- California Healthline Original Stories 3
- The Throwaway Scope: A Way To Ditch Superbugs?
- California Hopes $3 Billion Experiment Will Improve Health Of Neediest
- Senior Citizens, Even 80-Year-Olds, Can Be Organ Donors
- Around California 1
- S.F. Mayor Says Quality-Of-Life Citations Can Help Identify Those In Need Of Mental Health Help
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
The Throwaway Scope: A Way To Ditch Superbugs?
Small manufacturers are betting that disposable medical scopes will slash the risk of infection during procedures. Some doctors are skeptical of the cheaper models. (Chad Terhune, 12/15)
California Hopes $3 Billion Experiment Will Improve Health Of Neediest
Pilot projects are being launched in 18 counties to reduce ER visits among Medi-Cal's most costly patients. (Anna Gorman, 12/16)
Senior Citizens, Even 80-Year-Olds, Can Be Organ Donors
Organs from elderly deceased donors can work for years, says a new study that supports growing views among U.S. transplant experts. (JoNel Aleccia, 12/15)
More News From Across The State
State Senator Proposes Bill To Guarantee Children's Rights To Health Care
State Sen. Richard Pan's legislation would be the first in the nation to establish the rights of children to have their basic needs met.
Los Angeles Times:
California Bill Declares All Children Have A Basic Right To Quality Education, Healthcare And Social Services
State Sen. Richard Pan on Monday said all California children should have a basic right to quality childcare, early education and health and dental services no matter where they live or the income of their parents. At a news conference held in the playground of the Discovery Tree School, the pediatrician and Sacramento Democrat unveiled the Children’s Bill of Rights , stating all children have the right to live in a just, safe, healthy and supportive society. (Ulloa, 12/15)
Nurses Try To Combat Own Lack Of Knowledge Over Medical Marijuana
Because it is still against federal law, many health care professionals choose to avoid talking about the topic. But as it grows in use, some are trying to educate themselves.
KQED:
Why Bay Area Nurses Are Educating Themselves About Pot
There is a growing body of data about marijuana’s medicinal benefits, and groups like the American Nurses Association acknowledge it can help with chronic pain, MS, anxiety and many other conditions. But because it’s still illegal under federal law, there aren’t a lot of places medical professionals can learn about it. And if you ask your regular doctor whether it will help your particular ailment, there’s a good chance they might not know. (Stelzer, 12/15)
In other news —
KPBS:
San Diego Advances Recreational Pot Shop Rules
The San Diego Planning Commission on Thursday forwarded new regulations on recreational marijuana sales to the City Council, but gave a cold reception to a proposed ban on the so-called marijuana supply chain. The rules would take the city's existing ordinance regulating medical marijuana dispensaries and apply the same rules to non-medical sales. The existing ordinance requires dispensaries to be at least 1,000 feet from a school, church, park or other dispensary. The rules would also clarify the definition of a park to exclude open space and riparian areas with little to no public access. (Bowen, 12/15)
S.F. Mayor Says Quality-Of-Life Citations Can Help Identify Those In Need Of Mental Health Help
Mayor Ed Lee said that he is working to expand the number of beds for the mentally ill at San Francisco General Hospital and that people who pile up stacks of quality-of-life citations, which can be issued for for offenses ranging from sitting on public sidewalks to urinating in public to building illegal encampments, may be good candidates for those beds.
San Francisco Chronicle:
SF Mayor, Judges At Odds Over Quality-Of-Life Punishment
The leaders of two of the most powerful governmental institutions in San Francisco are at odds over how to deal with one of the city’s most enduring problems, demonstrating how little agreement there is when it comes to tackling homelessness. Mayor Ed Lee has condemned San Francisco Superior Court’s recall of 64,713 outstanding arrest warrants for quality-of-life offenses dating back more than five years. ... Presiding Judge John Stewart says it is a waste of resources to keep track of warrants that are rarely enforced and fines that are almost never paid. ... The disagreement ... demonstrates the lack of coordination among city officials, the courts and law enforcement, each of which plays a critical role in dealing with the homelessness crisis. (Green, 12/15)
Depression In Pilots Common, But They're Reluctant To Seek Help, Study Finds
For decades, pilots who acknowledged they were depressed were grounded, but officials slightly relaxed those regulations in 2010.
