Latest From California Healthline:
KFF Health News Original Stories
Churches Wipe Out Millions In Medical Debt For Others
In a mission of forgiveness, churches around the country are buying up medical debt for pennies on the dollar then erasing the debts of strangers. Since the start of 2018, at least 18 churches nationwide have abolished more than $34 million burdening America’s most debt-ridden patients. (Roxie Hammill, 6/6)
Good morning! As part of a broader effort to restrict fetal tissue research, the Trump administration canceled an HIV research contract with the University of California, San Francisco. UCSF officials said the decision ends the university's 30-year partnership with NIH, which required fetal tissue to search for HIV cures. More on that below, but first here are your some of your other top California health stories for the day.
Clock Is Ticking On Decision About What State Should Do About Expanding Medi-Cal To Undocumented Immigrants: California is required to adopt a budget this month, and the Democrats who control Sacramento are divided between two options. Both inch the state closer to universal health care coverage, but neither proposes to offer health care to all low-income immigrants. They’ve deemed that too costly. The Assembly’s version expands the program to cover undocumented immigrants up to the age of 26. The Senate’s goes further and adds in coverage to undocumented seniors 65 and older, as well. If California adopts this expansion, it would be footing the bill alone. The federal government funds most of the state Medicaid programs such as Medi-Cal, which provides health care to low-income individuals,but it will not pay for benefits for those in the country illegally beyond the restricted program for emergencies and prenatal care. Read more from Elizabeth Aguilera of CALmatters and Sammy Caiola of Capital Public Radio.
More Than 150,000 Children Left Medi-Cal, CHIP In 2018, In What Experts Are Worried Is An Alarming Trend: Enrollment in Medi-Cal and the Children’s Health Insurance Program dropped 3 percent in 2018, according to a report by the Georgetown University Center for Children and Families. That’s a total of 152,515 children leaving the two programs. It’s not yet clear whether these children have lost health insurance coverage altogether, or enrolled in private insurance plans, but health advocates say that it’s likely new immigration policies played a role in the drop. “The loss is alarming,” said Michael Odeh, health policy director for Children Now, a children’s health advocacy group. “We’ve seen an uptick in the number of uninsured kids from other data, so this declining enrolment and lowering of participation in Medi-Cal is truly concerning.” Advocates say the state should also double down on outreach to low-income and immigrant families to reassure them it’s safe to enroll their children in Medi-Cal and to educate them on the benefits of having health care. Read more from Claudia Boyd-Barrett of the California Health Report.
Three-Fourths Of Californians Support Mandatory Vaccinations: Close to 75 percent of 1,713 surveyed adults think that parents should vaccinate their children, a new Public Policy Institute of California poll released on Wednesday showed. Nearly eight in 10 said they worry a recent nationwide outbreak of 981 measles cases will continue to spread. “We find partisan differences on almost everything today. This is a topic when there isn’t a partisan difference on whether vaccinations should be required,” said the institute’s president and CEO Mark Baldassare. “And virtually all Californians say its very or somewhat safe.” The widespread support for immunization parallels efforts in the California Senate, where state Sen. Richard Pan is pushing legislation that would make it harder for families to skirt vaccines. Gov. Gavin Newsom hinted that he may not support the bill, but said he does support vaccinations. Read more from Hannah Wiley of the Sacramento Bee.
