Viewpoints: Is It Too Much To Ask Congress To Compromise Over Zika?
A selection of opinions on health care developments from around the state.
Los Angeles Times:
A Shameful Partisan Battle Over Planned Parenthood Threatens Crucial Zika Funding
ll it never end? Crucial emergency funding to fight the spread of the increasingly scary Zika virus, which causes birth defects in unborn babies, has gotten mired in the same tiring partisan fight over contraception and reproductive health that is on endless repeat in Washington. ... The Senate did its part by compromising on a $1.1-billion funding package earlier this year. It wasn’t as much as President Obama requested back in February, but public health experts said it was enough to continue the important work of developing a vaccine and diagnostic tools for the virus. That’s how compromises work. Is it too much to ask the House to do the same? (7/8)
Oakland Tribune:
GOP's Cynical Zika Politics Reach New Low
In an era of cynical partisan politics, congressional Republicans may have reached a new low. Five months ago, President Barack Obama sought $1.8 billion in emergency funds to stem the spread of the Zika virus, which has been linked to microcephaly, a birth defect in which infants have unusually small heads and damaged brains. The nation is still waiting. (7/7)
Los Angeles Times:
We're All Paying A High Price For Drug Company Profiteering
The drug companies are ripping us off, pill by pill, shot by shot. Instead of working to earn reasonable returns by relieving our suffering and saving lives, they now focus on profits above all. Their main targets are insurance companies. But when insurance companies take a hit, they bump up premiums to employers or the government. So we all pay — in taxes, reduced take-home pay, copayments and deductibles. (Daniel J. Stone, 7/6)
LA Daily News:
Abortion, Race Rulings Show This Should Be Called The Kennedy Court
The Supreme Court term that ended June 27 showed more than ever that it is truly the Anthony Kennedy Court. Justice Kennedy voted in the majority in 98 percent of all of the decisions. Where Kennedy voted with the three conservative justices — John Roberts, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito — the result was a 4-4 tie. This meant that the lower court decision was affirmed, without opinion from the Supreme Court, by an evenly divided court. (Erwin Chemerinsky, 7/6)
LA Daily News:
Our Veterans Deserve Medical Care Fit For A Governor
The VA Office of Nursing Services has proposed a new policy to expand the role of advanced practice nurses, including nurse anesthetists, in the VA system. This new policy in the Nursing Handbook would make it mandatory for these nurses to practice independently. Physician anesthesiologists wouldn’t be needed at all, according to this proposal, even in the most complicated cases — such as open-heart surgery. If this misguided policy goes into effect, the standard of care in VA hospitals will be very different from the standard of care other patients can expect. (Karen Short, 7/2)
Ventura County Star:
Doctors Need To Support Bill On Drug Database
The numbers are staggering and getting worse. More than 165,000 Americans died from prescription opioid overdoses between 1999 and 2014, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state Department of Public Health says 1,895 Californians died of opioid overdoses in 2013. An additional 11,683 — an average of 32 a day — were treated in California emergency rooms for nonfatal overdoses and other opioid-related conditions. (7/6)
The Press Democrat:
A Bumper Crop Of Ballot Measures
You see, there will be at least 17 state ballot measures on the Nov. 8 ballot — Propositions 51 through 67. It’s the most since March 2000, when there were 20....Proposition 61, for example, would cap the amount the state pays for prescription drugs at no more than the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs pays. (7/7)
Bloomberg:
Medivation Overplays A Risky Hand
After months of playing defense against Sanofi's aggressive takeover pursuit, cancer drugmaker Medivation is now rolling out an ambitious offense.In what seemed to be an attempt to spark a bidding war Wednesday evening, Medivation held a long call with analysts and investors about its developmental cancer drug talazoparib. Promising Phase 3 trial results for a similar drug more than doubled shares of competing biotech Tesaro last week. (Max Nisen, 7/7)
Oakland Tribune:
What Happens When Your Medi-Cal Luck Runs Out
I am a 17-year-old undocumented young adult and I believe that access to affordable health care services should not depend on luck. I am lucky because as of recently, undocumented people under the age of 19 are now eligible for full scope Medi-Cal. This means that, for the first time in our lives, my brother and I have access to health care -- something most people probably take for granted. (David Xia-Zhu, 7/6)
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Seniors Face Housing, Health Crisis
In San Diego County, the number of seniors, 65 and older, grew by 26.4 percent between 2000 and 2013 — to just under 400,000, according to Census Bureau data. By 2030, according to Live Well San Diego, that number will grow to 723,000. The fastest growing senior age group — 85 and older — is expected to increase from 59,666 in 2012 to 84,048 in 2030. (Ciriaco “Cid” Pinedo, 7/1)
Los Angeles Times:
Southern California Doesn't Have The Money To Buy Its Way To Clean Air
The Southern California agency responsible for cleaning up the region’s smoggy air has a new strategy to cut pollution: Hope and plead for money to buy cleaner cars and trucks. To comply with federal law, the South Coast Air Quality Management District issued a blueprint last week outlining the rules, policies and programs the agency would enact to cut pollution dramatically enough for the nation’s smoggiest region to finally meet federal Clean Air Act standards by 2023. Instead, the plan the AQMD released relies on billions of dollars in currently nonexistent incentives to encourage businesses and individuals to switch to low-emissions cars, trucks and other equipment. It’s another troubling sign that the agency, operating under a new Republican-majority board of directors whose members have pledged to reduce environmental regulations, is backsliding on clean air and protecting public health. (7/6)
Los Angeles Times:
Vermont's Newest Export Is Bad GMO Policy
Californians smartly rejected a ballot initiative in 2012 that would have required warning labels on groceries containing genetically altered organisms. It was bad policy based on nothing but conjecture. There’s no evidence that eating GMO-laden foods is harmful to humans. But GMO warning labels may be forced on food sold in this state nonetheless. (Editorial Board, 7/7)
Orange County Register:
Adult Use Of Marijuana Act Will Increase Public Safety
Since 1996 and the passage of Proposition 215, which legalized medicial marijuana, our roadways have seen a decrease in the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled from 1.32 to .92. These accident rates continue to be lower than the national average including states where marijuana is only available in the illicit market. This is despite law enforcement’s characterization of California as having “de-facto marijuana legalization.” It’s clear that no one should drive while impaired, whether the substance is legal or not, and we should hold those that do accountable. (Diane Goldstein, 7/8)