Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Doctors’ Lobby Scores ‘Major Victory’ on Bill to Hold Physicians Accountable
Patients and some lawmakers have long blasted the Medical Board of California for failing to discipline negligent or abusive physicians. But the politically powerful California Medical Association, which represents doctors, has mobilized against the latest attempt to give the board more money and power to investigate complaints. (Samantha Young, )
Electricity Won’t Be Shut Off For Non-Payment: Customers behind on their utility bills have three more months of assurance they will not get their power shut off for non-payment after the California Public Utilities Commission passed an extension Thursday. Read more from the San Diego Union-Tribune. In related news, a dangerous and potentially historic heat wave is expected to bring more triple-digit temperatures to parts of Northern California. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Catholics Told They Must Return To In-Person Mass: Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto this week encouraged all Catholics to return to church as all parishes in the diocese may now celebrate Mass at 100% of the seating capacity. Catholics had been granted a dispensation for their obligation to attend, but that dispensation has been rescinded. Read more from The Sacramento Bee.
Below, check out the roundup of California Healthline’s coverage. For today's national health news, read KHN's Morning Briefing.
More News From Across The State
The Wall Street Journal:
Biden, Senators Agree To Roughly $1 Trillion Infrastructure Plan
President Biden and a group of 10 centrist senators agreed to a roughly $1 trillion infrastructure plan Thursday, securing a long-sought bipartisan deal that lawmakers and the White House will now attempt to shepherd through Congress alongside a broader package sought by Democrats. Mr. Biden and Democratic leaders said that advancing the deal on transportation, water and broadband infrastructure will hinge on the passage of more elements of Mr. Biden’s $4 trillion economic agenda. The two-track process sets up weeks of delicate negotiations to gather support for both the bipartisan plan and a separate Democratic proposal, a challenging task in the 50-50 Senate and the narrowly Democratic-controlled House. (Duehren, Peterson and Siddiqui, 6/24)
The Hill:
Biden Says He Won't Sign Bipartisan Bill Without Reconciliation Bill
President Biden on Thursday said he won’t sign the bipartisan infrastructure deal if Congress doesn’t also pass a reconciliation bill, committing to a dual track system to get both bills passed. “I expect that in the coming months this summer, before the fiscal year is over, that we will have voted on this bill, the infrastructure bill, as well as voted on the budget resolution. But if only one comes to me, this is the only one that comes to me, I’m not signing it. It’s in tandem,” Biden told reporters at the White House. (Gangitano and Chalfant, 6/24)
NPR:
Here's What's In The Bipartisan Infrastructure Proposal
According to the White House, the price tag comes in at $1.2 trillion over eight years, with more than $500 billion in new spending. How the measure would be paid for was a central point in negotiations, with Republicans opposed to undoing any of the 2017 tax cuts. The plan "makes transformational and historic investments in clean transportation infrastructure, clean water infrastructure, universal broadband infrastructure, clean power infrastructure, remediation of legacy pollution, and resilience to the changing climate," said a White House fact sheet on the plan released Thursday. (Sprunt, 6/24)
Los Angeles Times:
As Delta Variant Spreads, Biden Pushes COVID-19 Vaccines For Young People
Walgreens gift cards. Concert ticket giveaways. Advertising on video game livestreams. TikTok videos. The incentives multiply as President Biden scrambles to entice more Americans to get inoculated against COVID-19, particularly younger people who believe they are less at risk, as the country is expected to fall short of his vaccination goal for the July 4 holiday after surpassing earlier ones. (Megerian, 6/24)
CNBC:
Biden Says More Americans Will Die As Delta Variant Spreads: 'You Know It's Going To Happen'
