Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Did Your Health Plan Deny You Care? Fight Back.
Most patients don’t argue when their health insurance won’t cover treatment or medication, but they should: Consumers win about half of their appeals. The process can sometimes be overwhelming, but there are ways to prepare and get help. (Bernard J. Wolfson, )
Listen: Young Undocumented Californians Cheer Promise Of Health Benefits
California is the first in the nation to expand Medicaid to young adults living there without legal permission. (Sammy Caiola, Capital Public Radio, )
Good morning! While announcing a plan to address rape kit backlogs, 2020 hopeful Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) touted her success in California. When she was California’s attorney general, her Rapid DNA Service team said it cleared all 1,300 untested rape kits in the state’s backlog in one year and earned national recognition and grants for its efforts. More on that below, but first here are some of your other top California health stories for the day.
Calif. Lawmakers Pass Bills To Stabilize Utilities After Wildfires, But Critics Call Law 'A Reward For Monstrous Behavior': Gov. Gavin Newsom is expected to sign legislation Friday to overhaul how the state pays for utility wildfire damage — a complex bill the governor championed and moved swiftly through the California Legislature this week at Wall Street’s urging. The bill will provide investor-owned utilities with at least $21 billion to pay for damage from blazes linked to their equipment beginning this summer. Utility customers will be required to pay $10.5 billion to the so-called wildfire fund through a 15-year extension of an existing charge on monthly bills, one that was originally expected to expire by 2021. “No one has ever said this bill is going to be the silver bullet or fix-all,” said Assemblyman Chris Holden, chairman of the Utilities and Energy Committee. “We are moving in the right direction, but we have a long way to go.” Some lawmakers, however, wanted to focus more on wildfire prevention as the ultimate solution to the problem. “It is hard to see this bill as something other than a reward for monstrous behavior,” said Assemblyman Marc Levine (D-San Rafael), who voted against the bill. “Our efforts should make public safety paramount.” Read more from Taryn Luna of the Los Angeles Times; Lisa Pickoff-White and Katie Orr of KQED; J.D. Morris of the San Francisco Chronicle; Bryan Anderson of the Sacramento Bee; and Ivan Penn and Peter Eavis of The New York Times.
Meanwhile, new figures show that Paradise, Calif., has lost over 90% of its population since the nation's deadliest wildfire in nearly a century last year. Read more from Kristin Lam of USA Today.
California To Pay Off $10.5M In Student Loans For 40 Dentists Who Will Agree To See Certain Number Of Medi-Cal Patients: In exchange for having their student debt paid off, the selected dentists will commit for five years to ensuring his patient mix is at least 30 percent Medi-Cal beneficiaries. Only about one-third of California’s licensed dentists take some Medi-Cal dental patients in their practice, according to DHCS statistics. Roughly 13.4 million Californians are eligible for dental care under Medi-Cal, a program known as Denti-Cal. Denti-Cal has come under fire from the Little Hoover Commission, an independent state oversight agency. It castigated DHCS in 2016, 2017 and 2018 in reports to legislative leaders and then-Gov. Jerry Brown, saying that, among other things, the agency is ignoring the Legislature’s direction that it meet a goal of 60 percent utilization for children covered by Medi-Cal. The commission noted that half of California’s children are supposed to be getting dental care through this program. “Expanding access to care will ensure California’s most vulnerable residents receive oral health care, which is essential to overall health,” said Dr. Del Brunner, president of the California Dental Association. Read more from Cathie Anderson of the Sacramento Bee.
