Sacramento Bee: Camp Fire Death Toll Now At 48, With Authorities Searching For Additional Victims
The toll from California’s deadliest wildfire continued to grow Tuesday, as authorities said six more victims of the Camp Fire had been recovered inside homes in the Butte County town of Paradise, bringing the total to 48 so far. Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea did not release additional identities of the dead or update the number of people believed to be missing. To date, the sheriff has released the names of only three victims as officials continue the laborious task of collecting remains and preparing for DNA testing to discover the identities of some victims. (Stanton, 11/13)

San Jose Mercury News: Camp Fire: 48 Funerals And Counting ... 'It’s Beyond Words, Really'
At every community meeting since the start of California’s deadliest wildfire, Butte County Sheriff Kory Honea is the last one to speak. The worst news is always saved for the end. “I’m the sheriff and I’m also your coroner,” he will say to the fire refugees filling the auditorium. “Unfortunately the news I have for you is not good.” (Sulek, 11/13)

The New York Times: A Search In Fire-Ravaged California For What No One Wants To Find
It is a measure of how frequent and deadly wildfires have become in California that identifying badly burned remains has become an area of expertise. Once again cadaver dogs have been summoned, forensic dental experts will follow and coroners and anthropologists are using their experience from previous wildfires to locate the victims. One search team on Tuesday toured the foundation of a flattened home in this singed stretch of Paradise, Calif. Carefully they circled the charred bathtub, the melted kitchen floor, the skeletal playground — poking everywhere with long metal poles. (Turkewitz and Fuller, 11/13)

The Associated Press: Identifying Wildfire Dead: DNA, And Likely Older Methods Too
Authorities doing the somber work of identifying the victims of California’s deadliest wildfire are drawing on leading-edge DNA technology, but older scientific techniques and deduction could also come into play, experts say. With the death toll from the Northern California blaze topping 40 and expected to rise, officials said they were setting up a rapid DNA-analysis system, among other steps. (Peltz, 11/13)

Los Angeles Times: Death Toll Jumps To 48 In Paradise Fire As Frantic Search For Missing Continues
The confusing search for hundreds of missing people has been complicated by many factors: bad cellphone service. A lack of access to burned-out areas. A sheer scattering of people across the region who are staying in shelters, hotels, friends’ houses and their vehicles and may have not gotten in touch with loved ones. (Serna, Smith, Branson-Potts and Santa Cruz, 11/13)

KQED: Stories Of Survival From The Camp Fire
There are many stories about people escaping the blaze or staying behind to defend their homes. Here are a few. (Siegel and Hutson, 11/13)

San Francisco Chronicle: Trapped By Camp Fire, More Than A Dozen People — One 90 — Survived In Chilly Lake
When Scott realized that his lakeside home in the wooded hills of Butte County was surrounded by fire, he knew he had only one way out: the water. He, his wife and their two young adult sons, along with two dogs and a cat, plunged into the chilly Concow Reservoir 20 miles east of Chico last Thursday as flames singed the giant tule reeds on shore behind them. (Alexander, 11/13)

San Jose Mercury News: Two Years Of California Wildfires Deadlier Than Almost 30 Years Of U.S. Quakes
In the last two years, 105 people died in California wildfires in 2017 and 2018, eclipsing the total number of wildfire fatalities in the entire previous decade, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. That’s more than all the U.S. deaths from earthquakes since 1990. The Camp Fire, with 42 dead as of Tuesday, topped the 29 killed in the Griffith Park fire in Los Angeles in 1933, the 25 killed in the Tunnel Fire that burned through the Oakland Hills in 1991 and the 22 killed in last year’s deadly Wine Country Tubbs Fire. (Woolfolk, 11/13)

Arizona Republic: California Wildfires Could Cost Customers Of PG&E And Other Utilities
The costs of the damages from wildfires that ravaged parts of California last year could show up in utility bills of people throughout the state. And the burden for paying for damages caused by the current catastrophic fires could also hit millions of Californians' pocketbooks. (Randazzo, 11/13)

San Francisco Chronicle: Camp Fire, Woolsey Fire Prompt Public Health Emergency Declaration For California
The Camp and Woolsey fires raging in Northern and Southern California have prompted federal officials to declare a public health emergency in the state. Alex Azar, the secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, announced the declaration Tuesday night, allowing Medicare and Medi-Cal health care service providers “greater flexibility” in assisting survivors of the wildfires. “This declaration will help ensure that Americans who are threatened by these dangerous wildfires and who rely on Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program have continuous access to the care they need,” Azar said in a statement. (Hernandez, 11/13)