President Joe Biden said Thursday that Covid deaths in the United States will continue to rise due to the spread of the “dangerous” delta variant, calling it a “serious concern.” “Six hundred thousand-plus Americans have died, and with this delta variant you know there’s going to be others as well. You know it’s going to happen. We’ve got to get young people vaccinated,” Biden said at a community center in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Mendez, 6/24)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Unions Push Back On S.F. Vaccine Mandate As Black Employees' Advocates Call It Insensitive
San Francisco’s employee unions snapped back against an order that city workers receive a coronavirus vaccination on penalty of firing, calling for a more collaborative approach, while an advocacy group warned that Black workers could be disciplined more often than others under the mandate. The Service Employees International Union Local 1021, which represents 20,000 San Francisco employees, called the policy a “threatening mandate” Thursday. SEIU and other unions said the city would have to negotiate it with unions rather than imposing it unilaterally. (Asimov, 6/24)
KQED:
Don't Have Your California Digital Vaccine Card Yet? Here's How To Get It
Digital vaccine cards – referred to by some as "vaccine passports" – are now available to Californians through the California Department of Public Health. If you haven't signed up yet, read on for more details of what CDPH's digital vaccine verification looks like, why you might want to have one, how to request your digital vaccine record online and what do do if you have problems with the system. (Severn, 6/24)
San Francisco Chronicle:
S.F. Schools Could Follow City's Mandatory Vaccination Policy, Require Teachers, Staff To Get Shots
San Francisco schools could require teachers and other staff to get a coronavirus vaccine, following the city’s lead in mandating that its 35,000 government workers be eventually vaccinated. District officials confirmed to The Chronicle on Thursday that they are discussing the possibility of requiring all 9,700 staff members — including administrators — to get the shots. (Tucker, 6/24)
Los Angeles Times:
Everything To Know About COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots
The first thing you need to know about COVID-19 booster shots is that nothing about them has been set in stone.There is no guarantee we will need them one day. There is no guarantee we won’t. (Netburn, 6/24)
AP:
Nearly All COVID Deaths In US Are Now Among Unvaccinated
Nearly all COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. now are in people who weren’t vaccinated, a staggering demonstration of how effective the shots have been and an indication that deaths per day — now down to under 300 — could be practically zero if everyone eligible got the vaccine. An Associated Press analysis of available government data from May shows that “breakthrough” infections in fully vaccinated people accounted for fewer than 1,200 of more than 853,000 COVID-19 hospitalizations. That’s about 0.1%. (Johnson and Stobbe, 6/24)
LA Daily News:
LA County Reports Uptick In Coronavirus Cases; No Concern About Possible Surge Yet
Los Angeles County on Thursday, June 24, reported its highest daily number of new COVID-19 infections since mid-May, and it is also seeing slight but noticeable increases in hospitalizations and testing-positivity rates, but the public health director said she is not immediately concerned about a virus surge. “Obviously the numbers are really, really low still. Really low,” Barbara Ferrer said. “Case rates are low, test positivity is low. You all remember how high those numbers have been for us. So I’m not concerned at all about surge. What I want to do is I want to make sure that we address any disproportionality early on by identifying those places where we’re seeing pockets of increase.” (6/24)
Los Angeles Times:
With Delta Variant On The Rise In L.A. County, Vaccinations Urged
Confirmed cases of the highly contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus are on the rise in Los Angeles County, prompting renewed calls for residents to take advantage of the available vaccines. While COVID-19 case, hospitalization and death rates remain low countywide, this particular variant — which could be two times as transmissible as the conventional strain — presents particular risk of prolonging the pandemic, which would primarily affect those who have yet to get their shots. (Money and Lin II, 6/24)
Bay Area News Group:
Coronavirus Herd Immunity Is Within Reach For Bay Area. Here’s Why.
