Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
For 2020, California Goes Big On Health Care
California lawmakers are proposing ambitious health care ideas, from creating a state generic drug label to banning the sale of flavored e-cigarette products. Even though Democrats control state government, they’re likely to face pushback from powerful health care industry groups like hospitals. (Ana B. Ibarra, )
Good morning! Here are your top California health stories for the day.
California Sues To Stop Trump Administration’s Proposal To Tighten Food Stamp Eligibility Rules: California is one of 14 states on the lawsuit against the food stamp rule that could result in nearly 400,000 Californians losing their benefits. Under current federal law, able-bodied adults under the age of 50 with no dependent children must either be working at least 20 hours a week or in vocational training to get food stamps consistently. Otherwise, they can only receive three months of the benefit every three years. For a decade, states and counties have gotten that limit waived by demonstrating that the local labor market made it hard for people to find jobs. All but six California counties—Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, Santa Clara and San Mateo—have waivers. The new rule, scheduled to go into effect on April 1, would eliminate those waivers. “No one should have to choose between a hot meal and paying their rent,” California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said in a statement. “Yet again, the Trump Administration has failed to offer any legitimate evidence to justify decisions that have real consequences for the health and well-being of our residents.” Read more from Jackie Botts of CalMatters.
Will Homeless Crisis Be Uniting Force To Bring California, Trump Together Despite Acrimonious Relationship?: After months of acrimony between California and the Trump administration over the state’s homelessness crisis, Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Thursday that he would send an envoy to meet with administration officials and discuss ways to address the issue together. “We really have an open hand, not a clenched fist on this,” Newsom said. A joint effort could signal a profound shift in relations between the Trump administration and California, which have been locked for years in tense battles. Homelessness has become a particularly sore spot, with President Donald Trump repeatedly criticizing California cities for their management of the issue. Read more from Thomas Fuller of The New York Times.
In related news from the Los Angeles Times: Gov. Gavin Newsom Promotes Using State-Owned Trailers To House Homeless People
A Look At The Big Mental Health Initiatives Expected This Year: In his budget, Newsom proposed improving California’s troubled mental health system in several ways that ad, including increasing access to services, restructuring how Medi-Cal covers mental health care and pouring money into the homeless crisis. Lawmakers have also proposed legislation that would make it easier for those who are addicted to opioids to seek medication-based treatment. But advocates say both the governor and lawmakers are missing an opportunity to address key issues that are weakening the system. Read more from Sammy Caiola of Capital Public Radio.
Below, check out the full round-up of California Healthline original stories, state coverage and the best of the rest of the national news for the day.
More News From Across The State
Los Angeles Times:
About 170 People Sickened At Yosemite With Gastrointestinal Illness
About 170 people have contracted a gastrointestinal illness since early January while visiting Yosemite, park officials confirmed Thursday. The majority of affected individuals were park visitors and employees, most of whom spent time in Yosemite Valley, the most popular area of the national park. Most cases occurred around the first week of January, and the number of new cases has been declining since, according to the park. (Cosgrove, 1/16)
San Francisco Chronicle:
170 Yosemite Valley Visitors Fall Ill — Norovirus Confirmed In 2 Cases So Far
Two cases have been confirmed as norovirus, an extremely contagious virus that is notorious for sickening people on cruise ships, in schools and other crowded places, a National Park Service release stated. It isn’t known whether the other cases were caused by the same virus, but “the overwhelming majority of the reported cases are consistent with norovirus,” the release continued. (Fimrite, 1/16)
The Desert Sun:
Riverside County Sees Surge In Flu Cases, Including 4 Flu-Related Deaths