Los Angeles Times:
Depression Symptoms Are Common Among Active Airline Pilots, International Survey Reveals
Behind the self-confident gait, the friendly greeting and the air of superb competence, as many as 13% of the nation’s commercial airline pilots may be suffering from depression, and roughly 1 in 25 report they’ve had suicidal thoughts in the last two weeks, a new study reveals. But the researchers — the first to ask a large sample of airline pilots about their mental health — suggest that depressed pilots are reluctant to seek treatment for their depression for fear of being grounded or damaging their careers. (Healy, 12/15)
Republicans To Focus On Access Instead Of Universal Coverage In Repeal Plans
While many health law advocates are focusing on the millions of people who will be vulnerable to losing coverage if the legislation is dismantled, Republicans say their focus is on making sure people who want insurance can get it -- not making sure everyone has it.
The New York Times:
G.O.P. Plans To Replace Health Care Law With ‘Universal Access’
House Republicans, responding to criticism that repealing the Affordable Care Act would leave millions without health insurance, said on Thursday that their goal in replacing President Obama’s health law was to guarantee “universal access” to health care and coverage, not necessarily to ensure that everyone actually has insurance. (Pear and Kaplan, 12/15)
Politico:
Republicans Could Keep Parts Of Obamacare For Up To Four Years
Congressional Republicans say they will vote on repealing and replacing Obamacare “very quickly” early next year but may keep Obamacare in place for as long as four years. The incoming Trump administration and Republicans on Capitol Hill are sorting out the details of how to best deconstruct the Affordable Care Act. One of the thorniest problems is how long to leave parts of the law intact — to give 20 million Americans time to find other arrangements and health insurance companies the ability to develop and price new plans. (Haberkorn, 12/15)
The Hill:
Repeal Of ObamaCare Mandate Could Be Tipping Point
Immediate repeal of ObamaCare's individual mandate next year could cause chaos in the market and threaten coverage for some of the healthcare law’s enrollees, experts warn. Congressional Republicans have not yet said whether they intend to scrap the mandate right away, but the bill they unsuccessfully pushed last year — and are now using as a blueprint for 2017 — abolished the mandate immediately. (Sullivan, 12/16)
Bloomberg:
Obamacare Repeal Seen As Tax Cut For Top 1%, Raise For Others
If the law were eliminated, as President-elect Donald Trump and members of Congress have pledged to do, the top 1 percent of earners would see an average tax cut of $33,000, while the top 0.1 percent would enjoy an average tax break of $197,000, the Tax Policy Center found. The non-partisan group is a joint venture of the Urban Institute and the Brookings Institution. Meanwhile, the lowest-income households, which make less than $25,000, would see their tax bills increase on average by $90 under a full repeal. But that average masks a wide variation -- most low-income households would see no change, researchers found, and 7 percent of them would get an average tax cut of about $1,200. But 4 percent would see a tax increase averaging almost $3,900. (Kapur, 12/15)
The Washington Post:
Health Insurers Get Only 1.6% Of $6 Billion They Are Owed For Costly ACA Customers
Hundreds of insurers selling health plans in Affordable Care Act marketplaces are being paid less than 2 percent of nearly $6 billion the government owes them for covering customers last year with unexpectedly high medical expenses. The $96 million that insurers will get is just one-fourth of the sum that provoked an industry outcry a year ago, when federal health officials announced that they had enough money to pay health plans only 12.6 percent of what the law entitles them to receive. (Goldstein, 12/15)
Stat:
#The27Percent: Patients With Preexisting Conditions Rally Online
