- California Healthline Original Stories 2
- California Dreamin’? With Newsom’s Win, Single-Payer Unlikely To Follow Anytime Soon
- Midterm Results Show Health Is Important To Voters But No Magic Bullet
- Elections 5
- How Health Care Campaign Rhetoric May Fit Into Gavin Newsom's Ambitious Agenda
- Propositions: Californians Weigh In On Dialysis Profits, Children's Hospital Bond, Ambulance Worker Meals
- Democrats Take The House While GOP Builds On Senate Majority. What's Next?
- Marching On A Health Care Platform, Pelosi Mobilizes A New Majority In The House
- What Were Voters Thinking About When They Went To The Polls?
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
California Dreamin’? With Newsom’s Win, Single-Payer Unlikely To Follow Anytime Soon
Even though Democrat Gavin Newsom campaigned for single-payer, it’s unlikely that he and other lawmakers will completely overhaul the state’s health care system right away. Instead, they will likely propose incremental steps to provide more Californians with health insurance. (Samantha Young, )
Midterm Results Show Health Is Important To Voters But No Magic Bullet
Even though they are taking control of the House, Democrats will be unlikely to advance many initiatives on health that don’t meet Republican approval since the GOP controls the Senate and the White House. But they can block any efforts to weaken the Affordable Care Act or change Medicaid or Medicare. (Julie Rovner, )
More News From Across The State
How Health Care Campaign Rhetoric May Fit Into Gavin Newsom's Ambitious Agenda
Californians elected a governor who campaigned for a complete overhaul of how people get their health coverage, but Gavin Newsom and the Democratic-controlled Legislature are likely to take a piecemeal approach to health care over the next several years.
CNBC:
California Gov.-Elect Gavin Newsom Inherits Surplus, Booming Economy, Risks
[Gavin Newsom]'s now about to chart a new course for California with an ambitious agenda at a time when the nation's most populous state is experiencing a booming economy and budget surplus. ... Newsom also has made homelessness a priority while in elected office. California has about 12 percent of the U.S. population but accounts for about 25 percent of the nation's homeless population. ... As mayor of San Francisco, Newsom signed into law a universal health care program that covered everyone, including noncitizens. Newsom wants to see a single-payer health care system in California, which is opposed by hospital and doctor groups. (Daniels, 11/7)
CALmatters:
How Gov-Elect Gavin Newsom Could Shape California
As the incoming Newsom administration prepares to unveil its legislative priorities, the single-payer health care concept he has touted will generate a lot of talk. But Capitol skeptics say that despite his promises to make it happen, action will be much more difficult—especially given the idea’s federal obstacles and huge costs. Newsom may be more likely to initially pursue a less ambitious strategy: getting more of the uninsured covered under current government programs. (Christopher, 11/6)
In other state gubernatorial elections —
NPR:
Democrats Gain In Governors' Races, But Miss Chance At History
Democrats made modest inroads against the GOP's commanding lead in governors' offices around the country after Tuesday's midterm elections. But two of their marquee candidates appear to have fallen short. And Republicans are projected to continue to hold power in the 2020 presidential battlegrounds of Florida and Ohio. (Horsley, 11/7)
Voters both approve and reject a host of state ballot measures related to health care policy.
Bay Area News Group:
Voters Reject Prop. 8 Cap On Dialysis Revenue
Proposition 8 fell flat at the polls Tuesday, with voters rejecting the measure that would have capped revenue made by the state’s dialysis clinics. The union-backed measure broke campaign spending records and sparked fierce debate, with both sides vehemently arguing their position was the one that would protect the 80,000 kidney disease patients in California who rely on life-saving dialysis treatment every month. But Prop. 8 was trailing by a double-digit margin Tuesday night, as opponents cheered its defeat. (Kendall, 11/6)
KQED:
Voters Pass $1.5 Billion Children's Hospital Bond
California voters on Tuesday approved Proposition 4, which authorizes the state to sell $1.5 billion in bonds for children's hospitals to be used mainly on infrastructure projects. As of midnight on Tuesday, the measure had nearly 60 percent support.More than two-thirds of the bond money will go to eight nonprofit children’s hospitals. (Klivans and Dembosky, 11/7)
KQED:
Voters Pass Proposition 11, Say Ambulance Workers Should Stay On Call During Breaks
Californians voted to deny EMTs and paramedics uninterrupted rest and meal breaks, passing Proposition 11 by 62 percent. The measure requires ambulance staff to remain on duty during breaks, keeping their radios and pagers turned on while they get coffee or lunch. (Dembosky, 11/6)
Palo Alto Weekly:
Health Care Measure Routed In Palo Alto
A proposal by a union of health care workers to impose caps on how much Palo Alto's medical providers can charge patients and insurance companies was emphatically rejected by local voters on Election Day on Tuesday. The proposal, known as Measure F, would have placed City Hall in charge of regulating the health care costs of most local medical providers to ensure that none are charging their patients more than 115 percent of the cost of "direct patient care," which excludes administrative salaries. The Service Employees International Union-United Health Workers had argued that the measure is necessary to curb Stanford's exorbitant costs and ensure that Stanford devotes more resources to reducing its high rate of hospital-contracted diseases. (Sheyner, 11/6)