About 80% of adult Bay Area residents have detectable antibodies to the COVID-19 virus, up from about 70% a month ago, suggesting that the region is edging towards herd immunity — increased safety due to very low levels of viral transmission. Statewide, immunity is not much lower, at 76.6%, according to an analysis presented by state epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan on Wednesday. That, too, represents improvement. (Krieger, 6/25)
CapRadio:
As California Drops COVID-19 Guidelines, Masking Still Important To Protect Unvaccinated, Experts Say
While the pandemic isn’t over, California entered a new phase of its COVID-19 response when it reopened June 15, removing many masking restrictions. Now, fully vaccinated people can go without masks in most indoor settings, like movie theatres and shopping centers. But when is it still a good idea to wear masks? Public health experts and epidemiologists say that wearing masks in indoor settings remains a good idea to protect the immunocompromised, younger kids and folks who may not yet be vaccinated. (Salanga, 6/24)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Businesses Dodge Fines For COVID-19 Workplace Violations
By April 2021, inspectors with California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, better known as Cal-OSHA, had ordered roughly $4.6 million in fines for wrongdoing related to the COVID-19 in some 200 workplaces. But behind the scenes at the state’s workplace safety agency, California employers and their lawyers have filed an onslaught of appeals, delayed paying their fines and sought deals to pay next to nothing, a Sacramento Bee review of Cal-OSHA fines and payment data found. (Pohl and Kasler, 6/24)
The Mercury News:
Adobe Announces Hybrid Post-COVID Workplace Plan
Despite spending hundreds of millions of dollars building a new office tower in downtown San Jose, software giant Adobe will embrace a post-COVID hybrid workplace model that will allow employees to spend only half their working time in the office, it announced Thursday. “Last year, when it became clear that work was never going back to the way things were, we saw an opportunity and need to reimagine the employee experience and develop a future-of-work approach that leverages the best of in-person and virtual interactions to foster creativity, innovation, and culture,” the company’s HR chief Gloria Chen said in a blog post Thursday. “While we believe in the value of in-person interactions, we know that in some cases, a remote work arrangement makes sense for Adobe and the individual.” (Baron, 6/24)
CapRadio:
Federal Eviction Moratorium Extended, But The CDC Says It’s The Last Time
The Biden administration has extended the nationwide ban on evictions for a month to help millions of tenants unable to make rent payments during the coronavirus pandemic. According to the Associated Press, the administration says it’s expected to be the last time it does so. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky extended the eviction moratorium from June 30 until July 31. (6/24)
NPR:
CDC Extends Eviction Moratorium Through July
The Biden administration says the extension is for "one final month" and will allow time for it to take other steps to stabilize housing for those facing eviction and foreclosure. The White House says it is encouraging state and local courts to adopt anti-eviction diversion programs to help delinquent tenants stay housed and avoid legal action. The federal government will also try to speed up distribution of tens of billions of dollars in emergency rental assistance that's available but has yet to be spent. In addition, a moratorium on foreclosures involving federally backed mortgages has been extended for "a final month," until July 31. (Fessler, 6/24)
Stateline:
CDC Extends National Eviction Moratorium
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday extended the national eviction moratorium it first imposed in September to July 31. The eviction ban, designed to help keep people in their homes and thus slow the spread of COVID-19 in crowded settings such as homeless shelters, was set to expire next week. More than 7 million households were behind on rent last month and nearly half are at risk of eviction, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. State leaders are bracing for a potential wave of evictions when the federal moratorium expires. (Quinton and Hernández, 6/24)
Politico:
Biden Picks Housing Advocate To Lead FHA
President Joe Biden will nominate housing nonprofit executive Julia Gordon to be the commissioner of the Federal Housing Administration, the White House said Thursday. Gordon is the president of the National Community Stabilization Trust, which facilitates the rehabilitation of homes in underserved markets. She was also the housing director at the Center for American Progress and managed the single-family policy team at the Federal Housing Finance Agency. (O'Donnell, 6/24)
The New York Times:
White House Considers Lifting Rule That Blocked Migrants During Pandemic
The Biden administration is in the later stages of planning how to phase out a Trump-era public health rule that has allowed border agents to rapidly turn away most migrants who have arrived at the southern border during the pandemic, according to two administration officials. It is possible that in the coming weeks, border officials could start allowing migrant families back into the country, with an eye toward lifting the rule for single adults this summer. The plan, while still not final, is sure to complicate an already thorny issue for President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who is visiting the border on Friday as Republicans accuse the administration of being slow to address what they describe as an unrelenting surge of migrants trying to enter the country. Lifting the rule will only exacerbate that. (Sullivan and Kanno-Youngs, 6/24)