Riverside County’s public health department reported an uptick of confirmed influenza cases as the season of sniffles, fevers and body aches intensifies.In December, about 1,000 people in Riverside County tested positive for influenza, said Barbara Cole, Riverside University Health System-Public Health disease control director. There have been four flu-related deaths in the county, including one child under 5 years of age, since October. Additionally, 17 flu patients under the age of 65 required hospitalization in intensive care units. (Hayden, 1/16)
San Francisco Chronicle:
More Police Officers Died By Suicides Than On Duty In 2019, Advocacy Group Says
More police officers died by suicide than in the line of duty in 2019, and the number of reported police suicides rose for the fourth consecutive year, according to data from Blue Help, a mental health advocacy group for police and their families. In 2019, 228 police officers died by suicide, and 132 were killed in the line of duty. In comparison with 2018, duty deaths for police officers decreased 20% while suicides increased 35%, according to Blue Help, which says it is the only group in the country tracking law enforcement suicides. (Rice, 1/16)
San Francisco Chronicle:
JPMorgan Health Care Conference Returning To SF In 2021 Despite Complaints
Despite hotel room prices shooting past $2,000 a night and persistent complaints over homelessness and open-air drug use, JPMorgan’s annual health care conference will return to San Francisco in 2021. A JPMorgan spokeswoman confirmed to The Chronicle that the 9,000-person conference, which ran from Monday to Thursday this week, will remain in the city next year. (Li and Ho, 1/16)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento California Hires New Marijuana Business Czar
Seven months after the previous boss left, Sacramento’s new cannabis manager started work this week. Before joining the city in the high-profile position, Davina Smith served as Solano County’s deputy county counsel, where she was the sole cannabis and code enforcement attorney. Smith replaces Joe Devlin, the city’s first cannabis chief, who left the office in May and now works in the industry for Ikänik Farms. (Clift, 1/17)
Capital Public Radio:
Sacramento Just Quietly Revamped Its Cannabis Cultivation Enforcement Law
Since 2018, landlords in Sacramento have faced hefty fines when their tenants illegally grew pot without their knowledge. But the local law that allowed city attorneys to pursue unsuspecting landlords just changed. The city quietly passed an ordinance in December that says property owners only have to pay a fine if they knew, or reasonably should have known, that cannabis was being grown on the property. The penalty took effect last week. (Rodd, 1/16)
LAist:
LA's Hookah Lovers Are Worried The Proposed Vaping Law Would Wipe Out Their Lounges
A bill in Sacramento that would ban flavored vape products would also outlaw the sale of flavored tobacco used in hookah lounges. That worries people like Arbi Sardari, as he takes a drag of peach- and mint-flavored tobacco at The Atmosphere, the hookah lounge he owns in Glendale. For Sardari, smoking a hookah brings back memories of family. (Garrova, 1/16)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Wants To Post “No Smoking” Signs At Parks, Beaches
The State of California wants to spend $2 million to remind you that it is against the law to smoke in state parks and beaches. The California Department of Parks and Recreation issued a budget request in order to bring the state into compliance with Senate Bill 8, which bans smoking and vaping at state parks and beaches. If you’re caught, it’s a $25 fine. (Sheeler, 1/15)
The Desert Sun:
Nonprofit: 2,000 Affordable Housing Units Coming To Coachella Valley
Lift to Rise, a Coachella Valley nonprofit focused on promoting housing policy and development, announced Wednesday evening that development of 2,000 affordable housing units will begin over the next two years, though construction is expected to take longer than that. The anticipated units will be scattered throughout the valley but mostly clustered at highest density in Palm Desert, Indio, Mecca and Thermal, but Lift to Rise is trying to incentivize development across the valley. (Hayden, 1/15)
Los Angeles Times:
Newport Man Pleads Guilty In Genetic Testing Kickback Scheme
A Newport Beach man who federal authorities say was a key figure in a wide-reaching $28-million genetic testing kickback scheme has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud. Nicolas Arroyo, 38, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Texarkana, Texas, to conspiracy to defraud the United States. According to an indictment Dec. 11, Arroyo, a resident of the Newport Coast area, was chief executive of Vantari Genetics, a clinical laboratory headquartered in Irvine, when he conspired with others to pay and receive kickbacks in exchange for the referral and arranging of pharmacogenetic tests, authorities said. (Davis, 1/16)
Sacramento Bee:
UOP’s School Of Health Sciences In Sacramento CA Names Dean
