Viewpoints: GOP Candidates And Obamacare; Should Sanders Be Cut Slack Over Mental Health Joke?
A selection of opinions on campaign issues and other health care developments from around the state.
The Los Angeles Times:
GOP Plans To Repeal Obamacare Won't Bring The Change You're Hoping For
For the third time in eight years, the presidential campaign is doubling as a referendum on the U.S. healthcare system. And once again, the debate will revolve around the rising cost of health insurance and the number of people struggling to obtain or maintain coverage. The obvious difference this time, though, is that the 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare, is now fully in effect. (3/7)
The Los Angeles Times:
Tell Me Again How Obamacare Is A 'Disaster'
Conservative attacks on the Affordable Care Act long ago took on the qualities of reflexive, empty rhetoric, of the "say it enough and people will believe it" variety. As it happens, a couple of statistical releases from the U.S. government give the lie to the most persistent attacks. More on those in a moment. (Michael Hiltzik, 3/4)
Los Angeles Times:
Bernie Sanders Jokes About The 'Mental Health' Of Republicans
Did Bernie Sanders insult mentally ill people in Sunday’s debate with Hillary Clinton? The Ruderman Family Foundation thinks so. The foundation, which describes itself as “a national leader in disability inclusion,” condemned the senator from Vermont for saying during the debate in Flint, Mich.: “You know, we are, if elected president, going to invest a lot of money into mental health. And when you watch these Republican debates, you know why we need to invest in that.” (Michael McGough, 3/7)
The Ventura County Star:
Laura's Law Could Help Mentally Ill But Is Not A Panacea
Ventura County this week joined the growing list of California counties finally getting around to implementing the state's 13-year-old Laura's Law, which gives officials more power to order severely mentally ill residents into outpatient treatment. (3/10)
The Sacramento Bee:
Gov. Jerry Brown Should Sign Bump In Paid Family Leave
California has one of the nation’s few paid family-leave programs, but far too few Californians can take advantage of it. One reason is pay. People who need time off to care for a new child or sick relative only get reimbursed for 55 percent of their lost salary for a maximum of six weeks, which is simply a deal breaker for minimum-wage workers. Living on the minimum wage is hard enough, let alone 55 percent of it. So good for Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez, D-Los Angeles, who last week finally persuaded the Legislature to improve the payout, particularly for lower-wage workers. Under Gomez’s bill, private-sector workers earning up to about $108,000 will get at least a 60 percent reimbursement in weekly salary, and those earning the minimum wage or slightly more would get coverage for 70 percent of their paycheck. (3/8)
The Los Angeles Times:
Two Months After A Heart Transplant, Airline Wants Him Back At Work -- Or Else
Now consider the situation of Oscar Munoz, chief executive of United Airlines. The carrier proudly announced this week that he'll be back on the job Monday, just two months after having a new heart sewn into his chest. United made it seem like Munoz's comeback is some kind of medical marvel, and maybe it is. But a regulatory filing submitted by the company the day after Munoz's surgery made clear that the airline may not be as magnanimous as all that. It said Munoz would be behind his desk — or else. (David Lazarus, 3/11)
Los Angeles Times:
It's Time For All L.A. Farmers Markets To Accept Food Stamps
Los Angeles does love its farmers markets — but not all Angelenos can use them. Of the approximately 60 certified markets in Los Angeles, only about half accept the modern version of food stamps, Electronic Benefit Transfer cards. There's something terribly wrong when Jack in the Box and corner liquor stores eagerly accept EBT, but a farmers market does not. The Los Angeles City Council is trying to rectify that and has asked the public works staff and city attorney to figure out how to make that happen by the end of this month. Farmers markets serving the public, especially those operating on public land or in the public right of way, really should serve all of the public. And although it would be preferable for city leaders to persuade markets to accept EBT rather than coercing them to do so, a mandate along those lines would nevertheless seem to benefit everyone. (3/8)
The Oakland Tribune:
Big Pharma Wants Death Sentence For Cancer Patients
The pharmaceutical industry is pushing for expanded monopoly rights over medicines in the Trans-Pacific Partnership. If they succeed and block the market competition that is needed to bring down medicine prices, the TPP could be a death sentence for cancer patients like me. (Hannah Lyon, 3/7)
The Oakland Tribune:
Stricter Tobacco Bills Is Real Progress
It's no surprise why the tobacco industry fought so hard to keep California from raising the smoking age to 21 and treating electronic cigarettes the same as tobacco products. The courageous vote Thursday by the Assembly pushes California back toward the forefront of the anti-smoking movement and sets the stage for a dramatic showdown this November between Big Tobacco and the medical community. (3/5)