CalMatters: California’s Path Hinges On The Presidential Race: ‘No State Has More To Lose Or Gain’
Whoever wins the presidency, the 2024 election has outsized implications for California. The elevation of Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris to the highest office in the land would make her the most powerful Californian in nearly four decades. Former President Donald Trump’s return to the White House would thrust the state back into leading the resistance against his Republican administration, as it did during his first term from 2017 to 2021. (Koseff, 11/5)

San Francisco Chronicle: Oakland Records Zero Homicides In October As Thao Fights Recall
Oakland recorded zero homicides in October, a major milestone for the city as it heads into a recall vote aimed at the mayor that’s centered on public safety. Mayor Sheng Thao, who was elected in 2022, announced the city’s homicide number last week at a news conference touting her efforts to reimplement Ceasefire, an anti-violence program that went dormant during the pandemic. The city has recorded 67 homicides this year — a 35% decrease compared to this time in 2023, when the city had 103 homicides, according to police data. (Ravani, 11/4)

Politico: The Election’s Stakes For Global Health
An agreement to set nations’ obligations when the next pandemic comes, billions in contributions to international disease control efforts, even U.S. membership in the World Health Organization: Those are the main stakes for global health in tomorrow’s election, according to health policy analysts. (Paun, 11/4)

Los Angeles Times: U.S.-Bound Migrants Say The Election Doesn’t Matter: ‘You’re Going To Suffer Whoever Is President’
In a forlorn stretch of high desert outside Mexico City, a dozen migrants trudged along beside a set of railroad tracks, hoping to jump on a freight train that would take them closer to the United States. They said they were only vaguely aware of the U.S. presidential election — which was a just few days away — and their role in it. “I don’t know much about American politics,” said Santiago Marulanda, 38, who had traveled from Venezuela with with his wife and two children and hoped to make it to California. “Whoever wins, wins. But I know this: Whoever the victor, things won’t be easy for us as immigrants.” (McDonnell, 11/4)

Los Angeles Times: A Trump Win Could Mean Changes For California's Water, RFK Jr. Says
More than half of Californians and nearly 75% of U.S. residents live in communities where fluoride has been added to drinking water to prevent tooth decay, an intervention hailed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control as one of the 20th century’s greatest public health achievements. Yet should Donald Trump be elected to a second term, water systems will be immediately directed to end this practice, according to supporter Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Purtill, 11/5)

Side Effects Public Media: Election-Related Stress Is A Thing. Here’s What Specialists Advise To Do
Research shows an estimated 94 million Americans perceive politics as a significant source of stress. Some even lose sleep over politics and others struggle with suicidal thoughts. “The constant barrage of negativity and fear driven narratives was leaving me irritable, exhausted and anxious. Politics was killing my soul,” Rachel, an Indianapolis resident in her fifties, told Side Effects. (Gabriel, 11/4)

The Washington Post: Hypnosis? Colonoscopy? What Some People Will Do To Avoid Election Day.
Americans on how to avoid or cope with Election Day: flee to a cabin, or flee the country. Try surgery ... or psilocybin. (Judkis, 11/4)

Crisistextline.org: Crisis Text Line: Text ELECTION To 741741
In the unpredictable environment of the 2024 presidential election, it’s natural to feel overwhelmed or anxious. The tension is real, but you don’t have to face it alone. Crisis Text Line is here to offer support. Simply text ELECTION to 741741 to reach a live volunteer crisis counselor in English. Para apoyo en español envía la palabra ELECCIONES al 741741. (11/5)

The New Republic: A Harris Win Won’t Save The Most Vulnerable Abortion Clinics
It’s very possible that Vice President Kamala Harris could win the presidency after a campaign heavily focused on abortion rights and pledges to pass federal protections. Pro-choice ballot measures may pass multiple states in what some people are gleefully referring to as “Roevember”—if only, for some, to sell merch. But it’s also looking increasingly likely that multiple all-trimester abortion clinics, which between hype-filled campaign seasons remain the safety net for people turned away elsewhere, could shutter in the next few months. These potential closures include at least one facility set to close by the end of the year; what will follow is a disastrous ripple effect for the clinics that remain. So, yes, if Harris wins, the nation will have averted the likeliest avenues to a threatened national abortion ban. And yet, weeks after a historic Roevember, there could be more people denied abortions than ever before. (Rinkunas, 11/5)