University of the Pacific announced today that veteran college administrator Nicoleta Bugnariu will run the new School of Health Sciences that the Stockton-based university launched last year in Sacramento. Bugnariu will be dean of the school when she joins Pacific on June 1. She has been working as the vice provost of community engagement and service at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth, Texas. Prior to that role, she was interim dean of the School of Health Professions at the UNT Health Science Center from 2016 to 2018. (Anderson, 1/16)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Must Ban The Flavored Tobacco Products Addicting Kids
The California State Legislature revealed a cowardly streak last year when key leaders allowed tobacco industry money to kill legislation designed to end the youth vaping epidemic. The Democratic-controlled body’s rare refusal to take a bold stand allowed President Donald Trump to step up and declare his intention to snuff out flavored tobacco, which has sucked millions of schoolchildren into the vortex of nicotine addiction. (1/17)
Los Angeles Times:
Despite Almost No Evidence Of Abuse, Trump Plans To Narrow Medicaid Eligibility
For all that President Trump loves to portray himself as a protector of Americans’ healthcare — witness his fatuous new claim to have “saved Pre-Existing Conditions in your Healthcare,” when he’s actually undermined those safeguards — perhaps the most consistent administration healthcare policy has been an attack on Medicaid. The new year brings the opening of a new front in this war on the government program specifically aimed at bringing coverage to low-income households. The White House says it’s planning to tighten eligibility rules for Medicaid. (Michael Hiltzik, 1/14)
CalMatters:
The Healthcare Issue That Democratic Presidential Candidates Are Missing
Health care in the Democratic presidential debates has largely focused on Medicare for All versus the more incremental public option. Medicare for All has great appeal to many Democrats, but struggles with other voters. The concept of a public option is less risky but also less mobilizing. Each Democratic alternative, whether Medicare for All or the public option, would require new legislation. (Raphael J. Sonenshein, 1/14)
Los Angeles Times:
Newsom Can't Ignore Homelessness. It's The Top Issue With Voters
A poll released Wednesday by the Public Policy Institute of California shows that homelessness has become the top state issue for voters. This subject used to register only a low-level blip on the public’s list of concerns. Because homelessness has become such a hot topic, politicians are being inspired to confront the issue more aggressively than ever before. (George Skelton, 1/16)
CalMatters:
A Legal Mandate To House The Homeless?
Numerically, 151,000 people in a state of 40 million are scarcely one-third of 1%. However, 151,000 is the latest official estimate of California’s homeless population, not only the most of any state but a quarter of the nation’s homeless. And their makeshift camps on sidewalks and in parks and other public places throughout the state spark both compassion and revulsion in the larger population. (Dan Walters, 1/6)
The Hill:
Mental Health Crisis: We Must Speak With One Powerful Voice In 2020
For many, the start of a new year represents a clean slate — a chance to take stock of what truly matters in life and course correct in search of a better path. Human resiliency is a powerful thing. Mental health and addiction professionals often say it’s why they do what they do. People can recover from their challenges and go on to lead productive, meaningful lives. But resiliency alone is not enough for the one in six Californians who have a mental health condition or the 2.7 million Californians who meet the criteria for a substance use disorder. Access to quality, evidence-based care, and community support are equally as important. (Former Rep. Patrick Kennedy, 1/13)
San Francisco Chronicle:
How Organ Transplants Could Become Death Sentences
We specialize in transplant medicine at one of the best-equipped academic health facilities in the nation. Yet, despite all the technological and biological advances at our disposal, drug-resistant infections still devastate our patients. Consider a woman in her early 40s who recently came to us in need of a lung transplant. Her breathing was diminishing rapidly. But day after day, no transplant was scheduled. This wasn’t because we couldn’t find a lung donor. Rather, we feared the drug-resistant infection in her lungs would overwhelm her weakened immune system and kill her in the wake of the surgery. (Drs. Sarah Doernberg and Jonathan Singer, 1/17)
Los Angeles Times:
An Empty Hospital. An Exploding Homeless Crisis. Are You Thinking What I'm Thinking?
