- California Healthline Original Stories 1
- Newsom Diverges Sharply From Washington With Health Care Budget
- Sacramento Watch 1
- California Governor Proposes Increases For Health Spending, Spotlights Homelessness Crisis In Budget That Is 'Reflection Of Our Values'
- Courts 1
- Trump's Rules Allowing More Employers To Opt Out Of Covering Contraception Get Day In Court
- Public Health and Education 2
- White House Considers Diverting Billions In Storm, Wildfire Disaster Funding To Build Wall As Shutdown Continues
- Calif. Lesbian, Gay And Bisexual Students More Likely To Feel Depressed, Abuse Substances Than Straight Peers
- Marketplace 1
- Under Ever-Intensifying Scrutiny From Government, Juul Tries To Embrace Image As Public Health Crusader
- Around California 1
- At Zuckerberg San Francisco General, Many Patients Are Left Footing Big, Surprise Bills
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Newsom Diverges Sharply From Washington With Health Care Budget
California Gov. Gavin Newsom made health care a priority in his proposed state budget, asking lawmakers to authorize state-funded financial aid for health insurance, impose a penalty on uninsured Californians and expand Medicaid coverage to unauthorized immigrants. (Samantha Young and Ana B. Ibarra, )
More News From Across The State
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared his $209 billion state budget proposal, of which health care accounts for nearly 30 percent, “a reflection of our values.” The governor projects a massive $21.5 billion surplus as growth slows for Medi-Cal. Now he must negotiate with the legislature on a final budget by June 15 — so some of these proposals are certain to change or be eliminated.
The Associated Press:
California Governor Offers $144B Budget, Sees Big Surplus
California Gov. Gavin Newsom released a state budget proposal Thursday that seemingly does it all — boosts spending toward his ambitious campaign promises and sets aside significant contributions toward debts and savings. It appears he can have his cake and eat it too because he's projecting a massive $21.5 billion surplus — far beyond anything the state has seen in nearly 20 years — as California collects more in taxes than predicted and growth slows for Medi-Cal, which provides health care for low-income people. (1/10)
Reuters:
California To Spend Big On Education, Healthcare In $144 Billion Budget
The budget also calls for an overall increase in health and human services spending of 8 percent over the current fiscal year, and $1 billion to double the state's earned income tax credit for low-income families. Subsidized premiums would be increased under Covered California, the state's version of Obamacare, while expanding Medi-Cal, the state's medical plan for the poor. The proposed Medi-Cal expansion would extend coverage to roughly 138,000 young adult immigrants, from age 19 through 25, who are in the country illegally. (1/10)
California Healthline:
Newsom Diverges Sharply From Washington With Health Care Budget
The progressive blueprint embraces a state health insurance mandate, beefed-up insurance subsidies, coverage for undocumented immigrants and six months of paid parental leave — not unexpected from a Democrat who campaigned on expanding health care and criticized President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans for eroding the Affordable Care Act. The new governor declared his $209 billion state budget proposal, of which health care accounts for nearly 30 percent, “a reflection of our values.” (Young and Ibarra, 1/11)
Capital Public Radio:
Newsom Proposes $144 Billion California Budget With Focus On Education, Building Reserves
He says he’ll fund the expansion with a statewide individual mandate, to replace the federal version the Trump administration eliminated. "With all due respect to the President of the United States, he's wrong. California is right," Newsom said. (Caiola, Adler and Nichols, 1/10)
LAist:
Newsom Wants To Make Big Moves On Housing, Education And Health Care — Without Spending Too Much
Newsom wants to expand Medi-Cal eligibility to young adults who qualify up to age 26, regardless of their immigration status. California already does this up to age 19. The governor's budget asks the legislature to approve $260 million a year to do this. Critics say the state shouldn't provide free or subsidized health insurance to people in the U.S. illegally, but with Democrats holding a supermajority in both houses of the state legislature and a governor actively pushing the idea, this proposal would seem to stand a good chance of becoming reality. (Plummer, 1/10)
Los Angeles Times:
Newsom Unveils A $209-Billion Budget To Boost Schools And Healthcare And Fight Poverty
“I know it’s rote and cliche to say it’s a reflection of our values, but it is a reflection of our values,” Newsom said of his budget. “It is demonstrable that these dollars attach to real people and real people’s lives.” (Myers, 1/10)
Los Angeles Times:
Gov. Gavin Newsom Threatens To Cut State Funding From Cities That Don't Approve Enough Housing
For 50 years, California has required cities and counties to plan for enough new housing so that residents can live affordably. But many local governments fail to approve new development, contributing to the state’s housing crunch. Now, Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing a radical new step: punishing communities that block homebuilding by withholding state tax dollars. (Dillon, 1/10)
KQED:
Gavin Newsom Looks To Spend And Save In First Budget Proposal
In a nod to the recent wildfires that have decimated California communities, Newsom also is proposing hundreds of millions in new spending on emergency response and preparedness, including new technology for Cal Fire and $60 million to start upgrading the state's antiquated 911 system. (Lago, Marzorati and Dembosky, 1/10)
Sacramento Bee:
What’s In Gavin Newsom’s 2019 Budget Proposal
The total proposal — including money earmarked for special purpose funds — tops $209 billion. That’s about $8 billion more than Brown’s final budget. (Bollag and Koseff, 1/10)
Trump's Rules Allowing More Employers To Opt Out Of Covering Contraception Get Day In Court
The rules, which California is challenging in court, relax requirements under the health law that birth control services be covered at no additional cost. The new guidelines would allow more categories of employers, including publicly traded companies, to back out of the requirement by claiming religious objections.
