- California Healthline Original Stories 2
- Couple Makes Millions Off Medicaid Managed Care As Oversight Lags
- California Judge Postpones Aetna Trial Amid Media Firestorm
- Public Health and Education 1
- Experts: Focusing On Vaccine's Effectivness While Deciding Whether To Get Flu Shot Misses Key Point
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Couple Makes Millions Off Medicaid Managed Care As Oversight Lags
How a California health plan’s CEO and her husband, an executive consultant, got rich off the taxpayer-funded program for the poor. Critics see a conflict of interest, the plan doesn’t, and the state has no rules either way. (Chad Terhune, )
California Judge Postpones Aetna Trial Amid Media Firestorm
Orange County Superior Court judge says “media blitzkrieg” jeopardized chances that the nation’s third-largest health insurer could get a fair jury trial if the trial started this week, as planned. The company is being sued by a man who claims it improperly denied him care for a rare immune system disorder. (Barbara Feder Ostrov, )
California Healthline's Daily Edition will not be published Feb. 19. Look for it again in your inbox Feb. 20.
More News From Across The State
Investigation Into Aetna's Approval Process Expands Into More States
The inquiry kicked off after statements by a former medical director came to light that he never looked at patients' records when deciding whether to approve or deny care. Aetna says the comments were taken out of context.
CNN:
Aetna Inquiry Widens Over Ex-Medical Director's Comments
Three more states announced this week that they are opening investigations of Aetna after a former medical director for the insurer admitted under oath that he never looked at patients' medical records when deciding whether to approve or deny care. Colorado, Washington and Connecticut -- where Aetna is headquartered -- have joined California in looking into the statement, which came during a sworn deposition in a lawsuit against Aetna. California began its investigation recently after being told of the statement by CNN. (Drash, 2/15)
California Healthline:
California Judge Postpones Aetna Trial Amid Media Firestorm
A California judge has postponed a jury trial over whether Aetna improperly denied care to a Huntington Beach man with a rare autoimmune disease, saying the very recent and widespread media coverage of the case could jeopardize the insurer’s chance of a fair trial. The trial had been scheduled to begin this week, but Orange County Superior Court Judge John C. Gastelum set a new date of Aug. 20. (Ostrov, 2/16)
Pharma Giant Snaps Big Health Data Startup For $2B
Flatiron was founded by Nat Turner and Zach Weinberg, two young entrepreneurs who had sold a previous company to Google.
The Mercury News:
Ex-Googlers Sell Startup To Drugs Giant For $1.9 Billion
Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche and the cancer-technology firm Flatiron founded by Nat Turner and Zach Weinberg confirmed the $1.9 billion deal Thursday that Roche said would speed development of new cancer treatments and help it with regulators. (Baron, 2/15)
Experts: Focusing On Vaccine's Effectivness While Deciding Whether To Get Flu Shot Misses Key Point
The vaccine this year had a low effective rate against the most common strain, but that doesn't mean people shouldn't get the shot. It still reduces your chances of severe consequences from the flu, experts say.
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Should You Get A Flu Shot If Vaccine Is Only 36 Percent Effective?
Some might see the government’s latest estimate that this year’s flu vaccine has been only 36 percent effective against the virus as reason not to bother with getting a flu shot. But relying on a single number to make that decision, experts say, misses a key point: Even if it doesn’t keep you from getting sick, the flu shot reduces the chances of severe flu consequences. (Sisson, 2/15)
In other public health news —
East Bay Times:
Breaking Through The HIV Vaccine ‘Logjam’: UC Santa Cruz Lab Reports Improvements That Could Prove Game-Changing
When biomolecular engineer Phil Berman began his postgraduate work at UC San Francisco in the 1980s, he had no idea he would spend the rest of his career searching for a way to stop a deadly virus that was then almost entirely known. But around him, as if from nowhere, hundreds of people began to die. He has spent the past three decades looking for an effective vaccine against the AIDS epidemic that would claim more than 20,000 lives in the coastal metropolis alone. (Ibarra, 2/16)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Fragranced Products To Blame For Smog As Much As Cars, Study Finds
In another blow to vanity, a new study finds that shampoos, moisturizers and colognes people use every day cause just as much smog as the exhaust spewing out of car and truck engines on the streets and highways. The study, by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and UC Davis, establishes a stronger link than ever before between air pollution and the lotions, perfumes, hair sprays, and other grooming and cleaning products that Bay Area residents use every day. (Fimrite, 2/15)
Panel Recommends LA Sheriff Triple Number Of Department's Mental Health Teams
The civilian oversight panel didn't include a price tag on the increase.