CBS News: These States Have Abortion Laws On The Ballot For The 2024 Election
The 2024 election will not only decide who succeeds President Biden in the White House, but in 10 states, voters will also have the chance to weigh in on abortion access through ballot measures. The states are Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, and South Dakota. (Quinn and Hubbard, 11/4)

Becker's Hospital Review: Kaiser Permanente Suffers Data Breach
An unauthorized individual gained access to the email accounts of two employees at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Calif., the health system announced in a notice on Nov. 1. Kaiser Permanente discovered the breach on Sept. 3 and immediately terminated the unauthorized access to the accounts. An investigation was launched to assess the scope of the incident. (Diaz, 11/4)

Becker's Hospital Review: Dignity Taps CEO Of 2 California Hospitals
Simon Ratliff has been appointed president and CEO of Dignity Health Mercy Hospitals in Bakersfield, Calif. Mr. Ratliff succeeds BJ Predrum, who was named president of Dignity Health's Central Valley market, according to an Oct. 31 news release from the San Francisco-based health system. (Kuchno, 11/4)

Becker's Hospital Review: Cedars-Sinai To Put $20M Into Health Equity Initiatives
Los Angeles-based Cedars-Sinai is handing out $20 million in grants to local nonprofits to promote health equity in homelessness and housing, access to care and community response, the health system confirmed to Becker's. (Taylor, 11/4)

Becker's Hospital Review: Prime's 2025 To-Do List: A New EMR, An On-Demand Classroom And Supporting Distressed Hospitals
Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare's 2024 has been highlighted by plans to acquire nine Illinois hospitals and post-acute facilities from St. Louis-based Ascension and launching an integrated EMR system in Southern California. Looking ahead to 2025, Prime President and Chief Medical Officer Sunny Bhatia, MD, shared his strategy for the future. (Gooch, 11/4)

Becker's Hospital Review: Why Hospitals Still Can't Get The Supplies They Need
During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare supply chain issues were complex and plentiful, creating an unprecedented mess for hospitals struggling to care for an increased load of patients. Hospitals were without adequate masks, gloves, medical devices, medications and more. Today, a few years later, healthcare's supply chain problems persist. In some cases, they are even worse. (Asin, 11/4)

CBS News: Respiratory Therapists Create Disposable Hijabs For Muslim Health Care Workers
It's a challenge facing health care workers. There's a lack of personal protective equipment for Muslim women. Now, two Minnesota respiratory therapists are breaking barriers in the health care world, by filling that need and creating disposable, hygienic hijabs. (Mitchell, 11/4)

Los Angeles Times: Microdosing Ozempic? Patients Are Using DIY Doses Of Weight-Loss Drugs
Shauna Bookless never imagined she’d become her own pharmacist. But after gaining more than 20 pounds during undergraduate and graduate school and feeling unhappy with her weight, the Hollywood resident found herself mixing vials in her kitchen to create her own doses of a popular weight-loss drug. “I’m playing doctor,” Bookless said, describing her foray into the world of do-it-yourself GLP-1 medication, injections developed to control diabetes and now also used for weight loss. (Snow, 11/5)

Reuters: Hims & Hers Health Plans To Offer Generic Version Of Novo Nordisk's Diabetes Drug In 2025
Telehealth firm Hims & Hers Health said on Monday it plans to bring a generic version of Novo Nordisk's diabetes drug, liraglutide, to its platform in 2025. "We have already confirmed a core supplier for this addition and over the next few months expect to finish completing test and batch validation, as well as confirming certificates of analysis," the company said. Liraglutide, used to treat type 2 diabetes under the brand name Victoza, belongs to the first generation of drugs known as GLP-1 agonists, which curb appetite and help control blood sugar. (11/4)

Reuters: GoodRx, PBMs Accused Of Suppressing Reimbursements To Independent Pharmacies
Drug coupon aggregator GoodRx and pharmacy benefit managers including CVS Caremark and Express Scripts have been hit with at least three class action lawsuits accusing them of working together to suppress reimbursements to small pharmacies for generic prescription drugs. The first lawsuit was filed by Minnesota-based Keaveny Drug in federal court in Los Angeles last Wednesday, and another was filed in the same court on Friday by Michigan-based Community Care Pharmacy. A third lawsuit was filed on Friday by Pennsylvania-based Old Baltimore Pike Apothecary and Smith's Pharmacy in Providence, Rhode Island, federal court. (Pierson, 11/4)