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
San Francisco Chronicle:
Kaiser Mental Health Workers Plan California Strike Tuesday
About 4,000 therapists, social workers and psychologists at Kaiser Permanente’s California locations, including 1,200 clinicians in the Bay Area, plan to begin striking Tuesday in protest of what they say are long wait times for patients seeking mental health appointments. The planned action by the National Union of Healthcare Workers, the union that represents the Kaiser workers, is expected to begin Tuesday at Kaiser facilities in San Francisco, San Leandro, Santa Clara and Sacramento. (Ho, 6/5)
CALmatters:
Poll: Californians Want State To Strong Arm Local Governments On Housing
A majority of California voters want state lawmakers to aggressively address an ever-worsening housing crisis, even if that means strong-arming uncooperative local governments, according to a new poll. But given the Legislature’s recent track record, they’re probably in for a disappointment. A new survey from the Public Policy Institute of California found that 57% of likely voters (and 62% of all adults) favor a policy that would force local governments to allow denser development “near mass transit and job centers.” (Christopher, 6/5)
San Diego Union-Times:
Meals On Wheels Expands Innovative Health Program That Started In San Diego
An innovative program that leverages Meals on Wheels’ massive network of observant and tireless volunteers is getting a nationwide expansion after starting as a pilot program in San Diego County. The national nonprofit that serves more than 900,000 free meals to needy seniors every day announced Wednesday that it is expanding a health and safety alert program co-developed by San Diego’s West Health Institute and Brown University that uses mobile technology to trigger rapid assistance for home-bound seniors when drivers detect signs of medical, social or environmental distress. (Sisson, 6/5)
Los Angeles Times:
Hitting Paris Climate Goals Would Save 759 Lives In L.A. During Huge Heat Wave, Study Finds
For decades, climate scientists have been designing models to predict global warming’s long-term ecological effects: sea level rise, coral bleaching, extinctions of entire species. Researchers have now taken a step that hits closer to home, characterizing for the first time how various climate scenarios outlined in the Paris agreement could affect heat-related deaths in humans. (Baumgaertner, 6/5)
The New York Times:
Trump Administration Sharply Curtails Fetal Tissue Medical Research
The Trump administration announced Wednesday that the federal government would sharply curtail federal spending on medical research that uses tissue from aborted fetuses, mainly by ending fetal-tissue research within the National Institutes of Health. The move goes a long way toward fulfilling a top goal of anti-abortion groups that have lobbied hard for it; it is just the latest in a string of decisions that have pleased such groups. But scientists say the tissue is crucial for studies that benefit millions of patients. (Goodnough, 6/5)
Reuters:
Trump Administration Moves To End U.S. Research Using Fetal Tissue From Abortions
There are 200 external government-funded projects that use fetal tissue that will not be affected by the decision, an HHS spokeswoman said. The new policy affects three of NIH's 3,000 internal projects, she said, adding that they will be allowed to continue until fetal tissue material runs out. (6/5)
The Washington Post:
New Restriction On Fetal Tissue Research ‘Was The President’s Decision’
The determination to tighten federal support for an ideologically polarizing aspect of medical research was made by President Trump himself, a White House spokesman confirmed. “This was the president’s decision,” said spokesman Judd Deere, calling it “another important policy . . . to protect the dignity of human life.” The change represents a victory for antiabortion advocates, who immediately lauded the change, and a major disappointment to scientists who say the tissue collected from elective abortions has been instrumental to unlocking the secrets of diseases that range from AIDS to cancers to Zika, as well as to developing vaccines and treatments for illnesses such as Parkinson’s disease. (Goldstein, 6/5)
Politico:
Pushed By Anti-Abortion Groups, HHS Restricts Fetal Tissue Research
The new restrictions had been closely guarded and fiercely debated within the Trump administration. Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney and domestic policy chief Joe Grogan had pushed for the outright ban on NIH using fetal tissue obtained from abortion, said the two officials with knowledge of those conversations. HHS Secretary Alex Azar had argued for a less restrictive policy that would have allowed ongoing research on tissue acquired from research institutions, those officials told POLITICO. (Johnson and Diamond, 6/5)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Administration Puts New Limits On Fetal Tissue Research
Critics said the administration was caving to conservative religious groups at the expense of science. “Ideologues should not be allowed to stand in for real doctors and scientists when the government is making decisions about lifesaving medicine,” said Megan Donovan, senior policy manager at the Guttmacher Institute, a policy group that supports abortion rights. (Armour, 6/5)
The New York Times:
Joe Biden Still Backs Hyde Amendment, Which Bans Federal Funds For Abortions
Former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., who has shunned today’s Democratic Party orthodoxy on issues from crime to compromising with Republicans, again broke with his party’s base and many of his campaign rivals on Wednesday when his campaign confirmed that he still backs the Hyde Amendment, a measure that prohibits the use of federal funds for abortion with exceptions for cases involving rape, incest and when the life of the mother is in danger. (Glueck, 6/5)
The Washington Post:
Abortion Rights Advocates Criticize Biden Over Support For Hyde Amendment
