Latest From California Healthline:
KFF Health News Original Stories
A Plan To Cover Immigrants Would Divert Public Health Dollars
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to provide health coverage to unauthorized immigrants ages 19 to 25 would siphon money that four counties currently use for public health efforts such as battling contagious diseases. (Samantha Young, 5/7)
Good morning! Would pushing back school start times help students’ mental health? Last year, then-Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed the idea, but advocates are hopeful they have an ally in Gov. Gavin Newsom. More on that below, but first here are some of your other top California news stories of the day.
Some Parents Alarmed By Proposal To Have State Collect Sensitive Health Data On Unvaccinated Children: Senate Bill 276, by Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), would give the state health department the final say over whether a child should receive a medical exemption from some or all vaccines required to attend public or private school. The Department of Public Health would be tasked with creating a standardized medical exemption form that doctors would fill out and send to the state, and then medical exemptions that are approved would be included in a database the agency would create. But critics say that by having a database, the state puts children’s sensitive information at risk. “Databases are at risk for hacking, exposing confidential medical information to insurance companies, higher education institutions and future employers, who may discriminate based on pre-exisiting conditions and disabilities,” said Educate. Advocate., a group that opposes the measure. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times also takes a look at how stricter vaccination laws have spared California from another major measles outbreak. Read more here.
Bill To Tighten California’s Already-Strict Laws On Lead In Children’s Jewelry Advances: The Safe Jewelry Act revises and recasts the hazardous waste control provisions relating to lead and cadmium standards for children and adult jewelry. Additionally, the proposal expands the state jewelry law’s definition of children to include all youth under 16, instead of just those under 7. “The bill is precedent setting in that it’s creating a new standard for the nation for lead and cadmium in jewelry,” said Susan Little, senior advocate for California government affairs at the Environmental Working Group (EWG). “We are harmonizing California’s law with those of others in Canada and the European nations as well as parts of the federal government. We will be setting essentially a new standard for the United States.” Lead and cadmium are known to be highly toxic to the human body, and are especially dangerous to children because they are still developing. Read more from the California Health Report.
In Suburban Stretch Of LA, Homelessness Isn’t At A Crisis Point. Yet It’s A Big Talking Point For City Council Candidates: The fact that the homeless crisis is getting so much attention even in areas in LA where it’s not a major problem, reveals how pervasive the issue is in the city. “It is arguably the No. 1 issue I hear about from voters,” said candidate Scott Abrams, who works as district director to U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Northridge). Many candidates have vowed to make sure that new housing for homeless people is built, while others have argued that although housing is needed, LA first needs to address mental illness and addiction. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
Below, check out the full round-up of California Healthline original stories, state coverage and the best of the rest of the national news for the day.
More News From Across The State
Sacramento Bee:
CA Bill Would Have Schools Start Later, Let Students Sleep
Principals at California schools could soon find themselves wondering what time Gov. Gavin Newsom’s kids wake up. For the second time in two years, California lawmakers are advancing a bill that would forbid K-12 schools from starting class earlier than 8:30 a.m. (Sheeler, 5/6)
Modern Healthcare:
Kaiser To Launch Social Care Network
Kaiser Permanente will soon launch a new care network that connects the system's more than 12 million members to community services that address their social needs. The Thrive Local initiative will be integrated into Kaiser's electronic health record, and will be rolled out regionally this summer, though the first location hasn't been announced yet. Over the next three years, the health system will make it available throughout the entire system. (Johnson, 5/6)
Los Angeles Times:
In Trump Vs. California, The State Is Winning Nearly All Its Environmental Cases
California’s lawsuits have targeted the administration’s policies on immigration, healthcare and education. But nowhere has the legal battle had a greater impact than on Trump’s agenda of dismantling Obama-era environmental and public health regulations. (Phillips, 5/7)
KQED:
County Temporarily Closes Milpitas Gun Range And Neighboring Kids’ Gym After Detection Of Lead Dust
Our investigation has revealed that lead from the gun range contaminated the inside of the gymnastics center. The county health department closed the youth facility Friday until further notice. And the sensitive process of figuring out if vulnerable children have been poisoned from lead exposure is underway. (Rubin, 5/6)
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
County Proposes $6.21 Billion Budget With Increases In Mental Health, Child Welfare And Law Enforcement
San Diego County’s Chief Administrative Officer proposed a $6.21 billion budget for the 2019-20 fiscal year, which amounts to a 1 percent decline from the current $6.27 billion budget but still increases spending on mental health, law enforcement and child welfare services. The spending plan, proposed by CAO Helen Robbins-Meyer, helps pay for those increases with $162 million in capital spending cuts, a 59 percent reduction over the previous year. (Clark, 5/6)
Sacramento Bee:
Steinberg Urges Sac City Teachers To Settle Contract, Floats Parcel Tax
The teachers union has announced plans for a second one-day strike on May 22 over a provision in the contract involving health benefits. The union claims the district is not honoring the agreement by directing savings from a less expensive health plan strictly toward reducing class sizes and hiring more health workers and counselors. (Morrar, 5/6)
Politico:
Bennet: Medicare For All Supporters 'Need To Level With The American People'
Sen. Michael Bennet suggested Monday that the “Medicare for All” proposals touted by many of his Democratic primary opponents may not be as popular as they seem, telling CNN that candidates should "be honest" with voters about the realities of such health care policies. “When you tell people the first thing about Medicare for All — either that it takes insurance away from 180 million Americans that have it through their employer or the taxes we would have to pay to afford that $30 trillion program — that 70 percent support falls to the mid-30s,” Bennet said on CNN's "New Day." “I think we need to level with the American people.” (Galioto, 5/6)
Politico:
Here's Where The Democratic Candidates Stand On The Biggest 2020 Issues
The Democratic primary field for 2020 is largely set, but with former Vice President Joe Biden finally jumping in, the most high-profile candidate has yet to weigh in on many of the policy fights that so far have defined the battle to beat Donald Trump. Voters, donors and political organizations are grilling candidates on whether they would support paying reparations to descendents of slaves, expanding the Supreme Court or abolishing the Electoral College. Biden, who has so far avoided many of these knotty questions, is sure to face inquiries about them soon. (Jin and Oprysko, 4/25)
The Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Measles Cases Continue To Climb
As measles cases rose last week to a new high of 764 cases this year in 23 states, a battle is heating up in New York state over a proposal to tighten vaccination requirements for those attending schools. The new total is 60 cases more than a week ago, according to a weekly update from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That is the highest case count since 1994, driven largely by two outbreaks—in New York City and nearby Rockland County. N.Y. (McKay, West and Vielkind, 5/6)
The Hill:
CDC Reports 60 New Measles Cases In The Past Week
Less than two weeks ago, the country broke the record of 667 cases reported in 2014, the most confirmed since the disease was declared eliminated in 2000. The new numbers mean that a little over four months into the year, there have been almost 100 more cases than there were in all of 2014. Cases have been reported in 23 states, with Pennsylvania being the newest addition. Of the 60 new individual cases, 52 were reported in New York, where two large outbreaks are occurring in Rockland County and in New York City. (Weixel, 5/6)
The Hill:
Instagram Developing 'Pop-Up' Message To Crack Down On Vaccine Misinformation
Instagram said it is taking further steps to crack down on the spread of medically inaccurate content by developing a "pop-up" that would appear on content containing vaccine-related misinformation. An Instagram spokesperson told The Hill that the company has been working on a message that would appear when people search for vaccine misinformation, adding that the feature is still in the works. (Birnbaum, 5/6)