Viewpoints: ‘Tax Hike In Name Only’ Garners Bipartisan Support; Feds Close Special Enrollment Loopholes

The Los Angeles Times: A Tax Hike That No One Could Quibble About
Gov. Jerry Brown has been advocating the tax on healthcare insurance plans for months. He'll quickly sign it once the Legislature sends him the measure. That should be in a few days. (George Skelton, 2/22)

The Sacramento Bee: A Health Care Tax Deal Worthy Of Support
Although they aren’t exactly singing kumbaya, the California Chamber of Commerce, health insurance corporations and proponents of greater access to health care are backing a major tax deal devised by aides to Gov. Jerry Brown. As part of the deal, Brown and Democratic leaders earmarked $300 million for 300,000 people with developmental disabilities. The goal is to attract backing from Republican lawmakers who have made aid to developmentally disabled people a priority. It’s unfortunate that vulnerable people become the subject of horse-trading, but that’s the way of the Capitol. (2/22)

The Press Democrat: A Tax Plan To Protect Health Care Gains
California didn’t hesitate when the Affordable Care Act took effect, establishing a state health insurance exchange and expanding Medi-Cal, resulting in a sharp increase in the number of people with health coverage. The biggest gains have come from Medi-Cal, the state’s insurance program for the poor, which has enrolled nearly 5 million people over the past two years, most of them newly eligible under President Barack Obama’s landmark health care law. Better yet, Washington is footing the bill. For now. (2/23)

The San Jose Mercury News: California Health Care Tax Needs To Be Revised
Reaching a two-thirds threshold to pass a tax in the California Legislature is never easy -- but approving Gov. Jerry Brown's revised tax on managed care providers ought to be. The companies that will pay the tax support it. The amount of revenue will be roughly the same as the state currently receives. But -- and here's why this is so important -- if the revision doesn't pass, the state will lose $1.1 billion in federal matching dollars for health care programs covering 13.5 million Californians -- roughly one out of every three -- under Medi-Cal. (2/19)

The Los Angeles Times: Ignore Grover Norquist: Medi-Cal Fix Is A Good Deal
After a federal ruling last year threatened to cut aid for Medi-Cal by more than $1 billion, the Brown administration and lawmakers proposed a set of tax increases and reductions that would avert the cut without forcing higher costs onto state taxpayers or consumers. That deal is being challenged, however, by conservatives opposed to new taxes — even if the net cost is zero. Lawmakers should reject this ideological rigidity and keep the federal aid flowing. (2/25)

The Fresno Bee: Andy Vidak Is Wrong To Oppose Vital Health Care Tax Bill
Andy Vidak, a Republican who represents the 14th state Senate District, the poorest in California, has branded himself an independent thinker who fights valiantly on behalf of his constituents. But the Hanford lawmaker’s decision to oppose an important health-care tax bill that would restructure how the state taxes managed-care organizations so it complies with federal law suggests otherwise. (2/25)

The Los Angeles Times: Obamacare 'Gaming' Update: Feds, California Tighten Up On Documentation For Special Enrollments
The notion that mobs of Americans are actively plotting to cheat the Affordable Care Act by waiting until they get sick and then finding an excuse to sign up for health insurance is cherished by two groups: anti-Obamacare conservatives and insurance companies. As we've pointed out in the past, neither group has actually come up with data to substantiate their claim that this produces huge losses in the individual exchange market. But there plainly are good reasons to close any loopholes. (Michael Hiltzik, 2/24)

The Los Angeles Times: Hillary Clinton Reveals Her Plan To Revise--Not Repeal Or Replace--Obamacare
Since presidential candidate Hillary Clinton quietly updated the healthcare policy page on her campaign website over the last few days, most commentators have focused on the especially notable paragraphs stating that she will "continue to support a 'public option' — and work to build on the Affordable Care Act to make it possible." (Michael Hiltzik, 2/23)

The Los Angeles Times: The Extinction Inside Our Guts
The world is facing an extinction event. Hundreds of species are disappearing from their native habitat. This impending extinction is distinct from the plight of the polar bears or frog populations and is not a result of global warming or deforestation. It's happening within our guts, which are home to the trillions of microorganisms called the microbiota and the 2 million genes they carry called the microbiome. (Erica Sonnenburg and Justin Sonnenburg, 2/25)

The Sacramento Bee: Take The Politics Out Of HPV Vaccine
Though it is so preventable that young people now can be all but immunized against it, cervical cancer still kills more than a quarter million women annually. Most of the victims are in developing nations. But nearly 13,000 American women last year also were diagnosed with cervical cancer. More than 4,000 died, even though Pap screenings are a routine part of annual checkups for women in this country, and even though teenagers have, since 2006, had access to an FDA-approved inoculation against the virus that causes the disease. There is no good reason for this lethal public health gap in a First World country, and it’s time we got rid of the bad reasons, the biggest of which stem from – what else? – misinformation and partisan politics. (2/23)

The Press Democrat: Close To Home: Growing Concerns About LED Streetlights
A number of cities throughout Sonoma County, along with PG&E, are in the process of replacing streetlights with LED lights to save energy and money and reduce our carbon footprint. Sounds like a great idea. Or does it? Maybe not. According to the New York Times, when this was done in Brooklyn, people resorted to taping black garbage bags over their windows to block out the offending light. (Nancy Hubert, 2/21)

The Ventura Star: Fix Our Energy Facilities Before The Next Disaster Occurs
California is getting old and falling apart. At least its infrastructure is showing signs of aging. Jump in your car and head most any direction and you'll see why Gov. Jerry Brown wants an infusion of tax money to repair our roads and bridges. Read the news out of Los Angeles and you'll quickly find a story on another old water line bursting and flooding a neighborhood. (2/20)

The Los Angeles Times: Just What The Doctor Ordered: Connectivity In Medical Devices
In a few years, patients with chronic breathing problems will puff on an Internet-connected inhaler that instantly sends data about how often the device is used to the medicine provider and doctors who monitor care. (Mike Freeman, 2/21)