Viewpoints: Don’t Sneer At Newsom’s Ambitious Health Care Agenda
A selection of opinions on health care developments from around the state.
Los Angeles Times:
When It Comes To Healthcare, Newsom Says It’s Time For ‘Big And Bold’ Changes
He’s been in office only two weeks, and already [Gov. Gavin] Newsom is making waves with sweeping proposals to tackle major healthcare issues. Pharmaceutical executives, he said, “are lighting up my phone lines.” Along with drug pricing, he’s announced plans to stabilize the Covered California insurance program — our version of the the Affordable Care Act exchanges — with a restored coverage mandate. He’ll also seek cooperation from the federal government for a statewide single-payer insurance system. (David Lazarus, 1/17)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Newsom’s Bold Proposal — A Cost-Of-Living Refund To Make California Affordable
A cost-of-living refund to put money back in the pockets of low-income Californians who need it most is one solution. Delivered as a tax refund based on earnings, the Earned Income Tax Credit is one of the most powerful mechanisms to address affordability and inequality, while giving people the ability to put resources toward their most pressing needs. (Natalie Foster and Chris Hoene, 1/14)
San Jose Mercury News:
Gov. Newsom's Early Childhood Plans Face Dilemmas
No governor has grasped the evidence so firmly: Nurturing the health and cognitive growth of children before they start school yields the strongest returns to public investment. Suffering from dyslexia as a child, Newsom felt the pain of falling behind at school and in everyday life. The governor’s compelling aspirations are pioneering as well, sending to lawmakers a rough blueprint for a $4.3 billion village that snags design features from Europe but has never been built in the United States. It remains a work in progress. (Bruce Fuller, 1/13)
Sacramento Bee:
Why A Surgeon General For California?
As a health foundation executive committed to improving health and wellness for vulnerable communities, I think it’s a terrific idea. A state surgeon general could be more than another figurehead in the morass of state government, using the position to push for a system that promotes health instead of managing sickness. (Robert K. Ross, 1/18)
Sacramento Bee:
Shutdown Tale Of Woe: IRS Employee To Miss Cancer Treatment
Chris DeLeon feels a financial sting of unpaid furlough familiar to hundreds of thousands of his fellow government employees as the partial federal shutdown stretches into its fourth week. But the stakes are higher for the 53-year-old IRS employee. His health is at risk. And, perhaps, his survival. (Rory Appleton, 1/15)
Los Angeles Times:
The Clampdown On Opioid Prescriptions Is Hurting Pain Patients
The recent clampdown has had harmful consequences. Some patients told researchers that they were forced to quit working or go on disability when their medication was denied. Others are now homebound. Many mentioned the possibility of suicide. Patients also said that they were turning to alcohol or illegal substances to treat their pain. What began as an effort to protect patients may be morphing into one that is harming them. (Kate M. Nicholson, 1/18)
The Mercury News:
AG Must Not Block Sale Of 2 Bay Area Hospitals
California’s public hospitals have enough trouble providing safety-net care and making their finances work without needless interference from the state. It boggles the mind that Attorney General Xavier Becerra is asking a bankruptcy judge to block Santa Clara County’s effort to buy O’Connor Hospital of San Jose and St. Louise Regional Hospital of Gilroy. (1/17)
Los Angeles Times:
How The Teachers’ Strike Is Playing Out At The School With The Most Homeless Students In The District
I went to Telfair in Pacoima to see how the strike is affecting the school because I spent weeks there last year, reporting on how high rates of homelessness and poverty affect families and make teachers’ jobs more difficult. It doesn’t help that there’s no full-time nurse or psychiatric social worker at Telfair, or that the library is usually closed. (Steve Lopez, 1/16)
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Should Transition Retired Public Employees To Covered California
By transitioning retired employees to Covered California (the state’s excellent health care exchange under the federal Affordable Care Act), unblending the medical insurance premium rates paid by active and retired employees, and limiting subsidies to retirees with less than $50,000 in household income, Glendale reduced in 2015 its retiree health liabilities and spending by more than 90 percent. If that model was applied to the state’s 2017 retiree health liability, it would allow the state to reduce its liabilities by more than $80 billion and to save more than $2 billion per year. (David Crane, 1/14)
The Mercury News:
Dangerous Wildfires Show Need To Detoxify Carpets
The unprecedented wildfires that devastated California last year resulted in some of the most toxic air ever recorded. Nearly 20,000 buildings and homes were destroyed by the Butte County Camp Fire alone. Many of these structures were filled with products, including carpets, that contain hazardous chemicals. As our state rebuilds, we should reconsider the kinds of chemicals we allow in carpets. (Jeff Gearhart and Monica Wilson, 1/16)
San Jose Mercury News:
I Live With Mental Illness And I'm Not A Bad Person.
In some families, the very existence of a mentally ill family member is hidden; in other instances, a relative will apologize for them. Today, mental illnesses are considered shameful. We are associated with depravity, with uncleanliness, with being “druggies” or we are thought to be dangerous. Society is harsh toward people with a mental illness. Being on the receiving end of this is rough. Although my behavior has not always been pristine, I try my best to do the right thing. (Jack Bragen, 1/11)