Reuters: Walgreens Agrees To Pay $100 Mln To Resolve Lawsuit Over Generic Drug Pricing
Walgreens has agreed to pay $100 million to settle a proposed class action lawsuit accusing it of fraudulently overcharging customers for a decade when they bought generic drugs through private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid. (Pierson, 11/4)

Healthcare Dive: Physicians, Hospitals Decry 2025 Medicare Payment Rates
The Biden administration has finalized 2025 Medicare reimbursement rates for physicians and hospital clinics that providers agree aren’t large enough in light of rising costs. Physicians will see their Medicare rates drop 2.9% next year. The decrease, which is in line with regulators’ initial proposal this summer, means $1.8 billion less in funding going to doctors in 2025. (Pifer, 11/4)

Stat: Medicare To Pay For Mental Health Apps Under New Rule
Medicare regulators on Friday finalized rules to pay for some mental health apps, a breakthrough for digital therapeutics companies that have struggled for a foothold in the health care system. The new rule creates codes that allow clinicians to bill Medicare for providing the apps and related services to their patients. Beginning January 1, 2025, the codes will enable payment for mental health apps authorized by the Food and Drug Administration under a specific regulation that includes just a handful of treatments for conditions like depression and substance use disorder. (Aguilar, 11/4)

Axios: What Hospitals Stand To Lose As Supreme Court Tackles Medicare Payments
About $1.5 billion in annual Medicare payments to hospitals will be on the line Tuesday when the Supreme Court hears arguments in a case over whether the federal government shortchanges facilities that care for low-income seniors. Why it matters: It's the latest legal skirmish over so-called disproportionate share payments that have steadily declined in recent years but are a lifeline for hospitals that treat a substantial number of poor patients, who typically are sicker and have more complex needs. (Goldman, 11/5)

The Washington Post: Medicare Advantage Insurers Fear Losing Millions Over A Few Bad Phone Calls
As the biggest Medicare Advantage insurers see it, something as minor as a dropped phone call can now cost them hundreds of millions of dollars.Around the time Medicare open enrollment started last month, the insurance giants Humana, Centene and subsidiaries of UnitedHealthcare filed lawsuits alleging they stand to lose substantial revenue because a tiny number of unsuccessful customer service phone calls hurt their 2025 Medicare Advantage scores — costing them customers or multimillion-dollar bonuses they otherwise stood to get from the federal government. (Najmabadi, 11/4)

Newsweek: Americans Willing To Pay More For Medicare To Expand Access
Amajority of Americans would support paying higher premiums for Medicare if necessary to cover Alzheimer's treatments, according to a new survey commissioned by the Alliance for Aging Research. The poll, which was conducted by Lake Research Partners and Public Opinion Strategies, discovered 82 percent of Americans support requiring Medicare and insurance companies to cover the Alzheimer's treatments. That includes 65 percent who favored that policy even if it increased health insurance premiums. (Blake, 11/4)

Stat: Private Medicare Plans Get Billions For Veterans Who Get VA Care
Under names like “Patriot Plan,” “Courage MA,” and “Honor” plan, all of the major private Medicare insurers are courting veterans directly, selling plans that their ads say complement their Veterans Affairs coverage with benefits like dental and vision. These Medicare Advantage plans are quite popular — almost 42% of all Medicare-eligible veterans had one in 2022. (Bannow, 11/4)

Roll Call: Biden Wants Medicaid Doctors To Talk To Parents About Firearms
The Biden administration wants more health care providers to talk to parents about keeping their kids safe around firearms, as data shows kids are increasingly dying by suicide, accidents and homicides involving guns. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has given states the green light to allow Medicaid providers to counsel parents and caregivers of children about firearm safety and injury prevention. (Hellmann, 11/4)

Los Angeles Times: State Sues Southern California City That Banned New Homeless Shelters
The state of California filed suit against Norwalk on Monday, alleging the southeastern Los Angeles County city’s moratorium on new homeless shelters and supportive housing violates half a dozen housing laws.“No community should turn its back on its residents in need,” Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement announcing the lawsuit. In August, Norwalk’s City Council passed a law banning the facilities, along with new laundromats, liquor stores and payday lenders, until at least next summer. (Dillon, 11/4)