KPCC:
LA Sheriff Needs Many More Mental Health Teams, Civilian Watchdog Says
The Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission said the department should increase the number of two-person Mental Evaluation Teams from 17 to 6o. The panel did not place a price tag on the recommendation but said the L.A. County Board of Supervisors should fund it to reduce the number of mentally ill people killed by deputies each year. (Stoltze, 2/15)
In other news from across the state —
Orange County Register:
O.C. Supervisors Approve Aid Package To Shelter Riverbed Homeless, Paving Way For Encampment Clearing
The Orange County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an emergency aid package at a hastily called meeting Thursday, Feb. 15 to supply short-term shelter and food vouchers for up to 400 homeless people camped along the Santa Ana River. The authorization partially satisfies the county’s end of a newly ratified legal stipulation that will allow it to clear the riverbed tent city beginning Tuesday, Feb. 20. (Graham, 2/15)
As national focus turns to mental health after the mass shooting in Florida, advocates warn against making assumptions about violence and mental health. “It feels like mental illness is being used as a political football to deflect attention away from some other important issues," said Ron Honberg, senior policy adviser at the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
The New York Times:
After Florida Shooting, Trump Focuses On Mental Health Over Guns
President Trump announced on Thursday that he would visit Parkland, Fla., where a gunman killed 17 people this week in the deadliest school shooting in years, and would work with state and local leaders “to help secure our schools, and tackle the difficult issue of mental health. ”The president tweeted his condolences to the families of the victims in the hours after the shooting on Wednesday, and as images of terrified students sprinting frantically away from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School dominated the news, Mr. Trump’s aides urged him to make a public statement. But he opted not to say anything more until Thursday, when he delivered a subdued seven-minute speech at the White House. (Rogers, 2/15)
Politico:
Advocates Warn Against Linking Mass Shootings, Mental Illness After Trump Tweet
Advocates cautioned Thursday against making assumptions about the links between mental health issues and violence after President Donald Trump said the suspect in a mass shooting at a Florida high school was "mentally disturbed." “So many signs that the Florida shooter was mentally disturbed, even expelled from school for bad and erratic behavior,” Trump tweeted Thursday. In televised remarks on the shooting, which resulted in the deaths of 17 people, he said his administration was tackling "the difficult issue of mental health." (Alexander, 2/15)
The Associated Press:
Budget Undercuts Trump Focus On Mental Health, School Safety
President Donald Trump is calling for a focus on mental health and school safety in response to shootings like the one that took 17 lives in Florida, but his budget would cut funding in both areas. Trump's latest budget would slash the major source of public funds for mental health treatment, the Medicaid program serving more than 70 million low-income and disabled people. The budget also calls for a 36 percent cut to an Education Department grant program that supports safer schools, reducing it by $25 million from the current level of $67.5 million. (Alonso-Zaldivar and Danilova, 2/16)
The Hill:
Trump Health Chief Supports CDC Research On Gun Violence
Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar said Thursday that he would allow his department to conduct research into the causes of gun violence, a major Democratic priority. Democrats on Thursday pushed for lifting a provision that restricts the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) from conducting research into gun violence as part of their response to the mass shooting at a Florida school on Wednesday. (Sullivan, 2/15)
Politico:
Trump’s New Health Chief Backs CDC Research On Gun Violence
Azar told an Energy and Commerce subcommittee that a provision passed two decades ago limiting the CDC's work on gun violence only prevents it from taking an advocacy position — not from doing research. "My understanding is that the rider does not in any way impede our ability to conduct our research mission," he said. "We're in the science business and the evidence-generating business, and so I will have our agency certainly working in this field, as they do across the broad spectrum of disease control and prevention." (Cancryn, 2/15)
The Wall Street Journal:
Missed Warnings In The Florida School Shooting
The teenager accused of killing 17 people at a Florida high school had alarmed authorities, neighbors and classmates, who recounted such behavior as obsessing over weapons, shooting small animals with a pellet gun and harassing neighbors’ pets. (Kamp, Calvert, Campo-Flores and de Avila, 2/15)
San Francisco Chronicle:
They’ve Prepared In Drills. They’ve Heard Prayers. Now Students Want Real Solutions To Gun Violence
While there are few polls detailing young people’s views on gun violence, the limited data suggest a nuanced view that includes support for some toughening of regulations. In a 2013 survey of 941 high school students across the country conducted by Hamilton College of Clinton, N.Y., a large majority of students, 85 percent, supported stricter laws on background checks for gun purchases. (Tucker, 2/15)
Administration Sued Over 'Wrongful Termination' Of Teen Pregnancy Prevention Grants
The Obama-era Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program was designed as a five-year program, but grantees reported last summer they had received letters informing them the program would be terminated at the end of June 2018 — two years ahead of schedule.
