Viewpoints: California’s Drug Cost Transparency Bill May Hurt Patients In The Long Run
A selection of opinions on health care developments from around the state.
Sacramento Bee:
Don't Sacrifice Cures For Drug Price Transparency
Cancer is frightening in the abstract, and even more so when it becomes your reality. Three years ago, I was diagnosed at a relatively young age with late-stage colon cancer and have since gone through extensive treatments. The love of my husband and three children, the dedication of health care professionals who treated me and the support of patient communities such as Colontown have helped me stay strong. (Deborah Goldberg, 8/25)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Legislators Should Get Facts Before Passing SB 17
A one-size-fits-all approach to prescription costs will have the unintended complication of unsettling a generic drug market that works for Californians. SB 17 would place large regulatory burdens on generic manufacturers who produce hundreds of drugs. (Chester Davis Jr., 8/31)
Sacramento Bee:
California Lawmakers Fight Over Drug Prices
In the debate over health care, employers, unions and many government officials agree on the need to provide affordable prescription drug coverage while increasing the quality of pharmacy benefits. The Legislature is considering Assembly Bill 315 by Assemblyman Jim Wood, D-Healdsburg, which could lead to higher drug prices and reduce pharmacy benefit managers’ ability to offer the best services to employers. (Edmund J. Pezalla, 8/30)
Los Angeles Times:
Prenatal Care Should Also Include Mental Health Screening, Treatment For Moms
If we care about the future of Orange County families and the economic engine of our county, we need to start asking a tough question about the mental health of mothers. Instead of wondering why a new mom is depressed or not feeling herself, we need to ask, “What’s keeping you from getting the treatment you need?” (Pamela Pimentel and Patricia De Marco Centeno, 8/28)
Orange County Register:
Bring County Contracts Out Of The Shadows
Orange County voters are notoriously alert when it comes to watching out for their tax dollars. So voters here might be both surprised and dismayed to find out that our county has been a poster child for insider deals and rigged bidding processes that have awarded lucrative deals to campaign donors and cronies of high-ranking officials. (Jennifer Muir Beuthin, 8/25)
Ventura County Star:
Congress Must Act Now To Stabilize Health Care Markets
With all of the distractions of the past few weeks, ranging from the obscenity of a domestic terrorist attack in Charlottesville to the specter of unstable leaders of nations with nuclear weapons, Americans are still nervously pondering the fate of our health care system. (Irving Loh, 8/26)
Orange County Register:
A Welcome Approach To Opioid Treatment
La Habra is the latest local city to start equipping officers with naloxone, a drug which can be administered via injection or nasal spray to reverse opioid overdoses. Communities across the country have proven that equipping police and other first responders with naloxone can save lives, and many more local cities should follow suit. (8/30)
Los Angeles Times:
Bringing Parental Leave Benefits To More Workers
California state law guarantees that new parents, biological or adoptive, can take 12 weeks off from work to care for their babies without worrying about losing their health care or having a job when they are ready to come back. ... Now, state lawmakers are considering a proposal that would extend the full benefits to about 2.7 million more California workers. (8/31)
Sacramento Bee:
Don't Kill Bills To Fix California Housing Crisis
Democrats in the Legislature are right. What California is experiencing isn’t merely a housing crisis. It’s a housing “catastrophe” – and after years of stalemates and inaction, it’s encouraging that many at the Capitol are finally starting to treat it like one. Earlier this week, Gov. Jerry Brown, Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon agreed on a package of bills that would deliver billions of dollars for affordable housing projects, and streamline the approval process for construction by eliminating some environmental and planning procedures. (8/30)
The East Bay Times:
Trump Ignoring His Opioid Panel's Recommendations
The advice President Trump received from his commission on the nation’s opioid crisis wasn’t what he wanted to hear.So he seems to be ignoring it. Which denigrates not only commission members he appointed but also the addicted and their loved ones whom he promised during the campaign to help. (8/25)
Orange County Register:
Disagreement On Restrooms Along Santa Ana River Trail A Worrisome Sign
Anaheim had planned to consider the installation of portable restrooms along the river trail next to the North Net Training Center for firefighting and search and rescue operations. ... But a last-minute letter from a law firm representing the joint powers authority questioned the city’s ability to unilaterally allow portable toilets at the site, and expressed concerns “that the homeless will be attracted to the location,” and that the toilets will invite “incidents of vandalism.” (8/31)