Morning Breakouts

Latest California Healthline Stories

Police, Officials Speak Out Against Proposed Mobile Needle Exchange

Officials raised concern about the exchange being near some homes and an elementary school and about the possibility of discarded needles ending up in public areas, creating a “health risk to residents and visitors.”

First-Of-Its-Kind Lawsuit Claims Pharma’s Role In Opioid Crisis Led To Higher Premiums For Everyone

The industry is already defending itself against hundreds of lawsuits filed by cities and states, but this challenge takes a different route. “Insurance companies factored in the unwarranted and exorbitant healthcare costs of opioid-related coverage caused by defendants and charged that back to insureds in the form of higher premiums, deductibles, and co-payments,” the complaints allege. Meanwhile, experts weigh in on the opioid package moving through Congress.

Prominent Pathologist’s Report Sparks More Controversy Over Stephon Clark’s Shooting

Dr. Bennet Omalu, who was hired by the Clark family’s legal team, said Stephon Clark was shot six times in the back, while the Sacramento County coroner’s office found that he was hit three times in the back and seven overall. Neither Omalu nor civil rights attorney Ben Crump provided an actual copy of the private autopsy report, and a lawsuit on behalf of Clark’s family expected a month ago has yet to be filed.

Getting Rid Of Individual Mandate Is Bad Idea, Former HHS Secretary Tom Price Admits

“Younger and healthier people may now not participate in that market and consequently that drives up the costs for other folks,” said Dr. Tom Price, who was a fierce opponent of the health law during his tenure in Congress and while leading HHS.

As NIH’s Massive DNA Sharing Project Kicks Off, Officials Face Concerns Over Privacy After Alleged Serial Killer’s Arrest

The “All Of Us” initiative’s goal is to enroll 1 million people in a research effort aimed at developing “personalized” methods of prevention, treatment and care for a wide variety of diseases. And, after news broke that the capture of the alleged Golden State Killer was made possible by genetic information found on the internet, NIH Director Francis Collins wants participants to know their data will be carefully shielded.

Overdoses Involving Fentanyl Surpasses Deaths From Prescription Opioids

“We have been very focused on the threat of prescription opioid overdose deaths, and this paper shows us that we need to remain vigilant about the ever shifting nature of the crisis,” said Emily Einstein, a health science policy analyst at the National Institute on Drug Abuse.