The Washington Post:
Nine Organizations Sue Trump Administration For Ending Grants To Teen Pregnancy Programs
Planned Parenthood has joined forces with eight other local government, health care, and advocacy organizations to take the Trump administration to court over the defunding of a national teen pregnancy program. On Thursday, the groups filed four separate lawsuits in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Washington, in Maryland and the District of Columbia, arguing that approximately $220 million in grants was wrongfully terminated. The Obama-era Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPP) was created by Congress to conduct rigorous scientific research into what approaches work to lower teen pregnancy rates and try to provide the best ones to at-risk youths. (Cha, 2/15)
In other national health care news —
Stat:
Azar Defends Trump Drug Pricing Proposals, Pushing Back Against Criticism
Alex Azar defended the drug pricing proposals in the Trump administration’s latest budget request Thursday, pushing back on criticism that none of the ideas would lower the list prices for prescription drugs. The new health and human services secretary, when pressed on the matter by both a Democratic and a Republican senator at a budget hearing, pointed to two concrete proposals by the administration. Both take aim at Medicare’s prescription drug benefit. One would put insurers, rather than the federal government, on the hook for more of the cost; another aims to encourage insurance companies to push cheaper generic drugs instead of costly brand drugs to their patients. (Swetlitz, 2/15)
The New York Times:
New Health Secretary Faces First Test As Idaho Skirts Federal Law
Alex M. Azar II, the new secretary of health and human services, said Thursday that he would closely scrutinize a plan by Idaho to allow the sale of insurance that does not comply with the Affordable Care Act, an early test of how he will enforce a law he opposes. But he said it was too early to know what action he might take. “We’ll be looking at that very carefully and measure it up against the standards of the law,” Mr. Azar said at a hearing of the Senate Finance Committee. (Pear, 2/15)
The New York Times:
Intrigue At V.A. As Secretary Says He Is Being Forced Out
The secretary of veterans affairs, David J. Shulkin, for a year enjoyed rare bipartisan support in Washington as he reformed his department, but now officials in the Trump administration are trying to replace him. An email sent in December by Jake Leinenkugel, the White House senior adviser on veterans affairs, expressed frustration with Dr. Shulkin and listed ways to topple the leadership of his department once key legislation was passed. (Philipps and Fandos, 2/15)
Stateline:
Trump’s Historic Medicaid Shift Goes Beyond Work Requirements
Requiring able-bodied adults to work for their Medicaid is just part of the Trump administration’s drive to remake the decades-old health insurance program for the poor. The administration signaled late last year that it welcomes state-based ideas to retool Medicaid and “help individuals live up to their highest potential.” At least 10 states have requested waivers that would allow them to impose work requirements and other obligations. (Ollove, 2/16)
Stat:
With New CRISPR Inventions, Its Pioneers Say, You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet
No one would be surprised if scientists announced tomorrow that CRISPR had leapt tall test tubes in a single bound, but until that happens, fans of the superhero genome-editing system will have to be content with a trio of almost-as-flashy (but potentially more useful) new tricks, all unveiled on Thursday. (Begley, 2/15)
Viewpoints: Why Do We Put Up With Insurers Telling Doctors How To Treat Their Patients?
