Latest From California Healthline:
KFF Health News Original Stories
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Harris in the Spotlight
For the 2024 campaign, Joe Biden is out, and Kamala Harris is in. As the vice president makes moves toward the top of the Democratic presidential ticket, health policy is resurging as a campaign issue. Meanwhile, Congress tries — and again fails — to make timely progress on the annual government spending bills as abortion issues cause delays. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Stephanie Armour of KFF Health News, and Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Anthony Wright, the new executive director of Families USA, about his plans for the organization and his history working with Harris on health topics. (7/25)
Governor Issues Executive Order For Removal Of Homeless Encampments: Gov. Gavin Newsom has ordered state officials to dismantle thousands of homeless encampments. The move comes on the heels of a recent Supreme Court decision that gave local and state governments more latitude to remove people from their streets. Read more from the Palm Springs Desert Sun, Los Angeles Times, and The Sacramento Bee.
Health Tech Company To Leave California: Verily, the Alphabet-owned health tech company, announced this week that its headquarters will move from South San Francisco to Dallas later this quarter. Read more from D Magazine.
Below, check out the roundup of California Healthline’s coverage. For today's national health news, read KFF Health News’ Morning Briefing.
More News From Across The State
Modern Healthcare:
Envision Healthcare Ends Private Equity Case, Leaves California
Envision Healthcare, a top private equity-backed emergency physician staffing company, is exiting California and avoiding a lawsuit that threatened the legality of its business model in the state. The Nashville, Tennessee-based company had been battling the American Academy of Emergency Medicine, which sued in 2021 after Envision Healthcare won a contract that the American Academy of Emergency Medicine Physician Group previously held at Placentia-Linda Hospital. (McAuliff, 7/25)
Modern Healthcare:
Molina Healthcare Considers Medicaid Deals As Enrollment Rises
Molina Healthcare reported an increase in Medicaid membership during a tumultuous time for the line of business — and hinted that more acquisitions could be on the horizon. The insurance company, which operates Medicaid, Medicare and exchange plans, said during its second-quarter earnings call Thursday that its successes in winning state contracts and expanding into new areas have softened the losses resulting from the redeterminations process. (Berryman, 7/25)
Los Angeles Times:
Molina Healthcare Inc. Acquires Connecticare Holding Co. Inc.
Long Beach-based Molina Healthcare Inc. agreed to acquire Connecticare Holding Co. Inc. for $350 million on July 23. The transaction will be funded with cash on hand and is subject to regulatory approvals. It is expected to close in early 2025. “The addition of ConnectiCare to Molina brings a well-rounded government-sponsored healthcare plan and a new state to our portfolio,” said Joe Zubretsky, president and chief executive of Molina in a statement. (7/25)
KRON4:
SF Woman First To Receive $100K Exoskeleton Through Health Insurance In Bay Area
On Wednesday, a paralyzed tennis player carried the Olympic torch for the first time using a robotic exoskeleton suit. After spending over 13 years of her life in a wheelchair, San Francisco native Keontae Clark, 26, is now the first patient to have a robotic exoskeleton suit through health insurance in the Bay Area. She says she pays nothing out of pocket and that the suit changed her life. Without Medicare, the nearly $100,000 suit would have been impossible to afford to walk in. (Fahmy, 7/24)
Healthcare Dive:
HHS Reorganizes Technology Functions, Renames ONC
The HHS is undergoing a major restructuring, placing oversight of technology, data and artificial intelligence under an existing office that manages healthcare information technology. Along with assuming a larger tech role, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, or ONC, will be renamed the Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy and Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, or ASTP/ONC. (Olsen, 7/25)
CBS News:
North Korean Charged In Ransomware Attacks On NASA, U.S. Hospitals; $10 Million Reward Offered
North Korean hackers allegedly targeted a number of U.S. hospitals and healthcare systems with ransomware as part of an illegal scheme to fund a covert information exfiltration campaign against American military and scientific entities, federal investigators revealed Thursday. ... The State Department is offering a $10 million reward for information leading to the location of Rim or other members of the malicious cyber group. (Legare and Sganga, 7/25)
Military.com:
VA's Electronic Health Records System May Require Lots Of New Staff. The Cost Worries Lawmakers.
