Becker's Hospital Review: Blue Shield Of California To Launch Drug Benefit Venture
Blue Shield of California is set to launch a drug benefit initiative in January, partnering with Amazon Pharmacy and pharmacy benefit manager Abarca, Forbes reported Dec. 5. The collaboration, called the Pharmacy Care Reimagined Initiative, aims to reduce prescription drug costs and improve transparency for the insurer's 5 million health plan members. (Murphy, 12/6)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Palomar Health Posts $165 Million Operating Loss. Is Bankruptcy Next?
A $165 million operating loss in its previous fiscal year has Palomar Health asking its lenders not to enforce borrowing terms that could push the North County medical provider into bankruptcy. (Sisson, 12/8)

Becker's Hospital Review: California Hospital Changes Management
Stockton-based Dameron Hospital has transitioned from management under Roseville-based Adventist Health to Modesto, Calif.-based American Advanced Management, according to a Dec. 6 news release shared with Becker's. The new management services agreement with AAM, a physician-led organization operating 14 hospitals across five states, took effect Dec. 2, according to the release. (Gooch, 12/6)

Modern Healthcare: LA Care Health Plan Names Martha Santana-Chin As Next CEO
Health Net executive Martha Santana-Chin will take the helm at LA Care Health Plan after CEO John Baackes retires next month, the company announced Friday. Santana-Chin will join LA Care Health Plan from Centene subsidiary Health Net, where she is president of Medicaid operations. Santana-Chin has held various positions at Health Net since 2013, according to her LinkedIn profile. (Tepper, 12/6)

Modern Healthcare: Gallup: 19% Of Americans Are Satisfied With Healthcare Costs
The vast majority of people in the U.S. are dissatisfied with the cost of healthcare, according to researchers. Meanwhile, the percentage of those who would rate the quality of U.S. healthcare as excellent or good has hit its lowest point in more than two decades. Research and polling firm Gallup's annual Health and Healthcare poll, released Friday, found that 11% of Americans said healthcare quality was excellent and 33% said it was good. Additionally, nearly 80% of respondents said they were dissatisfied with the cost of healthcare. (DeSilva, 12/6)

The Wall Street Journal: Medicare Patients Who Leave Private Insurers For Government Coverage Are Costlier Than Most, Study Finds
Patients who leave Medicare plans run by private insurance companies in favor of traditional Medicare end up costing the government much more than typical patients, according to a new analysis by health-policy nonprofit KFF, raising the prospect that the private insurers are denying coverage to patients with costly illnesses. Overall, the patients fleeing private insurance plans cost 27% more in 2022 than traditional Medicare beneficiaries. (Weaver, 12/6)

Bay Area News Group: Silicon Valley CEOs' Security Budgets Spotlight Deadly Risk
Disgruntled influencer Nasim Aghdam burst onto a courtyard at YouTube headquarters in San Bruno in 2018 and shot three people before killing herself. A Virginia woman obsessed with Apple CEO Tim Cook drove across the country and showed up outside Cook’s Palo Alto condo in 2021 after sending him photos of a loaded pistol. Charles Geschke, co-founder of Adobe, was kidnapped by two men with guns when he got to work in Mountain View in 1992.In the wake of the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, those threats and acts of violence targeting the Silicon Valley technology industry and its leaders highlight the dangers that have forced tech companies to spend whopping sums to prevent their CEOs and other high-profile employees from being targeted. (Baron, 12/9)

CNN: The Suspect In The Killing Of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO Has Eluded Police For Nearly A Week. How Long Can He Avoid Being Caught?
Nearly a week after a health care executive was fatally shot on a busy New York City street, authorities know what the suspect looks like but they don’t know who or where he is. Through glimpses of his unmasked face, his movements through the country’s largest city and belongings police say he left behind, he seems almost familiar but remains a mystery as he continues to evade capture. ... With mounting clues and likely hundreds of authorities searching for the whereabouts of a suspect believed to have left New York City on an interstate bus, how much longer can he avoid getting caught? (Williams, Pazmino, Perez, Morales, Gingras, Prokupecz and Young, 12/9)

NPR: USDA Orders Testing Across Nation's Milk Supply Amid Rising Bird Flu Cases 
The influenza virus has been raising alarm since it was detected in a Texas cow back in March. Since then, the virus has spread to over 710 dairy herds across 15 states, with California reporting the highest number of infections. At least 58 people have been infected with bird flu, including one child living in the San Francisco Bay area. (Juliana Kim, 12/6)

Sacramento Bee: Avian Flu Detected In Migratory Birds In California Counties
Birds migrating through California tested positive for avian influenza in recent months, state officials reported, as the virus continues its spread through livestock and wildlife through the state. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife reported Friday that the highly pathogenic avian influenza was detected in migratory birds in several different counties across the state, including Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Los Angeles, San Benito, San Luis Obispo and San Diego. (Melhado, 12/7)