When I texted L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti Monday night to ask about the chance of snapping up St. Vincent, he said he’d just gotten that same question in a supermarket parking lot. The problem, he said, is that the city and county don’t have enough cash sitting around to buy the place. But Garcetti said it wasn’t out of the question for the city, the county and the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority to jointly lease or rent St. Vincent, and his staff is researching the possibility. (Steve Lopez, 1/15)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Lyme Disease Deserves Far More Research And Public Awareness
My cause is personal, and my goal will not be deterred as I, and those joining with me, work to see that no other person suffers the way my daughter did. A small tick bit her. That eventually led to her death. In 21st-century America, this should not have happened. Alex Hudson’s story exposes a medical system that remains unprepared to deal with debilitating illnesses that tick bites bring, including Lyme disease. (Jody Hudson, 1/17)
CalMatters:
California Must End The Plague Of Human Trafficking. This Proposal Can Help
Ending the plague of human trafficking is one of my top legislative priorities. Sadly, California is prime hunting ground for pimps and gangs to exploit human trafficking. (Ling Ling Chang, 1/13)
The Hill:
Planned Parenthood Launches $45M Campaign To Back Democrats In 2020
Planned Parenthood will spend $45 million on the 2020 elections, the nonprofit’s biggest electoral expenditure in its history, according to CBS News. The money will go toward the presidential election as well as congressional and state House races, according to Planned Parenthood Votes Executive Director Jenny Lawson, who told CBS, “The stakes have never been higher.” The Trump administration, she told CBS, “has managed to undo so much over the last three years ... the fact that this summer the Supreme Court might gut Roe v. Wade is an indicator of their intention and they've never been so bold." (Budryk, 1/16)
Politico:
Trump Gets Huge Boost From Anti-Abortion Group
Before Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the Susan B. Anthony List, agreed to chair the Donald J. Trump for President Pro-life Coalition in 2016, she requested a list of commitments in writing from the Republican nominee. To ensure that Trump, who described himself as “very pro-choice” not two decades earlier, wouldn’t betray anti-abortion conservatives as president, Dannenfelser asked that he promise to strip Planned Parenthood of federal funding, codify into law the Hyde Amendment limiting the use of federal money for abortions, enact legislation to ban abortion after 20 weeks and strictly nominate anti-abortion justices to the Supreme Court. (Orr, 1/17)
The Hill:
Progressives Raise Red Flags Over Health Insurer Donations
The health insurance industry is donating big to Democrats even amid criticism of the industry and growing calls for “Medicare for All” from the progressive wing of the party. Four big insurance companies — Blue Cross Blue Shield, UnitedHealth Group, CVS Health and Cigna — and their employees have given about $4.5 million collectively in campaign contributions in the 2020 cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. (Gangitano, 1/16)
Politico:
Powerful House Committee Is Latest To Take Stab At ‘Surprise’ Billing Fix
The leaders of a powerful House committee are aiming to break through a legislative quagmire as Congress tries to deliver on the stubbornly elusive goal of protecting patients from "surprise" medical bills. A one-page plan from Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal (D-Mass.) and ranking member Kevin Brady (R-Texas) is at odds with a detailed bipartisan deal struck between key House and Senate committees late last year to settle billing disputes that can leave patients on the hook for thousands of dollars in unexpected expenses. (Roubein and Goldberg, 1/16)
Reuters:
China Says Second Person Dies In Wuhan Pneumonia Outbreak
A second person has died from pneumonia in the central Chinese city of Wuhan following an outbreak believed to be caused by a new coronavirus strain, local health authorities said. The 69-year-old man had been admitted to hospital with abnormal renal function and severe damage to multiple organs, the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission said in a statement on its website late on Thursday. He died on Jan. 15. (1/17)
The Hill:
61 Percent Of Millennials Familiar With Anti-Vaccination Movement Agree With Some Beliefs: Survey
Sixty-one percent of millennials familiar with the anti-vaccination movement said they agreed with at least some of its beliefs, according to NBC News, citing a survey released Thursday by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). The survey, which polled 1,000 adults, also found that 55 percent of respondents in their 20s and 30s did not receive the flu vaccine this year, although the majority cited lack of time or forgetting as the reason rather than opposition to vaccination. (Budryk, 1/16)