CapRadio: Kids’ Vaccine Program Ends Abruptly With Trump Administration Cuts
In late March, the Trump administration suddenly pulled $11.4 billion in remaining COVID-19 response funds — which were going to state and local governments to help monitor and prevent a variety of diseases. That complicated local efforts to immunize kids. The California Department of Public Health estimates that the lost federal funds will total at least $840 million in the state. (Myscofski, 4/10)

Times of San Diego: Autism Conference With Anti-Vaccine Activists Set For Town And Country Resort In Mission Valley
The Town and Country Resort in Mission Valley is a destination for conferences from all over the world. From Friday through Sunday, the resort will be the site of a controversial gathering: an anti-vaccine rally billing itself as an autism health conference. “Your journey to wellness starts here!” says an ad for the Autism Health Summit, which boasts a litany of well-known anti-vaccine activists, many of whom are known for falsely linking autism to widely used vaccines. (Binkowski, 4/10)

Stat: Health Secretary RFK Jr. Declares Certain Vaccines Have ‘Never Worked,’ Flummoxing Scientists
Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has expressed another unorthodox view on vaccines, with the long-time vaccine critic declaring that vaccines for respiratory bugs that target a sole part of the pathogen they are meant to protect against do not work. (Branswell, 4/10)

Modern Healthcare: Congress Passes Budget, Teeing Up Huge Healthcare Cuts
Congress paved the way for deep cuts in healthcare spending as part of an effort to extend expiring tax cuts on Thursday. The House voted 216-214 to adopt the final version of the fiscal 2026 budget resolution, with GOP Reps. Thomas Massie (Ky.) and Victoria Spartz (Ind.) joining the Democratic minority in opposition. This followed a Senate vote to approve the budget on Monday and a House vote in February on the lower chamber's first draft of the measure. (McAuliff, 4/10)

Stat: House Conservatives Cave On A Key Demand, Decreasing Threat Of Medicaid Cuts
House Republicans’ struggles to pass a tax cut plan could be good news for the Medicaid program. (Wilkerson, 4/10)

Modern Healthcare: Scan Group, Sutter Health To Form Medicare Advantage Venture
Scan Group and Sutter Health are launching a new Medicare Advantage company that blurs the payer-provider line. The healthcare companies will invest undisclosed sums to create a new, nonprofit entity focused on developing technology, co-branded Medicare Advantage plans and care models targeted at the 6.9 million eligible Medicare enrollees in California. Scan Group and Sutter Health plan to unveil new private Medicare plans over the next three years, beginning in the fall. The joint venture will launch in 2026. (Tepper, 4/10)

The New York Times: Medicare Bleeds Billions On Pricey Bandages, And Doctors Get A Cut
Seniors across the country are wearing very expensive bandages. Made of dried bits of placenta, the paper-thin patches cover stubborn wounds and can cost thousands of dollars per square inch. Some research has found that such “skin substitutes” help certain wounds heal. But in the past few years, dozens of unstudied and costly products have flooded the market. (Kliff and Thomas, 4/10)

MedPage Today: MedPAC Says Yes To Increasing Medicare Physician Pay Based On Healthcare Inflation
Medicare fee-for-service payments to physicians should be based on the Medicare Economic Index (MEI), a measure of healthcare inflation, according to a recommendation approved unanimously Thursday by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC). "I think it's so important that there be a predictable inflation-based formula for updating the fee schedule," said Larry Casalino, MD, PhD, of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City, who was attending his last meeting as a MedPAC commissioner. (Frieden, 4/10)

KVPR: White House Orders NIH To Research Trans 'Regret' And 'Detransition'
The Trump administration has ordered the National Institutes of Health to study the physical and mental health effects of undergoing gender transition, including regret. The research comes at a time when the administration has cut hundreds of grants for research into health issues affecting the LGBTQ community. (Stein, 4/11)

The Washington Post: Social Security Classifies Thousands Of Immigrants As Dead, As Part Of Trump Crackdown
The Social Security Administration this week entered the names and Social Security numbers of more than 6,000 mostly Latino immigrants into a database it uses to track dead people, effectively erasing their ability to receive benefits or work legally in the United States, according to four people familiar with the situation and records obtained by The Washington Post. The move, requested by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem, is aimed at putting pressure on the undocumented immigrants to leave the country, according to a White House official. (Rein, Natanson and Sacchetti, 4/10)