The introduction of the new digital medical records system at a joint Veterans Affairs-Defense Department hospital went well but required extra temporary and full-time staff. (Kime, 7/25)
The Washington Post:
Online Portals Deliver Scary Health News Before Doctors Can Weigh In
More Americans are learning of devastating health diagnoses through their phones and computers instead of personally from their doctors because of a federal requirement that people receive immediate access to medical test and scan results, from routine bloodwork to MRIs. This shift has sparked a debate in the medical community about whether instant information empowers patients or harms them. (Nirappil, 7/26)
Los Angeles Times:
Two Of Mexico's Top Sinaloa Cartel Leaders Arrested At El Paso Airport
Two of Mexico’s most powerful drug traffickers — one a longtime partner of the Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, the other his son — were taken into U.S. custody on Thursday afternoon, a pair of arrests likely to upend the world of international drug trafficking. Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López were detained at a private airport in El Paso, according to two sources familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly about the case. (Hamilton and Linthicum, 7/25)
EL PAÍS:
Sinaloa Cartel: Four Factions Share The Business Of Trafficking Fentanyl And Methamphetamines To The US
The arrest of Ismael El Mayo Zambada, the Boss of Bosses, represents a huge blow to the Sinaloa Cartel. The criminal organization, one of Mexico’s biggest, has been resisting the manhunt by the United States in its war against fentanyl trafficking, as well as an internal war for territorial control. The siege by the authorities bore fruit and ended this Thursday with the arrest of one of the most powerful drug traffickers in the country, who had never once set foot in prison. Founded in the 1980s in the mountains of the Pacific State, this cartel is divided into four factions that share the drug trafficking pie. (Zerega, 7/26)
Reuters:
Fentanyl’s Deadly Chemistry: How Criminals Make Illicit Opioids
The illegal synthetic opioid industry is built on surprisingly simple chemistry. Here’s the science behind fentanyl, and how underworld “cooks” put it to work. (Chung, Gottesdiener and Jorgic, 7/25)
Reuters:
We Bought What’s Needed To Make Millions Of Fentanyl Pills – For $3,600
At the tap of a buyer’s smartphone, Chinese chemical sellers will air-ship fentanyl ingredients door-to-door to North America. Reuters purchased enough to make 3 million pills. Such deals are astonishingly easy – and reveal how drug traffickers are eluding efforts to halt the deadly trade behind the fentanyl crisis. (Tamman, Gottesdiener and Eisenhammer, 7/25)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Facing Mounting Questions And Persistent Opposition, Gloria Delays Homeless Shelter Plan
After a contentious public hearing that stretched nearly to midnight earlier this week, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria has withdrawn his effort to win City Council approval for a massive homeless shelter — at least until September. (McDonald, 7/25)
Temecula Patch:
No-Cost Mental Health Care Available To Temecula Residents, Homeless
The city of Temecula is now providing its residents and those facing homelessness in the community with no-cost access to mental health, substance use disorder, and social services. (McAllister, 7/25)
The Sacramento Observer:
California Black Health Network Launches 'Health 4 Life' Campaign
California Black Health Network (CBHN) recently launched its “Health 4 Life: Healthy Black People Campaign.” The campaign aims to empower and educate all Black Californians with “How do I…” (HDI) information and resources needed to effectively navigate the health care system. It also provides tips for advocating for friends, family, and themselves when undergoing medical treatment. (7/24)
San Francisco Chronicle:
How Is Park Fire Near Chico Affecting California Air Quality?