Biden, who is currently leading in early polls for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination, would back repealing the amendment “if abortion avenues currently protected under Roe were threatened,” his campaign told NBC News. In a statement Wednesday, Ilyse Hogue, president of the abortion rights group NARAL, said there is “no political or ideological excuse” for Biden’s support for the amendment, which she said “translates into discrimination against poor women and women of color plain and simple.” “His position further endangers women and families already facing enormous hurdles and creates two classes of rights for people in this country, which is inherently undemocratic,” Hogue said. Stephanie Schriock, the president of Emily’s List, a political action committee that works to elect Democratic women who support abortion rights, also issued a statement calling it “unacceptable” for a major Democratic White House contender to support the Hyde Amendment. (Sonmez, 6/5)
The Associated Press:
Dem Rivals Rebuke Biden For Not Backing Abortion Rule Repeal
The hedging prompted intraparty outcry, with top Democrats reaffirming their commitment to abortion rights and scrapping the Hyde Amendment. The pushback marked the first significant instance in which virtually the entire crowded 2020 field united to critique Biden, who has emerged as an early Democratic front-runner. (6/5)
Los Angeles Times:
Joe Biden’s Opposition To Federal Funds For Abortion Brings First Big Fight Of His Campaign
The campaign statement came one month after Biden suggested in a conversation with a South Carolina voter that he had dropped his past support for the policy. “Biden misheard the woman on the rope line,” the campaign statement explained. “He has not at this point changed his position on the Hyde Amendment.” The statement added that he would be “open to repeal” if women lost access to abortion in the future — presumably because of a Supreme Court decision or other change in law. (Hook and Haberkorn, 6/5)
The Wall Street Journal:
Biden’s Views On Abortion Draw Fresh Criticism And Expose Rift With Fellow Democrats
The criticism from abortion-rights organizations, a key Democratic constituency and a connection to women voters in the party, is the latest example of the former vice president’s lengthy political history complicating his pitch to members of his own party. Mr. Biden leads in early polling but has faced complaints from primary voters about some of his moderate views, stances that might damp turnout among rank-and-file Democrats in a general election matchup against President Trump. (Armour and Thomas, 6/5)
The Hill:
Planned Parenthood Slams Biden Over Support For 'Discriminatory' Abortion Policy
Planned Parenthood's lobbying arm slammed former Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday for his support of the Hyde Amendment, which prevents federal money from being used to cover some abortion costs. The Planned Parenthood Action Fund (PPAF), the reproductive health organization's advocacy group, called the policy "discriminatory" and "strongly encouraged" Biden to rethink his position. (Frazin, 6/5)
The New York Times:
V.A. Prepares For Major Shift In Veterans’ Health Care
The Department of Veterans Affairs on Thursday will begin allowing a broad section of its nine million enrollees to seek medical care outside of traditional V.A. hospitals, the biggest shift in the American health care system since the passage of the Affordable Care Act nearly a decade ago. While department officials say they are ready, veterans groups and lawmakers on Capitol Hill have expressed concerns about the V.A., which has been dogged for years by problems with its computer systems. (Steinhauer, 6/5)
Reuters:
Trump Administration Suspends U.S. Educational Programs For Migrant Children
The Trump administration is suspending educational, legal and recreational programs for migrant children in its custody, saying an influx of children crossing the border without a parent or legal guardian was putting a "tremendous strain" on the resources of the agency tasked with housing them. The agency that houses migrant children - the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) - asked Congress for an additional $2.88 billion to increase shelter capacity, HHS spokeswoman Evelyn Stauffer said on Wednesday. ORR is part of the Department of Health and Human Services. (6/5)
Politico:
Liberals Fight Their Own Party Over Drug Prices
House Democratic leaders are facing deep skepticism from their progressive wing over a plan empowering the government to limit prices for some expensive prescription drugs — a rift that could hurt the party on an issue that has also been embraced by President Donald Trump. Liberal lawmakers and like-minded advocacy groups say the preliminary drug pricing plan pitched by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is far too timid a response to spiraling U.S. drug costs, and could fail to leverage the government’s massive purchasing power in demanding cheaper medicines. (Cancryn, 6/6)
The New York Times:
Insys, The Opioid Drug Maker, To Pay $225 Million To Settle Fraud Charges
The opioid manufacturer Insys Therapeutics agreed to pay $225 million to settle federal criminal and civil charges that it illegally marketed a highly addictive fentanyl painkiller to doctors, federal prosecutors said on Wednesday. As part of the deal, a subsidiary of Insys will plead guilty to five counts of mail fraud and the company will pay a $2 million fine and $28 million in forfeiture, according to a statement from the United States attorney’s office in Massachusetts. The company will also pay $195 million to settle allegations that it violated the federal False Claims Act, which involves defrauding the federal government through drug sales to health care programs like Medicare. (Thomas, 6/5)
Reuters:
U.S. Records 1,000th Case Of Measles, Officials Blame Misinformation For Outbreak
The United States has recorded 1,001 measles cases so far this year in the worst outbreak of the highly contagious disease in more than a quarter-century, federal health officials said on Wednesday as they issued a new plea for parents to vaccinate their children. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 61 new cases have been reported since May 27 of the sometimes deadly disease. It is the highest number of cases since 1992, when the CDC recorded 2,126 cases. (6/5)