The Associated Press:
California Heads To Court To Fight Trump Birth Control Rules
A U.S. judge will hear arguments Friday over California's attempt to block new rules by the Trump administration that would allow more employers to opt out of providing no-cost birth control to women. Judge Haywood Gilliam previously blocked an interim version of those rules — a decision that was upheld in December by an appeals court. But the case is before him again after the administration finalized the measures in November, prompting a renewed legal challenge by California and other states. (1/11)
Administration officials are debating whether they could divert some of the $13.9 billion allocated for disaster aid without President Donald Trump declaring a national emergency. Media outlets offer looks on how the shutdown is impacting the country, from food safety inspections to domestic violence survivors to the clean up of superfund sites.
The New York Times:
White House Considers Using Storm Aid Funds As A Way To Pay For The Border Wall
President Trump traveled to the border on Thursday to warn of crime and chaos on the frontier, as White House officials considered diverting emergency aid from storm- and fire-ravaged Puerto Rico, Florida, Texas and California to build a border barrier, perhaps under an emergency declaration. In a sign of growing unease about the partial government shutdown, some Senate Republicans came off the sidelines to hash out a deal that would reopen the government as Congress worked toward a broader agreement tying wall funds to protection for some undocumented immigrants and other migrants. (Tackett and Hirschfeld Davis, 1/10)
The Washington Post:
Trump Administration Lays Groundwork To Declare National Emergency To Build Wall
The president and members of his administration have been depicting a humanitarian and public safety crisis at the border, focusing on drugs flowing into the United States and violence by unauthorized immigrants. There was a significant uptick in border apprehensions in 2018, according to data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, especially of immigrant families, but border apprehensions remain much lower than the high levels seen in the 1980s through the 2000s. Asked about a timetable for a national emergency declaration, the president said he would see how it goes with Congress. (Werner, Dawsey, DeBonis and Kim, 1/10)
Los Angeles Times:
Trump Vows He Will 'Probably' Declare National Emergency If Congress Doesn’t OK Wall Money
Trump has received conflicting advice about declaring an emergency from administration aides and friends outside of Washington. Some view it as an effective way out of the prolonged stalemate that would still show the president’s supporters that he continues to fight to achieve his signature campaign promise. Other conservatives, however, have cautioned that declaring a national emergency to bypass a stubborn Congress would set a dangerous precedent, one that could backfire on Republicans in the future should Democrats retake the presidency and attempt to fund other initiatives without legislative approval. (Stokols and Hennessy-Fiske, 1/10)
Politico:
Survivors Of Domestic Violence, Child Abuse Could Be Hit Next By Shutdown
Survivors of domestic violence, child abuse and a slew of other crimes could be next to feel the squeeze of the partial government shutdown. Shelters across the country are bracing for federal funds to dry up in the coming weeks. The Justice Department has been warning the state agencies and nonprofits that run them that it will only be able to process funding requests until Jan. 18. Justice is one of nine departments shuttered by the dispute over funding for President Donald Trump's border wall. (Wermund, 1/10)
Politico:
FDA Looks To Restart Safety Inspections For Risky Foods Amid Shutdown
The FDA is working to restore some food-safety inspections for products deemed high-risk, such as seafood and raw fruit, that have been suspended or delayed because of the government shutdown. "We’re taking steps to expand the scope of food safety surveillance inspections we’re doing during the shutdown to make sure we continue inspecting high risk food facilities," FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said Wednesday in a thread on Twitter. (Evich, 1/10)
The Associated Press:
Shutdown Suspends Federal Cleanups At US Superfund Sites
The government shutdown has suspended federal cleanups at Superfund sites around the nation and forced the cancellation of public hearings, deepening the mistrust and resentment of surrounding residents who feel people in power long ago abandoned them to live among the toxic residue of the country's factories and mines. "We are already hurting, and it's just adding more fuel to the fire," says 40-year-old Keisha Brown, whose wood-frame home is in a community nestled among coking plants and other factories on Birmingham's north side. (1/11)
Rates of drug and alcohol abuse among LGB youth were also double that of their straight peers, and more than 60 percent reported feeling consistently sad for two weeks or more. “California is lucky to have the strongest statewide LGBT civil rights protections in the country but we know that that doesn’t necessarily translate to full, lived equality and that too many members of the LGBTQ community in California have unfortunately been left behind,” said Samuel Garrett-Pate, spokesman for Equality California.