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
Sacramento Bee:
California Mental Health Workers Reject Kaiser Contract Offer
The National Union of Healthcare Workers announced Thursday that 4,000 members of the union had soundly rejected Kaiser Permanente’s contract offer, saying the proposal failed to remedy the long wait times for California patients seeking mental health treatment.Kaiser’s “proposals didn’t offer clinicians meaningful solutions to provide timely, adequate care for patients,” said Clement Papazian, a licensed clinical social worker in Oakland. (Anderson, 7/11)
KQED:
San Francisco’s Universal Mental Health Care Ballot Measure Pushed To March 2020
A controversial ballot measure that would give San Franciscans universal mental health care is being pushed from the November 2019 ballot to the March 2020 ballot to give lawmakers more time to come to an agreement as to how it should be implemented. The measure, dubbed “Mental Health SF”, was announced in May. After the announcement, Mayor London Breed and the San Francisco Department of Public Health, which would be in charge of implementing the program, expressed concern about the high costs of implementation and a lack of input from the city’s health experts. (Wolffe, 7/11)
MPR:
Plaintiffs Demand UnitedHealth Beef Up Mental Health Coverage
Plaintiffs in a class-action lawsuit against Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth have filed their rebuttal to the company's arguments challenging the remedies they're seeking in the lawsuit. A federal judge in California has already found in favor of the plaintiffs accusations that UnitedHealth's coverage for behavioral health care is substandard. Now, lawyers expect, the judge will schedule oral arguments before making a final decision about proposed remedies. (Roth, 7/11)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Bill And Susan Oberndorf Give $25 Million To UCSF For Psychiatric Research
Psychiatric research at UCSF is getting a $25 million infusion, thanks to San Francisco philanthropists Susan and Bill Oberndorf, the university announced Thursday. Through their eponymous foundation, the couple pledged to give $20 million to the UCSF Department of Psychiatry, to be used at the discretion of its chairman, Dr. Matthew State. (Asimov, 7/11)
The Associated Press:
Appeals Court To Quickly Consider Trump Family Planning Rule
A federal appeals court says it intends to quickly consider whether the Trump administration can impose new abortion-related restrictions on federally funded family planning clinics. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday issued an order in lawsuits brought by more than 20 states and health care organizations challenging the new rules. The rules include a ban on taxpayer-funded clinics making abortion referrals. (7/11)
The Hill:
Appeals Court Denies Demands To Halt Trump Abortion Referral 'Gag Rule'
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against emergency petitions that sought to block the rule from taking effect while the changes are being challenged in court. That means the administration can enforce the rules, which block abortion providers like Planned Parenthood from the Title X program and bans providers in that program from referring women for abortions. (Hellmann, 7/11)
The Associated Press:
LA Police Chief Vows To Erase Homeless People's Warrants
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore said he is working to eliminate thousands of homeless people's old warrants for minor offenses in the coming weeks as part of a solution to help get people off the streets. "This is a humanitarian crisis of our generation," Moore said Wednesday in a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press. "This matches any other calamity that this city or this region or this country has seen. It is, I believe, a social emergency." (7/11)
Los Angeles Times:
Burbank, Los Angeles County Officials Discuss Housing And Homelessness Issues
Burbank’s housing goals and the issue of homelessness were key topics covered this week when the Burbank City Council met with Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. Council members gave updates to the supervisor during a special community meeting held Wednesday at the Community Services Building. (Clark Carpio, 7/11)
Los Angeles Times:
Hoag Hospital Makes $3-Million Commitment Toward Potential Homeless Shelter As Part Of Agreement With Newport Beach
Hoag Hospital will contribute $3 million over 10 years toward a potential area homeless shelter as a condition of the hospital’s development agreement with the city of Newport Beach. In unanimously renewing the agreement Tuesday, the City Council vested Hoag’s right to develop within its 38-acre campus in West Newport for an additional decade and praised what could be part of a solution to a burgeoning regional homelessness problem. (Davis, 7/11)
Capital Public Radio:
‘Health Navigators’ Connect Undocumented To California’s Expanding Health Network
With health care leading much of California’s legislative agenda, a state program that connects people to health services has become a vital gateway for millions of uninsured residents to California’s often complicated but expanding public health system. The mission of the “health navigators” program is to guide, inform and support individuals in need of health coverage. (Garcia and Gaglianone, 7/11)
San Francisco Chroncile:
Miscarriage Leave, A Benefit No One Wants To Use, On The Rise
