Fresno Bee: Madera Community Hospital Could ‘Face Challenges’ If Congress OKs Medicaid Cuts, CEO Says 
Madera Community Hospital’s chief administrator says cuts to Medicaid could harm the facility’s ability to fund certain treatments. Cuts to that federal health insurance program, which provides more than 60% of Medi-Cal’s budget, are likely if Congress approves a current blueprint for cutting $2 trillion in spending that the GOP-led House approved last week. (Galicia, 3/7)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Reps. Thompson And Huffman Blast GOP’s Proposed $880 Billion In Cuts Aimed In Part At Medicaid
Reps. Mike Thompson and Jared Huffman made a joint appearance Friday in Santa Rosa to issue dire warnings about the impact of a Republican plan to cut over the next decade at least $880 billion from programs that are likely to include Medicaid and Medicare to help pay for some $4.5 trillion in tax cuts. (Espinoza, 3/7)

Politico: Funding Bill Skips Measure To Avert Physician Pay Cuts, A Blow To GOP Doctors Caucus
The funding bill House Republican leaders released on Saturday does not avert cuts for doctors who treat Medicare patients — a blow to Republicans who had pushed for the changes that also could risk alienating members whose support will be needed to pass the legislation. Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.), who co-chairs the GOP Doctors’ Caucus, said in recent months that Republican leadership was open to including the policy in the bill to keep the government funded through September, and that Trump administration officials had assured it would be addressed. (Leonard, King and Payne, 3/8)

Forbes: Doctors Outraged Republican Congress To Allow Medicare Pay Cut
The American Medical Association and a chorus of physician groups decried what they say is a decision by the Republican-controlled Congress to allow a devastating cut in Medicare payments to physicians. A funding bill released over the weekend by Republicans who control the U.S. House of Representatives will allow to go forward a 2.8 percent cut in payments physicians receive from the Medicare health insurance program to treat elderly patients. (Japsen, 3/9)

MedPage Today: MedPAC Says Agents Make More Money Enrolling Clients In Medicare Advantage
A report released Thursday showing how health plan agents receive hefty financial incentives to steer beneficiaries into Medicare Advantage (MA) plans -- rather than traditional Medicare and Medigap -- prompted several members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) to call for dramatic changes in the enrollment system. "I think we have a system here ... that is inherently flawed," said Commissioner R. Tamara Konetzka, PhD, a public health sciences professor at the University of Chicago, during a MedPAC public meeting. (Clark, 3/7)

Los Angeles Times: 'The Stress Keeps You Up At Night': Emotional Devastation Lingers In L.A. Fire Zones
For weeks after the Eaton fire ravaged her Altadena home, Ivana Lin lived in a constant, overwhelming state of fight or flight. Her body was tense. She barely slept. At one point, she jotted down a to-do list of everything she felt pressure to get done in one day — including itemizing her lost belongings for her insurer, applying for financial assistance and figuring out child care for her 4-year-old son whose preschool burned. (Branson-Potts, 3/9)

Los Angeles Times: L.A. Fires Put New Drinking-Water Safety Measures To The Test
By the time the Eaton and Palisades fires broke out, scientists and the state could hand the affected utilities a playbook on how to restore safe water for their customers. The lessons learned helped the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, which serves the Pacific Palisades, restore safe drinking water to all its customers just two months after the fires erupted — compared to an entire year in Santa Rosa. Yet, the Altadena utilities are still fighting to restore safe water. And, as with the Tubbs fire, the recovery has still been tinged with persisting scientific debates and uncomfortable unknowns. (Haggerty and James, 3/8)

Los Angeles Times: FEMA Extends Deadline To Apply For L.A. Wildfire Relief
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has extended the deadline for Los Angeles wildfire victims to apply for federal aid to March 31. So far, FEMA has distributed more than $84.2 million to 30,468 people impacted by what officials warn could be the costliest disaster in modern history. FEMA grants do not need to be repaid and can be used to cover rental assistance, temporary housing, home repairs, property losses and other disaster-related needs not covered by insurance. (Harter, 3/8)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Nearly 20% Of San Diego Fires ‘Likely’ Began By Homeless Encampments, Data Shows 
More than 1,100 fires in San Diego last year may have begun in homeless encampments, amounting to almost a fifth of all blazes in the city. (Nelson, 3/10)

