Latest California Healthline Stories
Attorney General Xavier Becerra said students were being unfairly diverted at the Stockton Unified School District into a school-to-prison pipeline. The agreement, which must still be approved by the court, sets in motion a five-year monitoring program.
LA Teachers Secure Commitment For A Full-Time Nurse In Every School As Strike Ends
Currently, the Los Angeles school district pays for nurses one day a week at schools, although schools often use discretionary funds to pay for additional days. The lack of proper staffing for nurses was a major component of the teachers’ strike.
Last year, the legislature passed similar legislation, but it was vetoed by then-Gov. Jerry Brown who said the bill was unnecessary because the services are widely available to women off-campus.
“It’s a game of whack-a-mole; we’re trying to make the law work in California, but every time we turn around there’s another attack by the federal government,” said Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access, a statewide health consumer advocacy group.
Consumers Could Be On Hook For More Health Costs Under Trump Proposal To Incentivize Generic Drugs
The proposal would allow insurers to only credit the cost of a generic drug — if one exists — toward the annual limit for cost-sharing. So if a consumer filled a prescription with a $25 brandname drug, but there was a generic on the market that cost $5, the consumer might get credit for only $5 in out-of-pocket spending.
“Medicare for All” is on the agenda for liberal candidates pitching their hats into the 2020 race — including Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) who announced her candidacy on Monday. But a more incremental approach, such as opening Medicare to more demographics, is gaining traction with some of the more moderate lawmakers in the party.
Cancer Rates Have Dramatically Dropped Since Early 1990s, But Racial, Economic Disparities Persist
Early detection and optimal treatment for cancer are credited for the decrease. But the news wasn’t all good: the cancer death rate in 2016 was 14 percent higher in African-Americans than in whites, and people living in the poorest counties in the U.S. were more likely to smoke and be obese, both risk factors for cancer.
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said he could see a future where the entire category of e-cigarette and vaping products were pulled from shelves. E-cigarette use spiked 78 percent among high school students and 48 percent among middle school students over the last year, and the trends have become a main priority for Gottlieb.
Increased Number Of School Nurses And Psychologists Included In Demands From LA Teachers
The teachers are demanding better quality of care for children, including a full-time nurse at every school in the district.
The announcement from HHS’ Conscience and Religious Freedom Division that California violated workers’ protections with its law that’s already been blocked by courts came on the day thousands of antiabortion advocates gathered for the annual March for Life.