The day after the miscarriage, Julia and Jack Altman watched “Friday Night Lights” reruns and ordered a lot of restaurant takeout. Julia, who was then working part time as a nurse practitioner, called in sick for two more days. She was tired. Sad. The time off, she said, let her recalibrate. “It was clear from the ultrasound that the pregnancy was not developing normally,” said Julia, who was seven weeks along. “I kept on asking: Are you sure?” (Russell, 7/12)
Los Angeles Times:
Social Workers Didn’t Remove Boy From His Home Despite Court Order. He Later Died
Los Angeles County caseworkers allowed 4-year-old Noah Cuatro to remain in his parents’ home despite a court order in May — weeks before the Palmdale boy died under what authorities say are suspicious circumstances, according to two sources who have reviewed court documents. At the time of his death Saturday, Noah remained under active supervision by the county Department of Children and Family Services after at least 13 calls to the child abuse hotline and police from people who said they suspected that the children in the home were being abused, the sources said. (Therolf and Stamos, 7/11)
The New York Times:
Trump’s Efforts To Rein In Drug Prices Face Setbacks
President Trump’s plan to lower prescription drug prices hit two major obstacles this week. He killed a proposal on Thursday that would have reduced out-of-pocket costs for older consumers out of concern that it would raise premiums heading into his re-election campaign. And a federal judge threw out a new requirement that drug companies disclose their prices in television ads. Administration officials rushed to assure the public that the double setback did not reflect failure on one of the president’s signature issues, one that has fueled public outrage and drawn the attention of both parties. (Thomas and Goodnough, 7/11)
NPR:
Trump Administration Walks Back A Plan To Reduce Drug Costs
Right now, if you're a Medicare Part D beneficiary, and you need to pick up a drug that has a $120 list price, you might have to pay that full price, even if the middleman that negotiates on behalf of your insurer only pays a net price of $100 for it, after rebates. The idea of this proposal was that the consumer would only have to pay the discounted price. (Simmons-Duffin, 7/11)
The Associated Press:
Setbacks For Trump's Drive To Lower Prescription Drug Costs
The rebate plan was crafted by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar but ran into opposition from White House budget officials. That pushback stiffened after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated that the plan would have little effect on manufacturer prices and would cost Medicare $177 billion over 10 years by leading to higher premiums subsidized by taxpayers. Trump's reversal on rebates was a win for insurers and middlemen called "pharmacy benefit managers" who administer prescription drug plans for large blocks of insured patients. (7/11)
The Washington Post:
Trump Kills Key Drug Price Proposal He Once Embraced
The withdrawal of the plan is expected to put pressure on administration officials to pursue more populist proposals, from importing lower-cost drugs from other countries to basing the prices of some Medicare drugs on the lower prices paid by other countries — ideas favored by the president but reviled by the drug industry and many Republicans. It also demonstrates the internal conflicts within the administration on drug policy and the president’s tendency to flip-flop — the plan was part of his drug pricing blueprint released with fanfare a year ago. (Abutaleb, Goldstein and Parker, 7/11)
Stat:
Trump Abandons Proposal That Would Have Ended Certain Drug Rebates
While the White House had argued eliminating rebates would result in drug manufacturers charging lower list prices, the proposal has been controversial since its unveiling in January. Drug manufacturers had largely supported it, while middlemen known as pharmacy benefit managers and insurers were vocally opposed. (Facher, 7/11)
USA Today:
Kamala Harris: Rape Kit Backlog Can Be Cleared At Cost Of Trump Golf Trips
Sen. Kamala Harris said Thursday that if she wins the White House she’ll push Congress to spend hundreds of millions of dollars in her first term to help state law enforcement agencies process tens of thousands of untested rape kits that could help police identify perpetrators of sexual assaults. The rape kit backlog has long been a stain on American law enforcement agencies. By some estimates, the nationwide backlog includes more than 225,000 cases in which evidence from reported sexual assaults has gone untested. (Madhani and Tuchscherer, 7/11)
Politico:
Elizabeth Warren Takes On Trump With Immigration Overhaul
Elizabeth Warren on Thursday unveiled her plan to reform the nation’s immigration system amid a deepening crisis over detention at the southern border and a fraught debate across the country and within the Democratic Party on the way forward. Among other things, the proposal calls for allowing more immigrants to come into the country legally, lifting the refugee cap from 30,000 under the Trump administration to 125,000 and then 175,000; a revamp of the immigration court system to establish independence from Justice Department leaders; and the creation of an "Office of New Americans" tasked with facilitating integration, including teaching English. (Thompson, 7/11)
The Hill:
Sanders To Join Diabetes Patients On Trip To Canada To Buy Cheaper Insulin
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced Thursday he will accompany patients with diabetes on a bus trip to Canada to buy insulin that's available at cheaper prices than in the U.S. The move comes as Sanders seeks to burnish his progressive bona fides as he vows to lower drug costs if elected president. He will make the trip with members of Insulin4All on July 28. (Axelrod, 7/11)
The Hill:
Gillibrand Unveils Plan To Lower Drug Prices