The California Health Report:
Many California Schools Aren't Meeting Needs Of LGB Students, Report Finds
Lesbian, gay and bisexual students in California’s middle and high schools are much more likely than their straight peers to feel depressed, abuse substances and skip school, according to a new report by Kidsdata. ...Rates of drug and alcohol abuse among LGB youth were also double that of their straight peers, and half reported cutting classes or skipping school during the past year, compared to 35 percent of non-LGB youth. Skipping school is tied to poor emotional health and at-risk behavior, and hurts children’s health and educational attainment, the report stated.
In the staff survey, less than a third of school employees thought their campuses provided enough counseling and support services for students. (Boyd-Barrett, 1/10)
In other public health news —
Ventura County Star:
Malibu Diners May Have Been Exposed To Measles
Officials say people who visited a Malibu restaurant late last month may have been exposed to measles. The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said a person with the illness visited Malibu and specifically the Paradise Cove Beach Café from 12:30-5 p.m. Dec. 29. There's no current risk of contracting measles by visiting the restaurant now, since the period of possible exposure ended more than a week ago, officials said. Also, since measles is spread from person to person by respiratory route, there is no risk from food eaten there. (1/10)
Modesto Bee:
State Awards $7.2 Million To Help Homeless In Stanislaus
California announced Thursday that it has awarded $7.2 million for homeless services — including for youth, shelters and helping people get into housing — in Stanislaus County. The award is part of the $500 million in one-time money the state set aside last summer through its Homeless Emergency Aid Program to help communities deal with the homelessness crisis. (Valine, 1/10)
California-based Juul has launched a new $10 million ad campaign focusing on the pitch that e-cigarettes are helping curb the country's smoking habits. But experts are saying the new image relies on revisionist history.
The New York Times:
Juul’s Convenient Smoke Screen
Juul Labs, the company behind the insanely popular vaping device, has a message for the nation’s estimated 37.8 million adult smokers: It really, really, really cares about them. And it wants them (and only them — got that, teens?) to try vaping instead. “For smokers. By design,” blares the company’s website. A new $10 million TV ad campaign, called “Make the Switch,” echoes that theme, featuring testimonials from ex-smokers, all comfortably above the legal smoking age, who have swapped their cigarettes for a Juul. (Roose, 1/11)
At Zuckerberg San Francisco General, Many Patients Are Left Footing Big, Surprise Bills
Most big hospital ERs negotiate prices for care with major health insurance providers and are considered “in-network.” Zuckerberg San Francisco General has not done that bargaining with private plans, making them “out-of-network.” A Vox investigation takes a look at the hospital's billing practices.