MedPage Today: HHS Scraps Advisory Committee On Newborn Screening
As cuts sweep across federal health agencies, the Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children (ACHDNC) has been terminated. Notably, the ACHDNC, which sits under the Health Resources and Services Administration, is responsible for the Recommended Uniform Screening Panel (RUSP), a standardized list of dozens of conditions the HHS secretary recommends states screen for as part of their universal newborn screening programs. (Henderson, 4/10)

MedPage Today: Nearly Half Of CDC Birth Defects And Disabilities Staff Cut
More than 40% of the 225 scientists and public health workers at the CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) were put on administrative leave earlier this month as part of the Trump administration's reduction-in-force (RIF) initiative. A source told MedPage Today the cuts completely eliminated the staff in the Division of Blood Disorders and Public Health Genomics, which performed research on conditions such as hemophilia, sickle cell disease, and many other conditions impacting blood. (Clark, 4/10)

KVPR: HHS Will Review Guidance On The Addition Of Fluoride To Drinking Water
The Department of Health and Human Services is directing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to make new recommendations on the addition of fluoride to U.S. water sources. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has blamed the fluoridation of water for a number of health problems. The agency is directing the CDC to reconvene an independent panel of 15 health experts to examine the role fluoride plays in water sources and whether it can be detrimental to public health, Kennedy told The Associated Press earlier this week, and NPR has confirmed. (Wise, 4/10)

Military Times: Vets In Congress Demand Answers Over Pregnant Aviator Policy Reversal
A coalition of female military veterans in Congress is calling on Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to answer for an abrupt reversal of a policy change that allowed female Air Force pilots the chance to fly for more of their pregnancy, calling the move “purely political” and warning that it threatened combat capability and military readiness in the already undermanned pilot community. (Hodge Seck, 4/11)

San Diego Union-Tribune: ‘Molly’ To Bring Health Information To East County Residents 
The first mobile health library in the county hit the road Monday to bring wellness information and blood-pressure monitors to residents in East County. “Library outreach has happened on horseback, on bicycles, and even by mule,” said Holland Kessinger, head librarian at the Health and Wellness Library in La Mesa. “In our case, by Chrysler Pacifica hybrid plug-in.” (Warth, 4/10)

Becker's Hospital Review: Sharp HealthCare To Expand Generative AI Tool Across System
San Diego-based Sharp HealthCare is scaling Abridge’s generative AI platform across its organization to create comprehensive, compliant and billable documentation. The expansion follows a successful pilot of the tool, which generates structured notes in real time. According to an April 10 news release, the health system saw improvements in documentation during the trial. (Diaz, 4/10)

Becker's Hospital Review: Where MD Anderson's New Medical Chief Sees 'Tremendous Opportunities'
Jeffrey Lee, MD, stepped into the role of chief medical executive Houston-based University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center on April 1, after 34 years with the health system. During his time at MD Anderson and prior to his most recent appointment, Dr. Lee served in various leadership roles, including as chair of surgical oncology, vice president for clinical operations strategy execution and preparedness, chief cancer network officer and as vice president of medical and academic affairs for MD Anderson’s Cancer Network. (Gregerson, 4/10)

San Francisco Chronicle: Tracking San Francisco’s Drug Overdose Epidemic
Overdose deaths in San Francisco dropped in 2024 after reaching a record high the previous year. But fatal overdoses are still much more common than they were before the pandemic, and tackling the crisis will prove a major test of Mayor Daniel Lurie’s leadership. In recent years, the epidemic has been driven largely by the proliferation of the synthetic opioid fentanyl. (Leonard and Jung, 4/10)

San Francisco Chronicle: San Francisco Records First Fatal Overdose Involving New Street Drug
A potent animal tranquilizer increasingly reported in illicit drug supplies across the U.S. has made its way to San Francisco. The San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed that the city in February recorded its first fatal overdose victim with the synthetic drug medetomidine in their system. ... The Department of Public Health called the discovery “concerning” and said that “surveillance in San Francisco is ongoing.” (Angst, 4/10)