Modesto Bee: Stanislaus County Woman Dies As Seasonal Flu Spreads In Valley 
Health officials said Friday that a woman stricken with the seasonal flu has died in Stanislaus County. The county Health Services Agency said in a news release that it’s the first flu-related death this year among people younger than 65. (Carlson, 12/6)

CIDRAP: US Flu Activity Picks Up A Little More Pace
Though US flu activity is still low, markers such as test positivity and emergency department (ED) visits show more rises, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest weekly update. In its monitoring of outpatient visits for flulike illness, Louisiana and the District of Columbia are at the high and very high level, respectively, with Georgia and Arizona at the lower tier of the high level. Most detections are influenza A, and subtyping last week at public health labs shows nearly 62% of influenza A viruses were H3N2 and 36% were 2009 H1N1. Nationally, outpatient visits are highest in the youngest children, followed by patients ages 5 to 24 years old. (Schnirring, 12/6)

The Hill: Biden Makes Push To Extend Obamacare Subsidies After Gloomy CBO Report
President Biden called on Congress to extend the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, tax credits on Friday after a Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report highlighted national healthcare disparities. “A new report from the Congressional Budget Office underscores just how critical the legislation to bring down health care costs, enacted under my Administration, have been,” Biden said in the statement. (Fields, 12/7)

The Washington Post: Democrats Propose Deal To GOP Extending Affordable Care Act Subsidies By A Year
Congressional Democrats have privately proposed a deal to Republicans that would extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies by one year, with lawmakers worried by new estimates that 2.2 million people will otherwise lose health coverage, according to five people who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the proposal. The move accompanied a broader package of health-care proposals submitted to Republicans on Thursday night ahead of year-end spending negotiations. (Diamond and Roubein, 12/6)

NBC News: Trump Details Sweeping Changes He’ll Carry Out On Day One And Beyond In An Exclusive Interview
During Trump’s one debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, he was criticized for saying he had “concepts of a plan” to replace the Affordable Care Act, the health care law signed by President Barack Obama. It’s not clear Trump’s ideas have evolved further. “Obamacare stinks,” he said. “If we come up with a better answer, I would present that answer to Democrats and to everybody else and I’d do something about it.” (Nicholas, 12/8)

The Hill: Donald Trump: 'I Don't Think' Access To Abortion Pills Is Going To Change
President-elect Trump in a new interview signaled he would not move to restrict access to abortion pills upon taking office, even as he acknowledged “things change.” “I’ll probably stay with exactly what I’ve been saying for the last two years. And the answer is no,” Trump told Kristen Welker on “Meet the Press” when asked if he would restrict the availability of abortion pills. ... Trump added. “Things do change. But I don’t think it’s going to change at all.” (Samuels, 12/8)

The New York Times: Trump Suggests RFK Jr. Will Examine Debunked Link Between Vaccines And Autism
President-elect Donald J. Trump, who has promoted the debunked theory that vaccines cause autism for more than a decade, suggested on Sunday that he would have his choice for health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., look into the issue. “I think somebody has to find out,” Mr. Trump said on NBC’s “Meet The Press,” after his interviewer, Kristen Welker, brought up autism in the context of a conversation about Mr. Kennedy’s skepticism of vaccines. (Gay Stolberg, 12/8)

Politico: Defense Bill Could Hit Last-Minute Snag Over Transgender Provision
The top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee said Saturday he’s still undecided on how he’ll vote on a Pentagon policy bill he helped negotiate after Republicans insisted on language aimed at medical treatments for transgender children. The comments from Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) could signal some Democrats will have difficulty supporting the must-pass bill when it hits the House floor in the coming days and complicate its passage as a year-end deadline to get it to President Joe Biden’s desk nears. (O’Brien, 12/7)

LAist: Orange County Has No Plans To Open Temporary Emergency Winter Shelters Despite An Increase In Homelessness 
For the first time, Orange County will not open additional winter shelter spaces for the unhoused community, instead relying on existing beds. (Farzan, 12/9)

San Diego Union-Times: Who Dies In San Diego Jails? Overwhelmingly People Still Awaiting Trial, Advocates’ Analysis Finds
Almost nine of every 10 people who died in San Diego County jails between 2011 and 2023 had not been convicted of the crime for which they were being held, a new study has found. Black people made up just 6 percent of the county population but 12 percent of all the people who died in jail over the same period — and 19 percent of the jail population, the report from the Care First California Coalition found. ... In addition to the racial disparities and deaths of people who had not been convicted, the study found an average of 16 people dying in San Diego County jails every year over the 13-year period. (McDonald, 12/8)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: What’s Next For Sonoma Developmental Center After Controversial Vote? 
When Susan Gorin decided to run for a third term as the 1st District representative to the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors four years ago, the top item on her agenda was redevelopment of the Sonoma Developmental Center. The 133-year-old former state health care institution, nestled against the western hills of Sonoma Valley, offered potential for housing, commerce, public gathering space and vocational training, all in a setting that blended historic architecture and natural splendor. (Barber, 12/6)