Vox:
Zuckerberg San Francisco General’s Aggressive Tactics Leave Patients With Big Bills - Vox
Zuckerberg San Francisco General (ZSFG), recently renamed for the Facebook founder after he donated $75 million, is the largest public hospital in San Francisco and the city’s only top-tier trauma center. But it doesn’t participate in the networks of any private health insurers — a surprise patients like [Nina] Dang learn after assuming their coverage includes a trip to a large public ER. (Sarah Kliff, 1/7)
In other news from across the state —
Ventura County Star:
West Coast Rx Opens Thousand Oaks Location
West Coast Rx, a new local community pharmacy, has announced the opening of a location at 375 Rolling Oaks Drive, No. 150, in Thousand Oaks. The location near the Thousand Oaks Surgical Center offers prescriptions, over-the-counter items, a wide selection of vitamins, medical supplies and drug-cost counseling. ...Specialized pharmaceutical services offered by West Coast Rx include packaging services to make it easier for customers to distinguish, read and take medications; compounding services to improve taste, smell and consumption of medicine; immunization services; pharmacist consultation services; and copay and prescription rebate research. (1/10)
Sacramento Bee:
Camp Fire Cleanup Under Fire After Troubled Contractor Is Picked
A Pasadena-based firm previously caught falsifying soil tests during the cleanup of a former shipyard in San Francisco has been awarded one of the first contracts for the Camp Fire project, prompting a call by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, for a federal review of that company’s numerous government contracts. Continuing his war on the state’s forest management practices, President Trump tweeted a threat this week that he may withhold federal emergency funds to California, which are expected to cover 75 percent of the cleanup costs. Butte County residents are upset about where the state plans to truck the debris, some of which is toxic. (Bizjak, 1/10)
East Bay Times:
Contra Costa Offers New Kiosks For Disposing Of Medications
Safely getting rid of expired or leftover medication has gotten easier in Contra Costa County, thanks to the recent rollout of an ordinance that requires pharmaceutical drug manufacturers to collect them. Throughout the county, 27 CVS Pharmacy locations and 10 Kaiser health facilities are providing drop-off boxes where people can dispose their medications in original containers or in sealed bags. Those drugs and packaging are then destroyed, according to the county health department. (Sciacca, 1/11)
2020 Contenders In Something Of An Arms Race To Take On 'Big Pharma' And Drug Prices
Drug pricing is a hot topic that voters care deeply about, and many of the 2020 Democratic hopefuls want to get ahead of their competitors with splashy bills taking on the pharmaceutical industry. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is just the latest to announce legislation that would tackle the high prices, which would include a measure pegging U.S. prescription drug prices to the median price from five countries where drug costs are typically far lower.
Stat:
Democrats Eyeing 2020 Put An Early Spotlight On Drug Prices
As they jostle to position themselves for 2020, many Democratic presidential hopefuls have suddenly zeroed in on a narrow policy target: prescription drug prices. Sen. Bernie Sanders called his first press conference since the midterms not to discuss President Trump’s quest for a wall or tout universalized health coverage, but to unveil a proposal to lower drug prices that mirrors one of Trump’s own. Sen. Cory Booker dialed up his own rhetoric to campaign-trail levels, decrying high drug prices as “a stain on the very idea of America.” The House Oversight Committee, too, set drug prices atop its own agenda, scheduling a hearing on that issue that will occur more than a week before it calls former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen to testify. (Facher, 1/11)
Reuters:
Sen. Sanders, Rep. Cummings Introduce Bill To Lower U.S. Drug Prices
U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Elijah Cummings introduced legislation on Thursday aimed at lowering the cost of prescription drugs for American consumers, critiquing President Donald Trump administration’s efforts to curb medicine prices. (Abutaleb, 1/10)
The Associated Press:
Liberals Dare Trump To Back Their Bills Lowering Drug Prices
Challenging President Donald Trump to make good on his pledge to cut prescription drug prices, congressional liberals proposed legislation Thursday to bring U.S. prices in line with the much lower costs in other countries. The Democratic bills stand little chance of becoming law in a divided government. But the effort could put Republicans on the defensive by echoing Trump's pledge to force drugmakers to cut prices. (1/10)
In other pharmaceutical news —
Stat:
Drug Pricing Advocates To Spend $1M On Ads Supporting Trump Proposal
A drug pricing advocacy group on Thursday announced a roughly $1 million ad campaign to boost a Trump administration proposal to align American drug prices with those in other wealthy nations, providing an outside boost to a policy concept that the drug industry has vocally opposed. The same advocacy group, Patients for Affordable Drugs, spent $10 million via its political arm to endorse midterm election candidates it said were working to lower drug costs — and to oppose candidates it said were in bed with industry. (Facher, 1/10)
The Washington Post:
Louisiana Adopts ‘Netflix’ Model To Pay For Hepatitis C Drugs
Louisiana officials announced Thursday that their state would become the first to move forward with a new way to pay for expensive hepatitis C treatments, which could dramatically increase the number of people who can be cured of the liver-damaging disease and provide a model for others struggling to afford the medications. Instead of paying for each prescription individually, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) said the state would essentially pay a subscription fee to a drug company, an alternative payment arrangement that has become known as the “Netflix model.” The state would then get unlimited access to the drug, similar to how consumers pay a monthly fee to stream unlimited television shows and movies. (Johnson, 1/10)
A selection of opinions on health care developments from around the state.