Roughly 55 million Americans could lose insurance coverage if Obamacare is repealed, but that’s just a number. Those in jeopardy are making it personal. In a burst of Twitter activism, scores of people have begun sharing details of their health complications online, as well as those of their loved ones, to draw attention to the issue. The hashtag to watch — #the27Percent — reflects the 27 percent of Americans under 65 with preexisting conditions who risk losing health coverage. It was created by Dr. Atul Gawande, the surgeon, author, and executive director of Ariadne Labs, who on Wednesday posted his own testimonial to 178,000 Twitter followers. (Tedeschi, 12/15)
In other national health care news —
The New York Times:
Plan To Reduce Medicare Drug Costs Is Withdrawn After Bipartisan Criticism
The Obama administration said on Thursday that it had scrapped one of its most significant efforts to rein in spending on prescription drugs: a plan for a nationwide experiment in which Medicare would have reduced payments for many drugs given to patients in doctors’ offices and hospital clinics. Federal health officials withdrew the proposal after it was criticized by pharmaceutical companies, doctors, patients and members of Congress from both parties. One of the sharpest critics was Representative Tom Price, Republican of Georgia, the man chosen by President-elect Donald J. Trump to be his secretary of health and human services. (Pear, 12/16)
Los Angeles Times:
Trump's Cabinet Picks Are Among The Most Conservative In History. What That Means For His Campaign Promises
Donald Trump promotes himself as a man divorced from party ideology, a president-elect just as open-minded to input from Al Gore as from Newt Gingrich. But with his Cabinet nearly complete, he has chosen one of the most consistently conservative domestic policy teams in modern history, setting himself up for hard decisions and potential conflict with some of his supporters when he begins to govern. (Bierman and Halper, 12/15)
The New York Times:
20 States Accuse Generic Drug Companies Of Price Fixing
A wide-ranging investigation into generic drug prices took its most significant turn yet on Thursday, as state attorneys general accused two industry leaders, Teva Pharmaceuticals and Mylan, and four smaller companies of engaging in brazen price-fixing schemes — and promised that more charges were coming. A civil complaint filed by 20 states accuses the companies of conspiring to artificially inflate prices on an antibiotic and a diabetes drug, with executives coordinating through informal industry gatherings and personal calls and text messages. (Thomas, 12/15)
The Wall Street Journal:
Big Hospital Operator Retreats From Health-Insurance Foray
One of the nation’s largest hospital operators is retreating from an ambitious plan to run its own insurance company, underscoring the risks faced by health-care providers seeking to compete with health insurers. Catholic Health Initiatives, which has 103 hospitals in 18 states, made an aggressive push into insurance markets roughly three years ago. (Evans, 12/15)
The Wall Street Journal:
The Children Of The Opioid Crisis
Widespread abuse of powerful opioids has pushed U.S. overdose death rates to all-time highs. It has also traumatized tens of thousands of children. The number of youngsters in foster care in many states has soared, overwhelming social workers and courts. Hospitals that once saw few opioid-addicted newborns are now treating dozens a year. And many of the children who remain in the care of addicted parents are growing up in mayhem. They watch their mothers and fathers overdose and die on the bathroom floor. They live without electricity, food or heat when their parents can’t pay the bills. They stop going to school, and learn to steal and forage to meet their basic needs. (Whalen, 12/15)
Viewpoints: On Health Law, California Soared Highest, Now It Has Furthest To Fall
A selection of opinions on health care developments from around the state.