San Francisco Chronicle: Woman Claims She Was Rushed Into Gender Transition In California Suit
One day after the Supreme Court heard arguments over states’ ability to ban gender-affirming care for minors, a 20-year-old UCLA student sued two California doctors, saying they inappropriately rushed her “down a life-altering … and irreversibly damaging” gender transition beginning at age 12. The lawsuit, filed Thursday by Kaya Clementine Breen in Los Angeles County Superior Court, argues that Dr. Johanna Olson-Kennedy, who runs the largest transgender youth clinic in the U.S. as the medical director of the Center for Transyouth Health and Development at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, diagnosed Breen with gender dysmorphia “mere minutes” into their first appointment, just after Breen had turned 12. (Libby and Barba, 12/6)

NPR: How Trans Activists Are Preparing For 2nd Trump Administration
Restricting access to gender-affirming care for minors and barring trans women from women's sports teams covered by Title IX are just some of the policies that Trump's campaign has said will be under consideration once he is in office. Local advocates, trans people and their families, as well as national LGBTQ organizations are preparing for these potential Trump administration actions. (Diaz, 12/7)

Bay Area News Group: Share The Spirit: Amid Fentanyl Crisis, Bay Area Health Center Sees More Folks Turning Away From Deadly Drug
Bay Area Community Health, based in Fremont and San Jose, offers medical treatment, addiction counseling and other health services to tens of thousands of people every year. The organization’s target population is the “medically unserved,” including unhoused or impoverished residents, as well as people suffering from HIV/AIDS and transgender people, BACH’s website says. (Gartrell, 12/9)

California Healthline: Resources Are Expanding For Older Adults On Their Own
Aging alone, without a spouse, a partner, or children, requires careful planning. New programs for this growing population offer much-needed help. (Graham, 12/9)

Los Angeles Times: In Three Months, 26 Foods Have Been Recalled. Why You Shouldn't Worry
Consumers in California were bombarded last month with 11 food recall notices that included raw milk from Fresno infected with H5N1 bird flu, organic carrots from City of Commerce contaminated with E. coli and cucumbers from Arizona that contained salmonella. The notices brought the total number of recalled foods between September and November to 26. It is normal to have this many recalled foods? (Garcia, 12/8)

Fortune Well: Drinking Enough Water Helps With Weight Loss, Migraines, And More, New Study Shows
Drinking enough water daily can help you lose weight and prevent kidney stones, according to an analysis led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). What’s more, adequate hydration can prevent migraines, headaches, and urinary tract infections (UTIs); and control diabetes, blood glucose levels, and low blood pressure. The team’s systematic review of 18 randomized controlled trials was published Nov. 25 in the journal JAMA Network Open. (Leake, 12/7)

The New York Times: Top-Gun Navy Pilots Fly At The Extremes. Their Brains May Suffer
To produce the best of the best, the Navy’s elite TOPGUN flying school puts fighter pilots through a crucible of intense, aerial dogfighting maneuvers under crushing G forces. But behind the high-speed Hollywood heroics that the school is famous for, the Navy has grown concerned that the extreme flying may also be producing something else: brain injuries. This fall, the Navy quietly began a confidential project, code-named Project Odin’s Eye, to try to find out. (Philipps, 12/8)

Stat: Why AML Patients Struggle To Get Bone Marrow Transplants
Bone marrow transplants can be lifesaving for patients with acute myeloid leukemia, but new research reveals how socioeconomic factors create barriers to treatment and higher death rates for people living in disadvantaged communities. (Wosen, 12/8)

Axios: Cancer Treatments Jump Among Young Adults
Cancer treatment rates jumped among adults younger than age 50 between 2020 and 2023, according to a FAIR Health analysis shared first with Axios. The report reflects a puzzling rise in the rates of certain cancers, such as colorectal cancer, among younger patients. (Reed, 12/9)

AP: Mexico Study's Surprising Finding: Killer Heat Hit Harder For The Young Than The Elderly
A surprising study of temperature-related deaths in Mexico upends conventional thinking about what age group is hit hardest by heat. Researchers found at higher temperatures and humidity, the heat kills far more young people under 35 than those older than 50. For decades, health and weather experts have warned that the elderly and the youngest children were most vulnerable in heat waves. But this study looking at all deaths in Mexico from 1998 to 2019 shows that ... there were nearly 32 temperature-related deaths of people 35 years old for every temperature-related death of someone 50 and older. (Borenstein, 12/6)