Times of San Diego: EPA Chief Responds To Tijuana River Valley Sewage Crisis After Letter From IB Mayor
Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre said she had renewed hope that the ongoing environmental crisis in South Bay will get federal help after Environmental Protection Agency chief Lee Zeldin posted about it on social media. Zeldin’s post came after Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre wrote a letter to the EPA asking them to reconsider a previous decision rejecting further federal action on the sewage crisis under the Biden administration. (Binkowski, 3/9)

KQED: (Part One) ‘Like Family’: Japanese American Seniors And Caregivers Say Goodbye To J-Sei Home
J-Sei Home was a 14-bed residential care facility for the elderly geared toward Japanese Americans in Hayward, California. The residents ate Japanese meals, walked through the Japanese garden, watched Japanese TV programs, celebrated Japanese holidays and spoke Japanese with the staff. Residents were embraced by the tight-knit community of caregivers and staff, whether they lived there for seven years or nine months. (Yamada, 3/9)

KQED: (Part Two) J-Sei Home Closes After 30 Years, Leaving Bay Area Japanese Seniors In Need
In late January, about a hundred people — mostly East Bay Japanese American community members — gathered at Sycamore Congregational Church in El Cerrito to honor Ruth Sato Fukuchi. Fukuchi, a former microbiologist, was remembered for her youthful spirit and for being a consummate learner, even late in life. When she was in her mid-70s, she picked up the ukulele and played with the Sentimental Strummers band for seven years. (Lei, 3/10)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: These Parents Say Their Special Education Children Receive Unfair Suspensions From Windsor School District. Here Are Their Stories
The student was only 4 years old when he was suspended for the first time. He was in a transitional kindergarten class, a preparatory year that helps students develop fundamental social and emotional skills. (Gutierrez, 3/8)

The Desert Sun: How Much Does The Department Of Education Fund California Schools?
President Donald Trump's plans to defund or abolish the U.S. Department of Education have prompted questions about the department’s role in America. But how much money does California get from the U.S. Department of Education to help fund schools? (Barraza, 3/8)

Voice of San Diego: San Diego’s CARE Court Is Serving Those Formerly In Conservatorships
San Diego County’s rollout of CARE Court hasn’t been what many expected – not even the author of the legislation that created the program. Proponents touted CARE Court as a way to get thousands of people with untreated psychotic disorders into treatment through court-ordered plans. San Diego County officials, however, have held back from forcing people into treatment and instead made the program voluntary. Not only that, but officials have also tapped into another group for CARE Court participation: people already in the strictest level of forced treatment. (Halverstadt, 3/10)

CalMatters: California Programs Fight Homelessness With Exercise
Robert Brown had tried everything for his pain, from acupuncture to massage to chiropractors. A 59-year-old Army veteran who spent decades living on the street, Brown has a crushed disk in his spine and nerve damage to his thigh. What finally helped him feel better wasn’t medication or traditional physical therapy. (Kendall, 3/10)

Los Angeles Times: A Homeless Woman Who Occupied Her Old, Vacant Home Is Saying Goodbye
She knew she had to go even though she couldn’t imagine moving somewhere else. Maria Merritt has lived in El Sereno the better part of 30 years. Her little home on Poplar Boulevard served as the beacon in a turbulent life that led her to solid ground. She raised her four kids there, had a well-paid job and a spell of normal family life, cooking big meals on Sundays and adorning the front picture window with Christmas decorations in winter. (Dillon, 3/10)

San Francisco Chronicle: Daniel Lurie To Send SF Officials To DC To Fight For Federal Funds
San Francisco officials are heading to Washington, D.C., this week to lobby for federal funding they’re worried could be withheld by the Trump administration or congressional Republicans, which would compound the city’s already-dire budget challenges. Mayor Daniel Lurie is sending a team of local leaders to meet with members of the Bay Area’s House delegation and both of California’s U.S. senators, among others, to discuss what they believe is San Francisco’s urgent need for hundreds of millions of dollars in money from the federal government. It’s the first time Lurie has sent a team to the nation’s capital since he was elected. (Morris, 3/10)