Ventura County Star: Public Health Emergency Declared Due To Wildfires
Ventura County Public Health Department officials have declared a local public health emergency in response to the Woolsey and Hill fires affecting the region. The declaration allows county officials to coordinate with federal state, and local agencies in seeking assistance removing fire debris and other hazardous substances. Due to the combustion of building materials and household hazardous substances, residents risk exposure to toxic substances when going through debris without professional help. (Childs, 11/13)

San Jose Mercury News: Camp Fire: Emergency Alert System Failed, People Were Trapped
Life-saving evacuation alerts failed to reach many residents during the catastrophic Camp Fire early Thursday morning, causing terrifying and crowded last-minute escapes, even death. Angry residents say they received no official warning to flee and instead learned late of the danger when they smelled smoke or saw flames, or from family or neighbors — then faced gridlocked traffic, surrounded by flames, along the town’s few exit routes. (Krieger, 11/13)

Capital Public Radio: Wildfire Smoke Masks Have ‘More Risks Than Benefits,’ According To Sacramento County Health Officials
Sacramento County's top health official says the risks of wearing a mask to protect against breathing in smoke may outweigh the benefits.City officials may have been premature in handing them out to the public this weekend, the county also said. On Sunday, city of Sacramento officials announced residents could pick up free N95 model masks at fire stations to guard against the smoke settling in the valley from the Camp Fire in Butte County. (Ciaola, 11/13)

The Mercury News: Schools Limit Outdoor Time, Adopt Other Changes Amid Poor Air Quality
Unhealthy conditions caused by the Camp Fire in Paradise have forced a number of local schools around the Bay Area to move students indoors or cancel outdoor activities this week. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District has extended an air quality alert for the Bay Area through Friday, advising the public to avoid outdoor activity as much as possible and to keep windows and doors closed indoors. While most schools remain open, many have made changes under the circumstances. (Sarwari, 11/13)

Sacramento Bee: We Don’t Know Enough About Gun Owners In California. Researchers Want To Know Why
A new survey by UC Davis researchers attempts to explore lesser-known facts about gun ownership in California. Early results from the 2018 California Safety and Wellbeing Survey shows 10 percent of gun owners in the state own about half of all firearms. The majority of gun owners, about 54 percent, have one or two firearms, according to the survey. (Finch, 11/14)

The New York Times: Return To Campus For Students Who Survived Thousand Oaks Shooting
It was college night when a gunman entered Borderline Bar & Grill late last Wednesday, the dance floor packed with students trying to let off some steam, drink a little beer and line dance to the country music blaring in the background. It was the type of night that would be familiar to college students anywhere. (Medina, 11/13)

Los Angeles Times: After A Gunman Opened Fire In Their Favorite Bar, These Survivors Have Banded Together Like Family
The first few nights after Katie Wilkie bolted out of Borderline Bar and Grill to the sounds of gunfire and shattering glass, she couldn’t bring herself to go home. She slept on her friend’s bunk bed and borrowed an old T-shirt and shorts to wear. She found herself clinging to her Borderline friends who were now fellow survivors. (Bermudez, 11/14)

The San Diego Union-Tribune: Covered California Hits The Road To Promote Health Plan 
Peter Lee, director of Covered California, the state’s health insurance exchange, stopped in San Diego Tuesday midway through a 13-city, 23-stop promotional bus tour. His goal: to fight a big change in federal health policy change that allows people to skip health insurance without paying a penalty next year. With San Diego Bay in the background, Lee took a temporary stage on the mezzanine at the San Diego Convention Center and noted that, though the health insurance exchange currently covers 1.4 million Californians, there are many more who qualify but haven't signed up. That number is estimated to be about 100,000 in San Diego County alone. (Sisson, 11/13)

The New York Times: Juul Will Suspend Selling Most E-Cigarette Flavors In Stores And Halt Social Media Promotions
Facing mounting government pressure and a public backlash over an epidemic of teenage vaping, Juul Labs announced on Tuesday that it would suspend sales of most of its flavored e-cigarette pods in retail stores and would discontinue its social media promotions. The decision by the San Francisco-based company, which has more than 70 percent of the e-cigarette market share in the United States, is the most significant sign of retrenchment by an industry that set out to offer devices to help smokers quit but now shoulders blame for a new public health problem: nicotine addiction among nonsmoking teens. (Kaplan and Hoffman, 11/13)