Presidential candidate Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) on Thursday unveiled a plan to lower drug prices and increase scrutiny of pharmaceutical companies. Gillibrand said in a campaign statement that she would work to penalize and prosecute pharmaceutical companies when necessary, allow safe importation and negotiation of drug prices and create the position of "pharmaceutical czar" to lead audits of the industry's business practices. (Frazin, 7/11)
Los Angeles Times:
Doctors Aren’t Much Better At Picking The Best Medical Treatments Than Laypersons
In recent years, the idea has spread that forcing consumers to pay more for healthcare — giving them “skin in the game” is the usual mantra — will prompt them to become more discerning medical shoppers. The goal is to improve the efficiency of the healthcare system by saddling consumers with higher costs if they opt for less useful or more overpriced services. Experts have identified numerous flaws with this concept, as we’ll get to in a bit. (Michael Hiltzik, 7/8)
Los Angeles Times:
Drug Companies Say You’d Just Be ‘Confused’ If They Included Prices In TV Ads
Two things became apparent this week after a federal judge blocked President Trump’s requirement that drug prices be disclosed in TV commercials — a move intended to shame pharmaceutical companies into being friendlier to patients. First, the ruling highlighted the limitations of Trump’s I-don’t-need-no-stinking-Congress approach to policy. Once again a court has ruled that Trump exceeded his authority. Second, pharmaceutical companies have no interest in being friendlier to patients. (David Lazarus, 7/12)
Los Angeles Times:
Trump’s Anti-Immigration Agenda Could Make L.A.’s Homelessness Crisis Even Worse
President Trump recently weighed in on the rise in homelessness in cities across the country, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, and warned that the federal government may “do something to get that whole thing cleaned up” — whatever that means. But the federal government already plays a major role in keeping people off the streets by supplying publicly owned, subsidized housing units to some lower income people (albeit in dwindling numbers) and vouchers to others to rent privately owned units.Now, a misguided proposal from the Trump administration could make homelessness even worse here and in other cities by kicking families out of these programs if even one person in the household is living in the country illegally. That is not only counterproductive, it’s cruel. (7/12)
Sacramento Bee:
Safe Grounds Have To Be Part Of The Homeless Crisis Solution
Sacramento’s County’s 2019 point-in-time count of the number of homeless people living outside or in shelters, completed in January, was just released and, predictably, showed a 19 percent increase in the number of homeless people in Sacramento. Seventy percent of the 5,570 counted were living outside, unsheltered, not only along the American River Parkway, but also on city and county property in the middle of the Sacramento and in public places on popular streets. (Mark Merin and Faye Wilson Kennedy, 7/9)
San Jose Mercury News:
Hospitals Need To Address Oakland's Homeless Black Men
Oakland — like many urban, suburban and rural communities in California — is experiencing an extraordinarily difficult homelessness crisis, alongside intensifying gentrification that has had an acute impact on black residents. Sixty-eight percent of Oakland’s homeless are African American and more than 25% of the city’s black residents have been displaced in the past decade.Addressing the city’s homelessness and black displacement crises requires leadership beyond local government, and solutions steeped in racial equity. (Erica Browne, 7/9)
Sacramento Bee:
PG&E Wildfire Settlements Are A Good. But There’s More To Do
I remember the forcefulness of the wind in those first few daylight hours of Nov. 8. Even in Sacramento, it whipped across my face with a uncommon and chaotic energy. In less than an hour, we would learn of the the unthinkable, that an even more powerful wind was fueling what would be known as the deadly Camp Fire. A fire which would rage out of control and tragically devour everything in its furious path. The city of Paradise and surrounding towns would soon be decimated. The loss of life and property would be incomprehensible. (Pagano, 7/11)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Juul’s SF Ballot Measure Typical Of Big Tobacco’s Disingenuous Tactics
As San Francisco’s city attorney, I sued the tobacco industry and won $500 million in damages for the massive harm caused by cigarettes. I also learned one big thing about Big Tobacco: Don’t believe a word they say. (Louise Renne, 7/10)
San Jose Mercury News:
Bay Area County's Suicide Prevention Effort Is Working
Suicide is responsible for about 45,000 deaths every year, costing society an estimated $70 billion annually, in addition to the devastating impacts on families. Every dollar spent in reducing suicide is a dollar well spent. (7/12)
Sacramento Bee:
We Need To Better Enforce Laws Meant To Protect Victims
All over California, thousands of domestic abusers who are prohibited by law from possessing guns are still armed.In fact, according to the California Department of Justice, as of Jan. 1, there were 23,222 prohibited people in the Armed and Prohibited Persons System, a database that identifies individuals who have purchased a gun and are prohibited from firearms possession. Even more troubling, domestic violence victim advocates are reporting an increase in the number of survivors who have been threatened by an abusive partner who has a firearm. (Robyn Thomas, 7/9)