A selection of opinions on health care developments from around the state.
Los Angeles Times:
What The Aetna Scandal Tells Us About Our Healthcare System: It's A Money Pit
Gillen Washington was a student at Northern Arizona University in 2014 when his health insurer, Aetna, denied authorization for the costly drug infusion he'd been receiving each month to treat his rare immunodeficiency disease. He appealed, but while he was waiting for a decision he wound up hospitalized with pneumonia and a collapsed lung. These ugly facts were enough to prompt a lawsuit, but Washington's claim against Aetna surfaced an even uglier revelation: that Aetna's medical director at the time, Dr. Jay Ken Iinuma, granted or denied coverage for treatments without ever bothering to look at the patients' medical records. According to CNN, Iinuma said in his sworn deposition that he relied on what he was told by the nurses working for Aetna, who checked to see whether the requested treatments complied with the insurer's guidelines. Denying authorization amounts to vetoing a treatment for all but the very few people who can afford to cover the cost out of pocket. (2/14)
San Jose Mercury News:
Federal Budget Cuts Put Californians' Health At Risk
Congress did fund the Children’s Health Insurance Program for 10 years. That’s the good news for 200,000 kids in the Bay Area who rely on it to meet their basic health care needs. But Congress came up with the funding for CHIP by grabbing $1.35 billion from the Centers for Disease Control’s Prevention and Public Health Fund. (2/13)
Boston Globe:
The First Step To Treatment Is Staying Alive
Drug treatment can’t help dead people. That’s why San Francisco is scheduled to open two safe injection sites later this year, where drug users will be allowed to shoot up under medical supervision. If an addict overdoses, trained staff will be available to revive them with an overdose antidote like naloxone, commonly known as Narcan. Staffers can also recommend treatment options to those interested. In an effort to stem fatal overdoses, safe injection sites are now under discussion in such cities as Philadelphia, Seattle, and Ithaca. There are no similar discussions in Boston, however, or anywhere else in Massachusetts, where Governor Baker, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, and Mayor Domenic Sarno of Springfield have all expressed either doubt or outright opposition. (2/9)
Los Angeles Times:
With The Opioid Epidemic Raging, San Francisco Takes A Smart Gamble On Preventing Overdoses
With the opioid epidemic raging and thousands of people dying from overdoses annually, four Democrats in the California Legislature proposed a controversial but potentially effective response: letting a handful of counties experiment with safe injection sites. At these government-sanctioned centers, drug users could bring illicit controlled substances to inject in a clean space with clinical supervision to guard against lethal overdoses. In Canada and Europe, where injection sites have been used for decades, they are credited with saving lives and helping direct addicts into treatment. (2/8)
San Jose Mercury News:
AG Becerra's Delay Enables More Opioid Deaths
While state Attorney General Xavier Becerra has fiddled, thousands more Californians have died from opioid overdoses. It’s been more than 16 months since Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation mandating that physicians check a statewide database before prescribing addictive medications. (2/10)
Los Angeles Times:
California Confronts The Complexities Of Creating A Single-Payer Healthcare System
California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon may have expected to torpedo the idea of a statewide single-payer healthcare system for the long term last June, when he blocked a Senate bill on the issue from even receiving a hearing in his house. He was wrong, of course. His shelving of the Senate bill created a political uproar (including the threat of a recall effort), forcing him to create a special committee to examine the possibility of achieving universal health coverage in the state. On Monday and Wednesday, the Select Committee on Health Care Delivery Systems and Universal Coverage held its final hearings. (Michael Hiltzik, 2/9)
San Jose Mercury News:
How Trump Decision Puts Women's Health At Risk
This devastating scenario where women [seeking abortions because of medical conditions such as cancer] are turned away at the most vulnerable time of their lives despite their doctor’s wishes could become more common thanks to the Trump administration’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This month, they announced the intention to create a new “conscience and religious freedom” division that introduces sweeping interpretations of so-called conscience protection laws covering medical providers, backed by aggressive enforcement. (Jody Steinauer and Lori Freedman, 2/10)
Los Angeles Times:
Idaho Scraps Obamacare Customer Protections. Will The Trump Administration Enforce Federal Law?