Palm Springs Desert Sun:
Voters Overwhelmingly Favor Prop 7, Daylight Saving Time Initiative
Call it the sleeper issue of the 2018 midterm elections: Daylight Saving Time. ... But don't start resetting your watches quite yet. Passing Prop. 7 won’t immediately stop the twice-yearly chore of changing the clocks. Instead, a “yes” vote clears the way for state legislators to decide whether to keep daylight savings time all year (or ax it entirely). (11/6)
Nationally, Medicaid ballot initiatives made waves —
CNBC:
Utah, Idaho And Nebraska Approve Medicaid Expansion Ballot Measures
Three red states approved Medicaid expansion in Tuesday's midterm elections, changes that will potentially cover hundreds of thousands more low-income Americans, NBC News projected. Voters in Utah, Nebraska and Idaho were all expected to pass ballot measures to broaden the federal and state health insurance program, according to NBC. The support for Medicaid expansion, an Affordable Care Act provision, came over the objections of many officials who had so far declined to adopt it, citing budgetary constraints. (Pramuk, 11/7)
Democrats Take The House While GOP Builds On Senate Majority. What's Next?
Medicare, Medicaid, preexisting conditions, high prescription drug costs: These buzz words are not likely to go away once the election-day dust settles. But what are the chances that the two chambers can find a common path forward. News outlets examine whether anything can get done in the wake of this split decision.
Stat:
Democrats Took The House. Here's What It Means For Health And Medicine
The victory puts Democrats in a far better position to test the far-reaching health care agenda they have campaigned on for well over a year, though their ambitions will almost certainly be curtailed by a Republican-held Senate and President Trump’s White House. ... Democrats, however, failed to regain control of the Senate, leaving open the question of whether the new House majority can negotiate with McConnell, who has made repealing the Affordable Care Act central to his party’s agenda and is seen as an ally of the pharmaceutical industry. (Facher and Joseph, 11/6)
Politico:
What Can Get Done In A Divided Washington
Expectations that the two sides could work out a major deal on something like negotiating drug prices in Medicare are low — but there is hope in both parties that impactful incremental reforms, like increasing transparency around drugmakers' relationships with pharmacy benefit managers to ensure there is no collusion to keep prices high, could get bipartisan support. And Democrats won't give up without a fight on bold moves like government negotiation of drug prices, which Trump supported on the campaign trail in 2016. Pelosi met with PhRMA execs this summer and “took the opportunity to deliver a message about the seriousness of Democrats’ commitment to legislative action to bring down soaring prescription drug prices,” her spokesperson Henry Connelly said. (Cassella, Cook and Orr, 11/6)
USA Today:
Republicans Make History By Growing Senate Majority While Losing House
The Democratic incumbents focused on nonpartisan local issues – such as helping veterans – while heavily emphasizing health care, an issue with a lot of crossover appeal, particularly for female voters. They promised to be with Trump when they agreed with him and stand up to him when they didn't. But those red-state Democrats had the difficult task of keeping their base enthused about their re-election bids while attracting enough of the Republicans they needed to carry their states. (Groppe, 11/6)
Marching On A Health Care Platform, Pelosi Mobilizes A New Majority In The House
“When it comes to health care, all politics is personal,” Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said of her decision to focus on the issue. In many of the most hotly contested House districts in this year midterms, health care was cited as the top issue for many voters, and the issue most likely to come up in campaign ads.
The Wall Street Journal:
For Nancy Pelosi, A Victorious Comeback As Democrats Retake The House
[House Democratic Leader Nancy] Pelosi began plotting her caucus’s comeback two years ago. In those early days in the Democratic campaign to retake the House, she made a policy centerpiece of protecting the Affordable Care Act, her signature legislative accomplishment as House Speaker—but one that contributed to her party’s downfall in the 2010 midterms. ... On Martin Luther King Jr. Day in January 2017, Democratic lawmakers and outside groups held rallies opposing the GOP’s efforts to repeal the law. “When it comes to health care, all politics is personal,” Mrs. Pelosi said of her decision to focus on the issue. In many of the most hotly contested House districts in this year midterms, health care was cited as the top issue for many voters, and the issue most likely to come up in campaign ads. (Andrews and Peterson, 11/7)
The Washington Post:
Record Number Of Women Heading To Congress
More than 100 women were projected to win seats in the House of Representatives, easily shattering the record. Overwhelmingly they were Democrats who helped the party take control of the chamber. ... Many of the winning candidates campaigned on the need for better health care for all Americans. They come from a wide variety of backgrounds — from military veterans to teachers — and many had never run for office before. (Jordan, 11/7)
What Were Voters Thinking About When They Went To The Polls?