ProPublica:
The U.S. Is Closing A Loophole That Lured Mexicans Over The Border To Donate Blood Plasma For Cash
A federal agency is closing a legal loophole that allowed U.S.-based blood plasma companies to harvest plasma from thousands of Mexicans a day, who were lured by bonus payments and hefty cash rewards, as a 2019 ProPublica and ARD German TV investigation showed. U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced on June 15 that effective immediately, it would no longer permit Mexican citizens to cross into the U.S. on temporary visas to sell their blood plasma. A statement provided to ProPublica and ARD said that donating plasma is now considered “labor for hire,” which is illegal under the visitor visa most border residents use to cross into the United States to make donations. (Lind and Dodt, 6/24)
Stateline:
Enrollment In Health Insurance Lags Among Latino Children
Not long ago, Graciela Camarena, a community health worker in the Rio Grande Valley, had a perplexing case. Over a two-year period, the U.S.-born daughter of a single, working mother kept getting turned down for Medicaid coverage even though her brother was enrolled in the public health plan. The situation was fraught because the 12-year-old girl was ailing. She had developed breathing problems and was always fatigued, to the point that she couldn’t participate in gym class. (Ollove, 6/24)
NBC News:
Under Trump, Gains In Health Care Coverage For Latino Children Mostly Erased
Latino children were disproportionately affected by an overall increase in child uninsured rates between 2016 and 2019 when Donald Trump was president, according to a recent study. More than 1.8 million Latino children lacked health coverage as of 2019, a rate of 9.3 percent, according to the study from the Center for Children and Families at Georgetown University released June 8. That is an increase of 354,400 children compared to 2016, when the uninsured rate of Latino children was at 7.7 percent. The uninsured rate of non-Latino children increased from 3.7 percent in 2016 to 4.4 percent in 2019. (Acevedo, 6/23)
Los Angeles Times:
Pandemic Erases Gains In Life Expectancy For Black Americans
By the time a mysterious respiratory disease began circling the globe in early 2020, American life spans had already been under two decades of steady downward pressure from fatal drug overdoses, suicides, gun violence and chronic illnesses linked to poverty and despair. Americans were in trouble, with an average life expectancy that had sunk below that of any other affluent country. Now, new research finds that the COVID-19 pandemic has delivered another crushing blow to longevity in the United States. In just two years, the pandemic that has killed more than 600,000 Americans has slashed close to two years off the average life expectancy. (Healy, 6/25)
CalMatters:
Will Disabled Californians On SSDI Get Golden State Stimulus?
Gov. Gavin Newsom sent $600 Golden State Stimulus checks to some Californians with disabilities, but passed over others. As the Legislature negotiates with Newsom over his proposal to expand the program, Californians who receive Social Security Disability Insurance say they’re fed up with being overlooked during the pandemic. (Botts, 6/24)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Non-COVID-19 Clinical Trials Are Mounting A Comeback As The Pandemic's Shadow Lifts
When the COVID-19 pandemic first struck more than a year ago, Olga Stavro feared the worst for her health, but not because of the coronavirus. The special education teacher has amyloidosis, a rare and deadly disease caused by toxic clumps of protein that build up in the body and damage the heart, nervous system and kidneys, among other organ systems. The disease took the life of her mother, who was first diagnosed at 60 — the same age Stavro is now. (Wosen, 6/25)
CapRadio:
UC Regents Say Doctors Must Be Able To Provide Gender-Affirming Care At Religiously Affiliated Partner Hospitals
Following a push from lawmakers, reproductive rights groups and transgender health advocates, the University of California Board of Regents has adopted a policy that could make it easier for patients to receive abortions, gender confirmation surgeries and other procedures at religiously affiliated hospitals. Certain health facilities that adhere to Catholic doctrine don’t allow abortions or sterilization. Some have restrictions around hysterectomies, which are often part of the gender transition process for transgender people. (Caiola, 6/24)
Los Angeles Times:
COVID Vaccine Incentives Work, But Send The Wrong Message
As we claw our way out of the pandemic, state governments across the country are offering all kinds of rewards for getting vaccinated against COVID-19. In return for getting your shot, you could take a thrilling lap around the Talladega Superspeedway in Alabama, win a free fishing and hunting license in Maine, or get your own custom shotgun in West Virginia. In California, residents who get vaccinated have a chance at $1.5 million as part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s vaccination lottery program, Vax for the Win. There’s some evidence that these incentives are working. Since California launched its lottery on May 27, over 900,000 residents began their vaccination process. According to the California Department of Public Health, the state saw a 13% increase in vaccinations from the last week of May to the first week of June. (Caroline Petrow-Cohen, 6/22)
San Francisco Chronicle:
We Just Reopened And Companies Are Already Screwing Up Work From Home