Not inclined to look a gift horse in the mouth, Blue Cross of Idaho announced Tuesday that it will jump into that state's new non-Obamacare marketplace with a sheaf of health plan offerings that openly violate federal law. The state's largest health insurer, Blue Cross filed five plans with state regulators that place annual benefit caps on customers, disallow maternity coverage, and can charge applicants more if they have a history of medical treatment or preexisting medical conditions. None of that is permitted under the Affordable Care Act, which governs health insurance plans in the individual market nationwide. (Michael Hiltzik, 2/14)
Sacramento Bee:
The Courts Are Risking California Home Values. Lead Paint Measure Just Aims For A Fix
A dangerous lawsuit – funded by out-of-state trial lawyers who stand to make tens of millions of dollars – will hurt California homeowners and threaten property values, taking particular aim at low-income families who’ve achieved the American dream of homeownership. Yet you wouldn’t know this after reading Dan Morain’s column on Jan. 19 on a statewide ballot measure to clean up hazards in homes. (Julian Canete, 2/15)
San Jose Mercury News:
Ban California Kids From Pop Warner Football
California sports advocates can no longer ignore this grim reality: Tackle football puts young children at risk of permanent brain damage. Safer alternatives, including flag football, exist. It’s time that California did away with the high-impact sport for kids until they reach high school. A good case can even be made that tackle football should be banned at all public schools. (2/15)
The Desert Sun:
Clinton Foundation Initiative Gave The Coachella Valley A Healthy Boost
The five-year Coachella Valley laboratory experiment that was the Clinton Health Matters Initiative has been a good thing for our desert. The Clinton Foundation’s effort to spur action among all who could make a difference to improve community health and wellness notched some important successes during its run. (2/10)
Orange County Register:
Prop. 65 No Good For Californians’ Health
The good news is an expert analysis of health studies, published in the Annual Review of Nutrition, concludes that drinking coffee lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s disease, cancer and diabetes. The bad news is that California law still requires coffee shops to post a warning sign that coffee contains a chemical known to the state to cause cancer. (2/8)
Los Angeles Times:
The Koch Network Uses A Flagrant Falsehood To Defend A Dangerous And Irresponsible Law
You can always tell that defenders of a dangerous and irresponsible law have nothing to offer when they resort to flagrant misrepresentation to make their case. Step forward, Nathan Nascimento and David Barnes of the Koch brothers network. Nascimento and Barnes are representatives of the Koch brothers group's Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce and Generation Opportunity, respectively. They were sufficiently ticked off at my takedown of one of their hobby horses, a federal "right-to-try" law, to complain about it in a letter to the editor, published Thursday. (Michael Hiltzik, 2/9)
Orange County Register:
Doctors Should Support Interstate Telemedicine
Should licensed physicians be allowed to practice telemedicine across state borders? Lawmakers in Congress have been reluctant to move this forward. An exception is the recent VETS Act of 2017, versions of which just passed in both houses of Congress. (Shirley Svorny, 2/8)
Sacramento Bee:
How An Abortionist Helped Launch A California Governor’s Political Career
No one encouraged me to plumb Inez Burns’ scandalous life. They waved aside her story as though it was an odor defiling the air. “Let sleeping dogs lie” was an expression I heard several times. “Stop your research,” others offered emphatically. “No good shall come of this.” (Stephen G. Bloom, 2/15)
Orange County Register:
Santa Ana’s Jail Should Be Closed And Repurposed
Next Tuesday, the Santa Ana City Council will decide on the future of its local jail. There’s a lot at stake here, not only because the jail currently operates at an $8.6 million annual deficit, but also because the decision will determine what kind of community the city of Santa Ana wants to be. (Christina Fialho, 2/14)