The Washington Post:
California Gets It Right With Its New Health-Care Initiative
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) wasted no time making a splash, announcing on Monday, his inauguration day, a major new health-care initiative that would make his state a leader in resisting Republican efforts to unravel the Affordable Care Act. Mr. Newsom’s plan is a promising reform that other states — and, if Congress and the president ever come to their senses, the federal government — should consider. As have many progressive politicians, Mr. Newsom has embraced a Medicare-for-all-like “single payer” system. But his opening health-care push is more practical, adding to the existing Obamacare framework rather than scrapping it for a more radical change. (1/10)
Los Angeles Times:
Gavin Newsom Is Already Moving California Toward Single-Payer
Gavin Newsom backed an assortment of ambitious and expensive programs as he campaigned for governor, none more so than the idea of converting the state to a single-payer healthcare system. On his first day in office Monday, Newsom reaffirmed that goal, but set the state on a more measured — and far more achievable — path toward insuring all Californians. The most dramatic step Newsom took was also the one least likely to bear fruit: He signed a letter asking the federal government’s permission to mingle federal dollars (such as funding for Medicare, Medicaid and veterans health benefits) and state funds into a single-payer system, replacing the various public and private insurance programs with one run by Sacramento. The chances of the Trump administration signing on to such a plan seem more remote than the most distant star in the Milky Way. (1/9)
San Jose Mercury News:
Wildfire Tweet Shows Heartless Trump At His Worst
The contrast between Gov. Gavin Newsom and President Trump’s leadership on California’s wildfire crisis couldn’t be more stark. The governor on Tuesday announced he would propose $305 million in new funding as part of his first state budget to expand California’s ability to fight wildfires and better alert residents of impending disasters. Newsom also joined with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and Oregon Gov. Kate Brown in sending a letter to President Trump asking the federal government to double its funding for fire prevention efforts in the three states. This comes after wildfires last year killed nearly 100 Californians, burned thousands of homes and were responsible for an estimated $30 billion in damages. President Trump’s response? He tweeted Wednesday that he was cutting off FEMA relief funding for California wildfires, potentially leaving thousands without the ability to find temporary housing or start rebuilding their homes. (1/9)
Los Angeles Times:
The Boys And Girls In Washington Haven't Killed Obamacare Yet
It was a pretty good year for President Obama’s major legacy, healthcare reform, aka Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act. The pace of new signups has been respectable if not miraculous, and now Republicans in Congress have decided (correctly) that perhaps total war against Obamacare is not their wisest strategy. People seem to like the ACA. They especially like the provision forbidding insurers to discriminate against those with preexisting conditions. This formerly obscure technical term of the insurance business has become the center of the healthcare discussion. You can’t call it a debate, because there’s no basic disagreement. Everyone’s for covering preexisting conditions. The question is, Who got there first? (Michael Kinsley, 1/8)
Fresno Bee:
Care For Those With Serious Mental Illness Is Now Possible In California
The seriously mentally ill (SMI) are only about 4 percent of all mentally ill people, but the havoc and pain they, their families, victims and the public endure from their illnesses are incalculable. Since California closed most of its psychiatric hospitals some 50 years ago, jails, prisons, hospital emergency departments and the streets have been dismal substitutes for quality locked psychiatric facilities. (Daniel O. Jamison, 1/9)
The Mercury News:
I Live With Mental Illness And I'm Not A Bad Person.
Most citizens perceive persons with mental illness almost as subhuman. There are numerous stereotypes and common misperceptions to which most non-afflicted people ascribe. In some families, the very existence of a mentally ill family member is hidden; in other instances, a relative will apologize for them. Today, mental illnesses are considered shameful. We are associated with depravity, with uncleanliness, with being “druggies” or we are thought to be dangerous. Society is harsh toward people with a mental illness. (Jack Bragen, 1/11)
Los Angeles Times:
No, Cops Shouldn't Round Up Workers' DNA In Search For A Rape Suspect
A 29-year-old woman in a persistent vegetative state became pregnant while living in a healthcare facility, and in late December she gave birth. Clearly, the patient had been abused — raped while unconscious. Someone did it, and it stands to reason that the perpetrator was a caretaker or other male employee at the Hacienda HealthCare center in Phoenix. (1/10)
San Jose Mercury News:
Why Patients Deceive Their Health Care Providers
If a doctor withholds information about a cancer’s spread, a patient can’t make rational decisions about treatment. If a patient withholds the truth about their alcohol consumption, a doctor can’t correctly diagnose their liver disease or tremors. (Kate Scannell, 1/4)
The New York Times:
Everyone Gets Sick. And We Deserve Better.
In 2008, our mother asked my sister, Maya, and me to meet her for lunch. When we arrived, our mother didn’t seem like herself. We wondered what was going on. Then she took a deep breath and reached out to us both across the table. “I’ve been diagnosed with colon cancer,” she told us.I know that many can relate to the emotions I felt in that moment. Even just reflecting back on it now fills me with dread. It was one of the worst days of my life. (Kamara D. Harris, 12/29)