Exit polls indicate that health care was a top issue for Californians, as well as most other voters around the country. And Democrats' ability to win back a majority of the U.S. House of Representatives is seen by many as a political reversal of fortunes for the Affordable Care Act.
The Associated Press:
VoteCast: California Voters Say Nation Headed Wrong Way
Health care was at the forefront of voters’ minds: A little more than a quarter of respondents named it as the most important issue facing the nation in this year’s midterm elections. Lawrence Reh, a retired writer who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area city of Alameda, is among those voters who cited health care as a key issue. The 76-year-old said health care is “a human right,” and the government has a responsibility to provide it. (Veiga, 11/7)
The Associated Press:
AP Voter Poll Shows Focus On Trump, Immigration, Health Care
Health care, immigration and President Donald Trump were high on voters’ minds as they cast ballots in the midterm elections, according to a wide-ranging survey of the electorate conducted by The Associated Press. ... Health care was at the forefront of many voters’ minds: 26 percent named it as the most important issue facing the country. Immigration was not far behind, with 23 percent naming it as the most important issue. Nearly 4 in 10 of those who voted for a Democratic House candidate named health care as the most important issue facing the nation, while about as many Republican voters considered immigration to be the top issue. (Jalonick, 11/7)
Politico:
Redemption For Obamacare
Democrats ran on Obamacare and, finally, sailed to victory. The party that bet on surging enthusiasm for the Affordable Care Act flipped control of the House Tuesday night in what could amount to a major reset of the political direction on health care. Democrats also made gains at the state level, with wins in gubernatorial races that could prompt new expansions of Medicaid and energize lawmakers, who can claim they have a mandate to further build on a law that serves as the bedrock of their domestic agenda. (Ollstein and Cancryn, 11/6)
Advocates Push For System That Takes Care Of Children's Mental Health Just Like Physical Ills
The California Children’s Trust is calling for a radical shift in how state and local governments finance, administer and run mental health services for young people. Also, the Los Angeles Times looks at a federal judge's decision to investigate state officials' report about mental health care in prisons.
The California Health Report:
California's Mental Health System Is Failing Kids And Needs Major Change, Coalition Says
A statewide coalition of health care providers, advocacy groups and researchers is pushing for a major overhaul of California’s mental health care system for children and teens. In a policy brief released this week, the recently formed California Children’s Trust said the state’s mental health system for youth is disjointed, messy, and overly focused on treating mental illness rather than preventing and identifying mental health problems early. As a result, suicides, mental health crises and hospitalizations among children and youth have skyrocketed over the past 20 years, according to the report. (Boyd-Barrett, 11/6)
Los Angeles Times:
Federal Judge Wants Investigation Into Mental Health Care At California Prisons Following Scathing Report
A federal judge on Monday said she plans to appoint an investigator to launch a probe into whether California has painted an inaccurately rosy picture of psychiatric care inside its prison system as part of a lawsuit against the state that has spanned nearly three decades. U.S. District Judge Kimberly Mueller’s move comes on the heels of a 161-page report written by the chief psychiatrist for the prison system alleging the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has concealed issues surrounding the adequacy of mental health care and staffing in prisons from officials who could mandate changes. (Fry, 11/6)
'Alarming' Staffing Vacancy Rate Undermines Care For Veterans, Report Finds
Most of the nearly 40,000 vacancies are for medical and dental staff such as doctors and nurses. In other health personnel and hospital news, NPR reports on ways hospitals are trying to combat rising maternal mortality rates.