Facing employee resistance and growing turnover, Amazon recently suffered the embarrassment of backing away from its intention to force all staff to return to the office five days a week, instead of allowing them to work from home part-time on a hybrid schedule. Apple’s recently-announced plan to similarly force its staff back to the office has caused substantial internal opposition and churn. Why are these and so many other leaders of major companies compelling employees to return to the office? They must know about the extensive, in-depth surveys from spring 2021 that asked thousands of employees about their preferences on returning to the office after the pandemic. (Gleb Tsipursky, 6/22)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Community Voices: COVID-19 Is A Work-Related Injury, Disability
Despite what California’s state senators may believe, the COVID-19 pandemic has permanently changed the state’s workers’ compensation program. As a legislative deadline loomed this month, state senators rejected a bill that would have permanently classified infection with coronavirus as a “presumptive” cause qualifying employees for workers’ compensation benefits and expanded the classification to other conditions hospital workers suffer, including some cancers, post-traumatic stress disorder, certain respiratory diseases, and muscle or ligament injuries. (Timothy Bartell, 6/22)
Orange County Register:
Cities Must End Their States Of Emergency
The Newport Beach City Council voted unanimously this week to end our year-old COVID-related state of emergency. We invite other cities to do the same – to restore to their citizens the rights and powers emergency responses strip away. Last year, a majority of Orange County cities, including ours, declared local emergencies by identifying COVID-19 an extreme peril that would likely overwhelm government resources absent swift action. “Extreme peril” is the legal standard for giving unelected staff decision-making authority normally reserved to elected city officials. But the peril is no longer extreme. Indeed, the greater peril today is that politicians become too comfortable with expanded government power and that the people lose the practical habits of freedom. (Will O'Neill, 6/24)
Los Angeles Times:
The Continuing Legal Threat To Obamacare
Supporters of the Affordable Care Act breathed a sigh of relief heard coast to coast last week, when the Supreme Court turned away what looks like the last federal challenge seeking to overturn the law on constitutional grounds. They shouldn’t get overconfident. Waiting in the wings is yet another federal lawsuit attacking the law. This one seeks to invalidate a key provision that requires insurers to provide Americans dozens of services, including contraceptives and anti-HIV drugs, without deductibles or co-pays. (Michael Hiltzik, 6/21)
Southern California News Group:
Obamacare Survives SCOTUS, But Can It Survive Mathematics?
For the third time, the U.S. Supreme Court has issued a ruling that finds a way to allow the Affordable Care Act to survive.Last Thursday the justices handed down their decision in California v. Texas, in which a number of states and some individual plaintiffs contended that the law known as Obamacare is unconstitutional. The court did not rule on the merits of the claim. Instead, the justices concluded that the states and the individual plaintiffs did not have standing to bring the lawsuit because they had not been harmed by the law. That opens the door for a future lawsuit by different plaintiffs. (6/24)
Los Angeles Times:
UC Regents Tighten Oversight In Catholic Hospital Deals
The University of California Board of Regents on Wednesday tightened UC’s rules on affiliations with hospitals that impose religious restrictions on care. The policy approved almost unanimously by the board places greater limits than before on interference by religious authorities with the medical judgments of UC physicians practicing at sectarian hospitals. (Michael Hiltzik, 6/23)
The Mercury News:
Medication Deductibles Keep People From Taking Needed Drugs
A bill that just passed in the state Senate could be life-changing for the nearly 2 million Californians with chronic diseases. Proposed by physician and Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, Senate Bill 568 would require state-regulated, high-deductible health plans to provide “first-dollar coverage” for preventive chronic disease medications and diabetes supplies. (Kenneth Thorpe, 6/25)
Los Angeles Times:
A Letter To My Parents About Depression And Mental Illness
I’ve been living with depression for most of my adult life. It began with short bouts during college and gradually worsened after I graduated. About two years ago I began having thoughts of suicide, and in a moment of panic, I tried to hurt myself. It happened at a time when I had so much to celebrate. This column was launching and the podcast I created, “Asian Enough,” was entering production. But my self-esteem was caving in. I began to doubt that I was the protagonist in my own story. I felt an obligation to be happy and was ashamed I couldn’t meet it. I was posing in photos and videos to help promote the podcast when all I wanted was to disappear. (Frank Shyong, 6/25)
Los Angeles Times:
High School Soccer Player's Death In Heat Was Preventable
After participating in a club soccer practice last August in Chino on one of the hottest days of the year, 17-year-old Shane Thomas collapsed and died. This month, the San Bernardino County Coroner’s Division ruled that extreme heat played a role in his death. He died from “hyperthermia due to elevated environmental temperature,” the autopsy report said. The temperature had reached 111 degrees around the time of practice. Shane didn’t have to die. Athlete deaths related to heat exertion are 100% preventable. Unfortunately, California has a severe shortage of policies that could prevent such deaths. (Jason Bennett, 6/24)