Morning Breakouts

Latest California Healthline Stories

Beyond Abortion: Democrats’ Focus On Kavanaugh’s Threat To Health Law To Protect Red-State Candidates

Ten Democrats face re-election this year in states that President Donald Trump won in 2016, and four of those battlegrounds lean against abortion rights. So instead of making abortion their key issue in the Supreme Court nomination fight, Democratic leadership is focusing on the broader threat to health care access in general. Meanwhile, outlets take a look at where Brett Kavanaugh stands on various other health care issues.

Kavanaugh’s Impact On Elections Highlights The Two Very Different Fights Happening For House And Senate

In states where the upcoming battle over Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court could help Senate Republican candidates, it could also hurt the party’s chances in the House. Unlike in the upper chamber, where the vulnerable seats are mostly Democrats in red-state districts, the fight for control of the House is taking place in swing-districts across the country.

Administration Cuts Grants Again To Health Law Navigators Arguing They’re Ineffective And Unnecessary

The Trump administration is also directing the insurance counselors, for the first time, to help people enroll in health plans that do not comply with the consumer protection standards and other requirements of the Affordable Care Act. The move comes just days after CMS froze a program that gave money to insurers to help stabilize the marketplace.

Cancer Mortality Rates Would Plummet More Than 20 Percent If Everyone Had Access To Quality Care

There’s already a hint of this happening with the implementation of the health law and the expansion of Medicaid. When patients have access to preventive medicine and screenings, cancer can be caught earlier, improving the chance of a better outcome.

Rising Retirement Levels, Burnout Contributing To California’s Growing Shortage Of Mental Health Professionals

“Aging of the current workforce, low rates of reimbursement, burnout, burdensome documentation requirements and restrictive regulations around sharing clinical information necessary to coordinate care are some of the reasons for the shrinkage,” a study finds.

As California Drug Cost Transparency Law Goes Into Effect, Pharma Companies Cancel, Reduce Planned Increases

The California measure, signed in October by Gov. Jerry Brown, requires pharmaceutical companies to notify insurers and government health plans at least 60 days before planned price increases of more than 16 percent during a two-year period.

Trump Claims U.S. Attempts To Water Down Breast-Feeding Resolution Was Due To Opposition To Formula Limits

“The U.S. strongly supports breast feeding but we don’t believe women should be denied access to formula. Many women need this option because of malnutrition and poverty,” President Donald Trump tweeted. Meanwhile, experts criticized any attempts to undermine breast-feeding.