San Francisco Chronicle: California Judge's Aphasia Diagnosis Unlocked An Extraordinary Skill
A busy Northern California judge with a docket of complex cases noticed a disturbing change in late 2022. The familiar language of her job — about restraining orders, cash forfeitures and injunctions — no longer felt familiar. The details seemed baffling. It wasn’t only at work in El Dorado Superior Court where words began misbehaving for Judge Dylan Sullivan, who was 56 years old. When she wanted to say, “no,” it often came out as “yes.” When she meant to say “her,” she might instead say “he.” (Asimov, 3/9)

Becker's Hospital Review: Inside UC San Diego Health's Mission Control For Patient Flow
With inpatient demand stretching hospital capacity thin, UC San Diego Health is taking a collaborative, data-driven approach to proactively refine how patients move through the health system. Helping lead this effort is Brian Clay, MD, associate chief medical officer of inpatient care and hospital operations. Dr. Clay's role centers on two key areas: improving patient flow — both by reducing length of stay and preventing avoidable extensions — and strategically distributing patient demand across the health system's three hospitals. (Bean, 3/7)

Becker's Hospital Review: 'Strength With Empathy': 9 Women On Their Leadership Philosophies
Empowerment and empathy have shaped the leadership philosophies of many women in healthcare. In honor of International Women's Day on March 8 and Women's History Month, Becker's connected with nine hospital and health system leaders [including Annette Walker, president of City of Hope Orange County] to explore how being a woman has influenced their leadership approach and their strategies for tackling healthcare challenges. (Gooch and Kuchno, 3/7)

The Bay Area Reporter: HIV Organizations Sounding The Alarm As PrEP Coverage Case Reaches SCOTUS
Several health advocacy and LGBTQ organizations are urging the United States Supreme Court to uphold coverage and zero cost-sharing for PrEP for HIV prevention. As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, a group of business owners is suing the federal government on account of the United States Preventive Services Task Force's requirements that preventative services such as sexually transmitted disease screenings, depression, and PrEP be covered. (3/7)

The New York Times: C.D.C. Will Investigate Debunked Link Between Vaccines And Autism
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is planning to conduct a large-scale study to re-examine whether there is a connection between vaccines and autism, federal officials said Friday. Dozens of scientific studies have failed to find evidence of a link. But the C.D.C. now falls under the purview of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long expressed skepticism about the safety of vaccines and has vowed to revisit the data. (Baumgaertner Nunn and Gay Stolberg, 3/7)

Politico: RFK Jr. Plans To Meet With Big Food
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is planning to meet with top executives of several major food brands on Monday, marking the first sitdown between the new Health and Human Services secretary and companies he’s publicly accused of harming Americans’ health. Senior leaders from General Mills and PepsiCo are among those expected to participate in the discussion with Kennedy, said four people familiar with the matter, who were granted anonymity to discuss details that are not yet public, though they cautioned the attendee list could still change. (Brown and Cancryn, 3/8)

AP: HHS Makes $25,000 Buyout Offer To Most Of Its Employees
Most of the 80,000 federal workers responsible for researching diseases, inspecting food and administering Medicare and Medicaid under the auspices of the Health and Human Services Department were emailed an offer to leave their job for as much as a $25,000 payment as part of President Donald Trump’s government cuts. Workers cannot start opting in until Monday and have until 5 p.m. on Friday to submit a response for the so-called voluntary separation offer. (Seitz, 3/9)

The War Horse: VA Employees Say Trump, DOGE Cuts Hurt Veterans
For years, his morning routine was as therapeutic as the job he loved: Wake up at 4:30. Run or lift weights by 5 a.m. Then head to the veterans mental health facility where he works in California to help veterans who are struggling after leaving the military — just as he once had. But these days, he says he sleeps through his alarm and wakes up already exhausted, with a pulsing dread in his stomach. The first thing he does is check his email: Does his staff still all have jobs? Does he still have a job? Does his team still exist? (Kehrt, 3/7)

San Francisco Chronicle: Terminal California Cancer Patient Fears Deportation
One morning three years ago, ROR woke up and went to the bathroom. Seeing that he was urinating blood, he rushed to the emergency room, arriving by 9 a.m. By 11 a.m., the doctors had given him a diagnosis: cancer. They said it so “plainly,” recalled ROR, whom the Chronicle is identifying by his initials because he is undocumented. “‘You have cancer.’… And then my head was spinning. I was reviewing my life like a film, confused and scared, thinking that I am going to die.” (Mukherjee, 3/9)