Stateline:
Too Few Doctors And Nurses For Veterans In Some Areas
As the nation prepares to honor its veterans Nov. 12, many veterans in rural areas and some cities still face long wait times for health care because there aren’t enough doctors, nurses and support staff to provide it. Almost 40,000 of the 335,000 positions in the Veterans Health Administration are vacant, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs, which oversees the VHA. The VHA serves about 9 million veterans. (Henderson, 11/7)
NPR:
How Hospitals Can Tackle The Maternal Mortality Crisis
Having a baby in the United States can be dangerous. American women are more likely than women in any other developed country to die during childbirth or from pregnancy-related complications. And while other countries' maternal death rates have gone down, U.S. rates have risen since 2000, a fact that has left both doctors and expectant mothers concerned about the state of maternity care in this country. But many of these problems could be prevented if hospitals would standardize the way they care for women in labor, according to the authors of a recent essay in the New England Journal of Medicine. They say hospitals can improve quality of care for three common complications in childbirth: heavy bleeding after delivery known as postpartum hemorrhage, problems with high blood pressure, and blood clots before or after delivery. (Gordon, 11/6)
CVS Offers Glimpse Of Its Vision For The Future As Merger With Aetna Nears Completion
The retail pharmacy chain expects the deal to close before Thanksgiving. Also in the news, Eli Lilly reports strong third-quarter profits and Sanofi and Regeneron’s eczema cream receives positive feedback from the Food and Drug Administration.
The Wall Street Journal:
CVS Lays Out Vision For Future As Aetna Merger Looms
CVS Health Corp. executives gave investors a window into its strategy after closing the acquisition of health insurer Aetna Inc., with an eye on becoming a one-stop shop for patients. ... CVS and Aetna operate in largely different businesses, with their most direct overlap coming in selling plans under the Medicare prescription-drug program, known as Part D. (Al-Muslim, 11/6)
CNBC:
CVS To Test Stores With More Health Services After Aetna Deal Closes
Consumers will soon start to see CVS Health's vision for the future of health care. CVS expects its roughly $69 billion acquisitionof health insurer Aetna to close before Thanksgiving, the company said Tuesday when announcing third-quarter financial results. The combined company has pledged to improve health services and outcomes and lower costs. CVS plans to open its first concept stores early next year, CEO Larry Merlo told Wall Street analysts Tuesday. (LaVito, 11/6)
The Wall Street Journal:
Eli Lilly Raises 2018 Guidance After Strong 3Q
Eli Lilly & Co. on Tuesday raised its adjusted earnings per share guidance as it reported a more than doubled third-quarter profit. The Indianapolis, Ind.-based drugmaker earned a quarterly profit of $1.15 billion, or $1.12 a share, compared with $555.6 million, or 53 cents, for the same period last year. Excluding items, Eli Lilly reported an adjusted profit of $1.39 a share for the quarter, compared with $1.05 last year and analysts forecasts of $1.15. (Walker, 11/6)
Reuters:
Sanofi And Regeneron's Dupixent Gets More Positive Feedback From U.S. FDA
The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) regulator has given more positive feedback on the Dupixent eczema treatment being developed by drugmakers Sanofi and Regeneron, the companies said on Tuesday. Dupixent was launched in the United States in April 2017 for the treatment of moderate-to-severe eczema in adults, and the product is seen as a key sales driver for both companies. (11/6)
Patient Assistance Programs Under Gov't Scrutiny, But Drugmakers' Responses Are Mixed
Other pharmaceutical coverage includes reports about the high hopes for -- and lack of supporting data about -- skin cancer immunotherapy as well as a move by the American Medical Association to consider supporting the personal importation of medicines from Canada.
Stat:
Despite Scrutiny Of Patient Assistance Programs By The Feds, Pharma Appears Unprepared
As the federal government scrutinizes various programs that provide some form of assistance to patients, drug makers are responding inconsistently to the legal hazards, according to a new survey. Approximately one-third of the companies queried say they have altered procedures for funding independent charities that provide financial assistance to patients, but very few are regularly monitoring or auditing the activities of their patient services teams. And 25 percent of drug makers report that they provide patient services, such as copay cards, to people using their medicines for unapproved uses. (Silverman, 11/6)
Stat:
Skin Cancer Immunotherapy Could Have Potential But Don't Hang Hopes On New Data
OncoSec Medical (ONCS), a biotechnology company focused on combination immunotherapies, offered anecdotal evidence last year suggesting its novel approach might help some skin cancer patients who do not benefit from the currently approved class of drugs known as checkpoint inhibitors. What OncoSec lacked was data from a clinical trial to hang its hopes on. On Tuesday, the company tried to remedy that scientific shortcoming, but the newly released sliver of data on the drug, called Tavo, are frustratingly early and hard to interpret. (Feuerstein, 11/6)
Stat:
AMA Delegates To Weigh A Plan For Personal Importation Of Drugs From Canada
The nation’s largest group of physicians is wading into the debate over the cost of prescription drugs with a proposal to allow Americans to purchase medicines from Canada, but not by going online. At its semi-annual policy meeting that begins this coming weekend, the American Medical Association will consider a motion to endorse medicines that are obtained in person from licensed brick-and-mortar Canadian pharmacies, but only if there are limits on quantities and product safety assurances are in place. (Silverman, 11/6)