Sacramento Bee:
Why California Has Most To Lose In Obamacare Repeal
California probably gained more than any other state from the Affordable Care Act, the federal health reform better known as Obamacare. Now, with the program facing an almost certain demise, the state and its low-income residents have the most to lose. (Daniel Weintraub, 12/12)
Orange County Register:
Dumping Obamacare Would Harm Millions In California
President-elect Donald Trump probably does not lose much sleep over it, but millions of Californians have spent wakeful nights since his election wondering what will happen to their health care if he follows through on his promise to “eliminate Obamacare on Day 1.” That day is just weeks away now. If the promise is kept (and Trump so far shows signs of ignoring some promises he made during the election season while carrying out others), it could affect about 4.6 million Californians whose health insurance is at least partly funded by outgoing President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. (Thomas Elias, 12/14)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Health Care In The Crosshairs
President-elect Donald Trump has called on Congress to make the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act its first priority in January. It did not take long for the reality to emerge about the political and practical barriers of undoing President Obama’s signature achievement, even with Republicans in control of both the legislative and executive branches. In its simplest form, it’s a math problem. (12/11)
Orange County Register:
Revolutionizing Mental Health Care
In September, the Children’s Hospital of Orange County broke ground on its Pediatric Mental Health Facility, which will house Orange County’s first inpatient program that can accommodate children under the age of 12. It will also allow CHOC to open intensive outpatient programs and expand mental health services for children with chronic illnesses. I was proud to be a part of the ground-breaking ceremony and see so many members of our community come together for this common goal.When CHOC broke ground on that facility, it broke down barriers and removed some of the unfair stigmas associated with mental health. (Mimi Walters, 12/10)
Los Angeles Times:
The GOP Unveils A 'Permanent Save' For Social Security — With Massive Benefit Cuts
Amid all the hand-wringing over Republican plans to eviscerate Medicare and Medicaid and repeal the Affordable Care Act, it shouldn’t be overlooked that the GOP has the knives out for Social Security too. The latest reminder comes from Rep. Sam Johnson, R-Tex., chairman of the Ways and Means Social Security subcommittee. Johnson on Thursday uncorked what he termed a “plan to permanently save Social Security.” Followers of GOP habits won’t be surprised to learn that it achieves this goal entirely through benefit cuts, without a dime of new revenues such as higher payroll taxes on the wealthy. (Michael Hiltzik, 12/9)
Los Angeles Times:
The Zika Disaster Will Test The GOP's Capacity To Manage Serious Healthcare Emergencies
The Zika crisis, which seems to have faded from memory since it became a big news item this summer, has roared back with a vengeance, thanks to a just-published study indicating that the virus’ effect on infants of women infected during pregnancy is much worse than previously known. The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found that 42% of infants infected in the womb had serious birth defects. (Michael Hiltzik, 12/14)
Los Angeles Times:
California Has Long Wait Lists For Liver Transplants, But Not For The Reasons You Think
About 7,000 people get a liver transplant each year in the United States, while 17,000 remain on waiting lists at transplant centers. Who should get a lifesaving transplant has always been a complex calculation. But it has blown up into a vicious political struggle that played out most recently at a meeting of the organization governing the nation’s transplant network. (Willscott Naugler, 12/13)
Orange County Register:
Three Strategies For Controlling, Possibly Reversing, Diabetes
Someone you know may be fighting a losing battle for life. As Type 2 diabetes reaches epidemic proportions, the need for alternative treatment methods is urgent. Over 422 million people worldwide suffer from diabetes. (Amy Osmond Cook, 12/15)
Sacramento Bee:
Telemedicine The Cure For Rural Areas
Digital health innovations and applications, including virtual doctor’s appointments and smartphone health apps, can help us live better and longer lives. But many rural Californians don’t have access to these services as access to broadband internet and access to health care is rapidly becoming one and the same. (Eric Brown, 12/15)
The Orange County Register:
Marijuana Is Legal In California, But Prop. 64 Won't Help You In A Custody Battle
Along with legalizing recreational marijuana, Prop. 64 ads some protections for medical marijuana patients. Among them: California courts can no longer rescind or restrict a parent’s custodial rights solely because they have recommendations for medical marijuana. State officials say that’s really nothing new, insisting they remove children or restrict custody only if there’s a clear threat or evidence of harm as a result of marijuana use. (Edwards Staggs, 12/14)