The Associated Press: Juul Halts Store Sales Of Some Flavored E-Cigarettes
Juul said it stopped filling store orders Tuesday for mango, fruit, creme and cucumber pods and will resume sales only to retailers that scan IDs and take other steps to verify a buyer is at least 21. It said it will continue to sell menthol and mint at stores, and sell all flavors through its website. The company also said it would close its Facebook and Instagram social media accounts, and pledged other steps to make it clear that it doesn’t want kids using its e-cigarettes. (Stobbe, 11/13)

The Wall Street Journal: Juul Says It Will Quit Social Media
Sales of Juul’s vaporizers and flavored nicotine liquids have surged over the past year, fueled in part by the product’s popularity among teenagers and children. Its rapid growth was helped by the San Francisco company’s use of social media to advertise its products as well as by user-generated posts that glamorized Juul. “There is no question that this user-generated social media content is linked to the appeal of vaping to underage users,” Juul Labs CEO Kevin Burns wrote in a blog post Tuesday. (Maloney, 11/13)

The Washington Post: FDA Signals Crackdown On Flavored Cigars To Reduce Youth Tobacco Use
Scott Gottlieb, commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, signaled Tuesday that the agency plans action against flavored cigars — products that are especially popular among African American teens — as part of an aggressive effort to reduce underage vaping and smoking expected to be announced this week. (McGinley, 11/13)

The Hill: Drug Pricing Group Launches Six-Figure Ad Buy Pressuring Congress To Act 
A leading advocacy group is launching a six-figure ad campaign pressuring Congress to act to lower drug prices. The TV and digital ads from the Campaign for Sustainable Rx Pricing, a coalition of insurers, hospitals and other groups, come at a time when hopes are high for action on drug prices. (Sullivan, 11/13)

In other national health care news —

The Associated Press: More Leeway For States To Expand Inpatient Mental Health
The Trump administration Tuesday allowed states to provide more inpatient treatment for people with serious mental illness by tapping Medicaid, a potentially far-reaching move to address issues from homelessness to violence. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar made the announcement Tuesday in a speech to state Medicaid directors, a group that represents Republican and Democratic officials from around the country who are confronting common, deeply-rooted social problems. (11/13)

Roll Call: With Divided Congress, Health Care Action Hightails It To The States
Newly-elected leaders in the states will be in a stronger position than those in Washington to steer significant shifts in health care policy over the next couple of years as a divided Congress struggles with gridlock. State Medicaid work requirements, prescription drug prices, insurance exchanges and short-term health plans are among the areas with the potential for substantial change. Some states with new Democratic leaders may also withdraw from a multistate lawsuit aimed at killing the 2010 health care law or look for ways to curb Trump administration policies. (Williams, 11/13)

Politico: HHS Talks To Anti-Abortion Groups, Scientists As It Weighs Canceling Fetal Tissue Research
The Trump administration is continuing to weigh plans to discontinue more than $100 million in research projects that use fetal tissue, alarming scientists and some HHS officials while invigorating the president’s supporters in the anti-abortion community. The White House last week convened a meeting to consider canceling the projects, according to two individuals with knowledge, and anti-abortion groups like Susan B. Anthony List have been invited to give input. Scientists who use fetal tissue in their research also have been invited to defend their work. (Diamond, 11/13)

The Associated Press: More US Kids Get Paralyzing Illness, Cause Is Still Unknown
More children have been diagnosed with a mysterious paralyzing illness in recent weeks, and U.S. health officials said Tuesday that they still aren't sure what's causing it. This year's count could surpass the tallies seen in similar outbreaks in 2014 and 2016, officials said. Fortunately, the disease remains rare: This year, there have been 90 cases spread among 27 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. (11/13)

The New York Times: When Hospitals Merge To Save Money, Patients Often Pay More
The nation’s hospitals have been merging at a rapid pace for a decade, forming powerful organizations that influence nearly every health care decision consumers make. The hospitals have argued that consolidation benefits consumers with cheaper prices from coordinated services and other savings. But an analysis conducted for The New York Times shows the opposite to be true in many cases. (Abelson, 11/14)

The Wall Street Journal: After NRA Rebuke, Many Doctors Speak Louder On Gun Violence
U.S. doctors and medical societies are increasingly speaking out against firearm violence, calling for gun-control measures and other solutions to what they see as a public-health crisis that shows no signs of ebbing. Their outspokenness picked up in recent days, after the National Rifle Association said in a tweet on Nov. 7: “Someone should tell self-important anti-gun doctors to stay in their lane.” The NRA, which has fought efforts to restrict access to guns, was criticizing an updated position paper that the American College of Physicians had published calling for various ways to keep guns out of the hands of people who are a threat to others or to themselves. (Loftus, 11/13)