Morning Breakouts

Latest California Healthline Stories

Santa Clara County Interested In Buying 2 Safety Net Hospitals After New Owners Hit Roadbumps

The hospitals were among six sold about three years ago by the Catholic Daughters of Charity to a hedge fund. The deal was blessed by then state Attorney General Kamala Harris under conditions that included facility improvements and no cuts to charity care, jobs or pay. But the nonprofit running all the hospitals recorded operating losses of $55.8 million in the nine months that ended March 31.

An Abortion Law Signed By Pence Could Be First One To Make It To A Supreme Court With Kavanaugh On The Bench

The Indiana law prohibited abortion because of the gender, race or disability of the fetus, such as Down syndrome. Meanwhile, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) says he doesn’t know if he’s going to vote for Brett Kavanaugh to fill the empty Supreme Court seat.

CMS Proposes Plan To Pay Doctors The Same For Seeing Patients With A Cold Or Stage 4 Cancer

CMS Administrator Seema Verma says the goal is to cut down on paperwork and free up physicians’ time. But critics say the proposal would underpay doctors who care for those with the greatest medical needs, and possibly discourage them from taking on Medicare patients.

‘How Many More People Need To Die?’ LA’s Catch-22 Over Speed Limits Angers Residents

An old law requires California cities to post speed limits that reflect the natural speed of traffic. If the limit is too low, or if it is years out of date, the police can’t use radar guns or other electronic devices to write speeding tickets there. But residents say the high limits are a public health hazard.

What Gene Therapy’s Advances Look Like Through Lens Of Scientist Who’s Been Behind Bars For Years

Dr. W. French Anderson is considered the father of gene therapy, but that was before he was convicted in Los Angeles County of sexually molesting a colleague’s young daughter. “I got out of prison and looked at all of the [gene therapy] literature and felt sort of like Rip Van Winkle waking up,” Anderson said. “It would be nearly impossible to catch up.”

How One Judge Has Taken Center Stage In The Immigration Crisis

U.S. District Judge Dana Sabraw has stepped into the spotlight after setting ambitious deadlines for HHS to reunite separated families. Media outlets take a look at how he got there, and how he’s holding federal officials accountable.