Viewpoints: New Attacks On Last Year’s Groundbreaking Vaccine Law; Deductibles Only Getting Higher

The Sacramento Bee: An Rx To Undercut Public Health
To be a parent of grown children is to have talked to a lot of pediatricians. I was thinking about this the other day, after our youngest turned 21, finally. So little time, so many Tweety Bird Band-Aids. We’ve known cool L.A. pediatricians and brisk HMO pediatricians, pediatricians who murmured endearments as the nurse prepped the syringe and pediatricians who were businesslike as they slipped in the needle. One doc, in San Francisco, wore a candy-striped jacket instead of a white coat, like the host of a kids’ show. Another, in Laguna Beach, was freckled and sometimes wore sandals. All had one thing in common, though: They never minced words when it came to our children’s health, or seemed in the least bit inclined to. (Shawn Hubler, 3/16)

Orange County Register: Health Insurance Deductibles Going Up
What good is health insurance coverage if you can’t afford to actually use it? Unfortunately, that’s not a rhetorical question. It’s one facing thousands of Californians who are required to purchase health insurance through Affordable Care Act exchanges. As if rising premiums – which increased across California this year – weren’t already hard enough, skyrocketing deductibles have rendered many plans “all but useless,” according to a recent report in the New York Times. And, as a new analysis from my organization shows, it’s only getting worse. (Nascimento, 3/17)

Los Angeles Daily News: Hospitals Want To Inflict Pain On Taxpayers
In 2012, those of us who opposed Proposition 30 were told that the measure, which was the largest state tax hike in American history, was just a “temporary” fix to address the emergency of a severe budget shortfall. But just as Milton Friedman noted that “nothing is so permanent as a temporary government measure,” here in California it appears that nothing is so permanent as a temporary tax increase. However, in their journey to extend the Prop. 30 tax hikes, the tax raisers started tripping over their own greed. Even the public sector union bosses weren’t reading off the same page and different proposals began to emerge, each targeting billions of dollars of tax revenue to their respective constituencies. (John Coupal, 3/15)

The Sacramento Bee: Prescription Monitoring System Isn’t Up To The Job
The California Medical Association has long supported the Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System and continues to do extensive outreach to educate physicians about it. In conjunction with the Department of Justice, which oversees the program, the association has hosted registration tables, offered a webinar and publishes regular updates in our newsletter. We also supported legislation that requires registration and increased physician license fees to help pay for the system, which had its budget slashed several years ago. As a physician, I’m always looking for ways to increase patient safety and want to limit opioid abuse. (Ruth Haskins, 3/14)

The Bakersfield Californian: McCarthy Needs To Cosponsor Pharma Bill
Many parts of Kern County are categorized as “medically underserved areas” by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, meaning those residents do not have adequate access to medical professionals. Quite often, the local pharmacist is their most readily accessible health care professional. Pharmacists are now trained to provide immunizations, furnish smoking cessation products, order lab tests, furnish travel medications, and will soon be allowed to furnish oral contraceptives. (Person, 3/17)

Orange County Register: There Must Be A Better Way To Pay For Health Care
Late last year, while playing tennis, I reached up to serve and felt a painful pop in my shoulder. The inflammation got worse over the next few months. Now, anytime I try to put my arm above my head, pain shoots up my arm. I often wake up at night with an agonizing throb in that shoulder. I finally, and reluctantly, went to the orthopedic surgeon; he said that I had a rotator-cuff tear, and I probably would need surgery. (Stephen Moore, 3/13)

The Ventura County Star: Not Ready To Drink The Soda Tax Kool-Aid
Ventura County, like California and the nation as a whole, has a serious, growing problem it needs to better address — diabetes. A new UCLA study says more than half of Ventura County adults either already have diabetes or are on their way toward getting it. (3/15)

The Oakland Tribune: An NFL Official Finally Admits The Link To CTE
Will wonders never cease? A top official of the National Football League on Monday admitted there is a clear link between football and serious brain injuries. This, of course, is not stunning to anyone who has been paying attention. What is stunning is that the connection has finally been acknowledged by an NFL official. (3/15)

The Los Angeles Times: Should A Man Taken To The ER In An Ambulance Against His Will Have To Pay The Bill?
A 2012 report by the Government Accountability Office found that the cost of an ambulance ride nationwide can range from $224 to $2,204. In Los Angeles, it typically runs about $1,300, depending on the amount of medical attention required. Anyone who's ever experienced an ambulance ride — myself included — probably has a horror story to tell about the crazy fee, even when only basic medical care was provided. (David Lazarus, 3/14)

The Los Angeles Times: Hillary Clinton Had Trouble Explaining Obamacare To A Layperson. Here's Why.
During a CNN Town Hall appearance Sunday night, Hillary Clinton was presented with an Obamacare riddle. Moderator Jake Tapper introduced Teresa O'Donnell, an office coordinator from Powell, Ohio, to relate her family's health insurance problem. Clinton did what she could to explain the pros and cons of the Affordable Care Act, which she supports and for which she has proposed several improvements. But under the circumstances her hands were mostly tied, thanks to the inherent difficulties of analyzing any family's health insurance situation in less than five minutes. (Michael Hiltzik, 3/14)

The Los Angeles Times: Why Are Doctors And Health Clinics In The Business Of Selling Prescription Drugs?
Americans spent almost half a trillion dollars on prescription drugs last year, or nearly $1 out of every $6 spent on healthcare. And the total is rising fast, driven by an increased reliance on medications and a shift toward higher-priced drugs. (3/14)

The Ventura County Star: Camarillo Woman Doesn't Take Nursing For Granted
Although few people would argue about the impact nurses have on helping us heal or stay healthy, chances are that on any given day, most people don't think about where they'd be without a nurse nearby. That's not the case for Aurora Loss, who every year expresses gratitude to nurses by supporting Ventura College nursing students with scholarships and program support. Decades ago, as a young, single professional in Washington, D.C., Aurora became ill and needed to be hospitalized. It was an era when women had difficulty advocating for themselves. When the doctors brushed away her symptoms, she was shown support and kindness by a nurse. To this day, she believes the nurse's efforts helped save her life. (Sandra Melton, 3/12)