Voice of OC: Irvine To Consider Killing Proposed Homeless Shelter
Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan is calling her colleagues in for a special meeting on Election Day to reverse course on buying land for a homeless shelter she approved less than two weeks ago. The last-minute meeting, hours ahead of the polls closing, comes after years of debate on where a homeless shelter could go in town or whether they should have one at all. (Biesiada and Hicks, 11/4)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Sonoma County Board Of Supervisors Poised To Allocate Funding For CARE Court Targeting Cases Of Severe Mental Illness, Homelessness 
The deadline for Sonoma County to implement a state mandated program designed to help individuals suffering from severe mental illness, including untreated schizophrenia, is quickly approaching, but first it must go before the Board of Supervisors. (Murphy, 11/4)

Los Angeles Times: New Owner Cuts Security, Janitors At Skid Row Homeless Housing
[Jermaine] Staley and other tenants said the Produce [Hotel in Skid Row] had deteriorated over the previous two weeks since the building had been sold out of receivership to Beverly Hills developer Leo Pustilnikov. Upon taking control of the Produce and 16 other supportive housing buildings he acquired in a $10-million deal, Pustilnikov sharply curtailed janitorial and security services. (Dillon, 11/5)

East Bay Times: California School District Rescinds Transgender Notification Policy 
The Murrieta Valley school board has rescinded its controversial policy to notify parents if a student is transgender. (Darling, 11/5)

Fresno Bee: Teen Drug Use Varies By State. Here’s How California Compares. 
Fewer teenagers are using drugs after rates precipitously dropped during the COVID-19 pandemic, but overdose rates are on the rise as fentanyl becomes more common. (Stacker, 11/4)

CIDRAP: California, Washington Report More Suspected H5 Avian Flu Cases
Two states affected by avian flu outbreaks in dairy cattle and commercial poultry reported more probable H5 avian flu infections in farm workers over the last few days, four in California and three in Washington. In other developments, federal officials reported more outbreaks in dairy cows and poultry, and in California, Los Angeles County announced that H5 has been detected in wastewater for the first time. (Schnirring, 11/4)

Sacramento Bee: Avian Flu Detected In Flock Of Sacramento County Turkeys
Health officials have detected highly pathogenic avian influenza in a flock of commercial turkeys in Sacramento County, the latest outbreak to hit the Central Valley’s poultry industry. U.S. public health officials have been tracking sporadic cases of the avian influenza in wild birds, commercial poultry and backyard or hobbyist flocks for nearly three years. (Merrilees, 11/5)

The Washington Post: CDC: Pertussis Case Reports 5 Times Higher Than At This Time Last Year
More than five times as many pertussis cases had been reported as of mid-October compared with the same time last year, according to provisional numbers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Pertussis, or whooping cough, is characterized by persistent, chronic fits of coughing followed by a “whoop” sound, and is sometimes called the “100-day cough.” (McMahan, 11/4)

The New York Times: Cost Of Mpox Shot Deters Americans At Risk, Critics Say
The epidemic in Africa continues to grow, prompting fears of another outbreak in the U.S. But the vaccine is no longer free, and vulnerable people are going without. (Mandavilli, 11/4)

NBC News: Trump's Vaccine Stance Could Lead To Health Crisis Among Children: Experts Warn
Some pediatricians are stunned by the possibility that vaccines proven to save kids’ lives could be banned in a second Trump administration. On Sunday, former President Donald Trump told NBC News that if he wins Tuesday, he’ll “make a decision” about whether to outlaw some vaccines. ... The president doesn’t have authority to ban vaccines but can influence public health with appointments to federal agencies that can change recommendations or potentially revoke approvals. (Edwards, 11/4)

Stat: A Q&A With The FDA’s Top Vaccine Regulator Amid A Fresh Wave Of Disinformation
Vaccination policy in the United States could be in line for some fundamental changes, if Donald Trump is reelected and delivers on promises that long-time vaccine skeptic Robert Kennedy Jr. said the former president has made — including giving Kennedy authority over the country’s health agencies in a second Trump administration. Even if none of that comes to pass, vaccine fatigue and disinformation abound in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. (Branswell, 11/4)