69 billion in December, rose 3.6 percent to $67.76. (Banerjee, 8/8)
The Wall Street Journal:
Rite Aid, Albertsons Call Off Merger Amid Investor Opposition
In a surprise move, Rite Aid Corp. and Albertsons Cos. called off their planned $24 billion merger on the eve of a shareholder vote in the face of mounting protests from investors. Some of Rite Aid’s biggest shareholders had planned to vote against the pharmacy’s planned merger with privately held grocer Albertsons, unconvinced by the companies’ argument that a deal was necessary to fend off competition from Amazon.com Inc. and others. (Haddon and Lombardo, 8/9)
Reuters:
American Medical Association Opposes Merger Of CVS And Aetna
The American Medical Association, which represents U.S. physicians, urged the U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday to stop CVS Health Corp's plan to buy insurance provider Aetna Inc, saying the deal could result in higher prices for prescription medicines. The AMA said that the $69 billion deal, announced in December, would lead to a "substantial reduction" of competition in pharmacy benefit (PBM) services market and the Medicare Part D prescription drug plan for seniors. (Bartz, 8/8)
The Associated Press fact checks Sen. Bernie Sanders' (I-Vt.) spin on the report that analyzed the cost of the senator's "Medicare For All" plan, which is gaining steam in the progressive wing of the Democratic Party.
The Associated Press Fact Check:
Sanders Spins Savings In Medicare Plan
Sen. Bernie Sanders is skimming over the facts in claiming that his "Medicare for all" plan will lead to big reductions in what Americans spend for health care. In a recent tweet, the Vermont independent insists the plan will cut $2 trillion from the nation's health care bill. But that's based on a scenario in which hospitals and doctors accept significantly lower payments for many patients. It's a big asterisk, and one that Sanders fails to disclose. (8/8)
Politico:
Bernie And His Army Are Losing 2018
Bernie Sanders is sputtering. Two years after his defeat in the 2016 presidential primary, the Vermont senator has amassed a growing string of losses in races in which he has intervened. Beginning last year, Sanders-backed candidates faltered in an Omaha mayoral race and a nationally watched House race in Montana. (Siders, 8/8)