KQED: The Eaton Fire Hit Caltech Scientists Close To Home. Now, They’re Studying The Toxic Aftermath
As a geochemistry professor at Caltech in Pasadena, Francois Tissot normally spends his time studying rocks formed at the beginning of the universe. But ever since wildfires tore through Los Angeles in January, burning thousands of homes, the Big Bang has taken a back seat in the professor’s life. Tissot, an Altadena resident, has dedicated much of his lab’s resources to studying the toxic aftermath of the Eaton fire. He’s spent the last few months testing the ash that blanketed surviving homes for harmful contaminants like lead, cadmium, and arsenic. (Champlin, 4/11)

Los Angeles Times: California Sen. Padilla Hopes Fix Our Forests Act Will Prevent More L.A. Fires
Months after wildfires ravaged Los Angeles County, California Sen. Alex Padilla is hoping his bill to overhaul forest management and prevent wildfires might be the first bipartisan measure for President Trump to sign. “I don’t think anything could completely prevent wildfires, but through this work, if we can prevent just one more community from experiencing the heartbreak felt by the families in Santa Rosa or in Paradise or the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, then this effort would’ve been worth it,” Padilla said Thursday. (Pinho, 4/11)

AP: In Fight Over Insurance, Neighbors Crowdsource LA Fire Contamination Data
All sense of survivors’ guilt was fleeting for those residents whose homes remained standing after wildfires ripped through the Los Angeles area three months ago. Many worried that smoke from the Eaton wildfire that destroyed more than 9,000 structures and killed 18 people may have carried toxins, including lead, asbestos and heavy metals, into their homes. But they struggled to convince their insurers to test their properties to ensure it was safe to return. (Lauer and Ho, 4/11)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Rohnert Park Eyes Best Western Hotel As Potential Permanent Housing Site For Homeless Seniors, Vets
Seventy new apartments could be available by December 2026 in Rohnert Park for seniors and veterans experiencing homelessness should city leaders and Burbank Housing mount a successful bid to tap a statewide pool of funds for low-income housing projects. (Windsor, 4/10)

San Diego Union-Tribune: State Policies And Federal Cuts Put Hospitals At Grave Risk 
When I think about the danger posed to California’s health care system by the state and federal government, I’m reminded of two trains heading toward each other at full speed. Heading in one direction down the track is the federal government, with tariffs, site-neutral payments and changes to Medicaid. Coming just as fast from the other direction is the state, with the Office of Health Care Affordability and an unfunded seismic mandate. (Chris Van Gorder, 4/9)

Sacramento Bee: Will Newsom Keep Health Coverage For Undocumented Immigrants?
In California, an estimated 1.8 million residents are undocumented immigrants, or about 5% of the population. They perform many jobs native residents would never do. The financial challenge facing Sacramento is that these immigrants also comprise nearly a quarter of the state general fund cost of health care via California’s program for low-income residents, Medi-Cal. (Tom Philip, 4/10)

San Francisco Chronicle: I Nearly Died Giving Birth In S.F. Here’s What It Taught Me About How Health Systems Treat Women
The day I gave birth to my daughter, my perspective on how maternal health is viewed and treated in this country completely shifted. (Anu Sharma, 4/5)

Capitol Weekly: AB 985 Will Help Expand Access To Safe Anesthesia Care
Anesthesiologists are known as the “guardians of the operating room” ensuring that every patient undergoing surgery receives the highest standard of care. But our role goes far beyond just administering anesthesia — we are responsible for diagnosing difficult cases and responding in real time to any complications that may arise. Patients trust us with their lives during their most vulnerable moments, and we take that responsibility seriously. (Christina Menor, 4/8)

Merced Sun-Star: California And National Leaders Must Stand Up For And Protect The Millions Of Seniors Who Rely On Medicare Advantage
In California, where a rapidly growing senior population faces diverse healthcare needs, Medicare Advantage can help provide more cost-effective, comprehensive coverage options. For older adults, that means easier access to preventive services, simplified insurance coordination and potentially lower out-of-pocket costs. (Jerri Brown, 4/8)

Times of San Diego: Thousands Of California Kids With Dyslexia Deserve Better Reading Instruction
I adopted my son Sebastian at birth. He was a bright, curious little boy who hit all the milestones early and loved learning about the world. So when school began, I expected he would do well. But the moment he started kindergarten, it became clear that something wasn’t right. ... Eventually, we learned that Sebastian was one of the nearly one million students in California with dyslexia. I discovered through my volunteer efforts with Decoding Dyslexia CA that students with dyslexia are uniquely susceptible to poor instruction and experience the effects of poor instruction the most profoundly. (Frida Brunzell, 4/5)