The Park Fire, burning north of Chico in Butte and Tehama counties, exploded to more than 45,000 acres Thursday morning, becoming the largest wildfire in California so far this year. A huge smoke plume from the fire extended across northeast California into southern Oregon and Idaho and is creating unhealthy to hazardous air quality. (Edwards, 7/25)
Healio:
FDA Approves First Oral Dissolvable Birth Control Pill
The FDA approved the first orally disintegrating birth control pill for people who have difficulty swallowing their medication, the agency announced in a press release. The dissolvable combined oral contraceptive of norethindrone acetate and ethinyl estradiol pill (Femlyv, Millicent), was first approved in the U.S. for the prevention of pregnancy as a swallowable tablet in 1968. (Schaffer, 7/24)
Berkeley News:
After Trump's Election, Women Of Color Had More Underweight, Premature Babies, Study Finds
In the two years after Trump was elected, there was a significant increase in the number of non-white women in the U.S. who gave birth to children who were premature or underweight, researchers report in a study published today in the journal Demography. The increase in underweight and premature births was especially pronounced for children born to Black mothers, the study found. “Elections matter to health in enduring ways,” said Paola D. Langer, a postdoctoral fellow at the campus’s Goldman School of Public Policy and study’s first author. (Pohl, 7/25)
Fox News:
The World's 1st 'Test Tube Baby' Turns 46 Years Old, Over 6 Million Babies Born Through IVF Since 1978
On July 25, 1978, Louise Joy Brown was born in the United Kingdom and her birth quickly caught the media's attention, as she was the world's first "test tube baby." In other words, Brown was the first baby born through in vitro fertilization (IVF). Her mother Leslie and father Peter suffered from infertility due to Leslie's blocked fallopian tubes, according to History.com. (Messier, 7/25)
CNN:
Barbie’s Gynecologist Appointment Increased Online Search Interest Around Reproductive Health, New Study Finds
When she leaves Barbie Land for the real world, Barbie must keep up with her regular health maintenance, which includes seeing her gynecologist. A new study published Thursday in the journal JAMA Network Open has found that the ending in the 2023 blockbuster film “Barbie” had an influence on online search interest in terms around gynecology, the branch of medicine that deals with women’s reproductive health. (Nicioli, 7/25)
CIDRAP:
Scientists Say They Developed Faster Way To Diagnose, Treat Sepsis
A new ultra-rapid, phenotype-based antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) method eliminates the need for conventional blood culture in patients with suspected sepsis, potentially speeding antibiotic prescription by upwards of 40 to 60 hours, scientists reported yesterday in Nature. (Van Beusekom, 7/25)
Houston Chronicle:
Texas Heart Institute Makes 'Groundbreaking' Artificial Heart Implant
A new chapter in artificial heart development unfolded Thursday in Houston, where officials at the Texas Heart Institute announced they had successfully implanted a novel device that they hope can become the first long-term solution for patients with advanced heart failure. The device — a rotary-powered, hand-sized artificial heart — whirred inside a 58-year-old man’s chest for eight days, helping him maintain normal vital signs and organ function until he received a lifesaving heart transplant on July 17. (Gill, 7/25)
Los Angeles Times:
California’s Regulator Is Failing The Legal Cannabis Market
The state’s marijuana regulator, the Department of Cannabis Control, is failing consumers and the legal market by allowing contaminated weed to be certified and sold as safe. (7/26)
Sacramento Bee:
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Latest Bill Signing Is A Win For Transgender Students And Families
For a student who is going through puberty or thinking about their gender identity, school may be the only outlet they have to discuss their thoughts and questions. That’s why California needs legislation like Assembly Bill 1955, which Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law on July 15. Authored by Democrat Christopher Ward of San Diego, AB 1955 prohibits schools from mandating teachers inform parents about their child’s use of gender non-conforming pronouns or name changes. (Epley, 7/25)
The Mercury News:
California Man's Medically Assisted Death Offers Lessons
My husband, Gary, was diagnosed with Stage 4 lymphoma in 2019, at the age of 57. Gary was a vegan, an artist and graphic designer and an avid hiker. He loved life, and we did everything we could to extend it after his devastating diagnosis. For more than three years, Gary fought hard and underwent a number of treatments. He began a chemotherapy regimen but the cancer was drug-resistant. He underwent a bone marrow transplant. We tried a difficult, painful and frightening immunotherapy treatment. He continued to fight and underwent chemotherapy again. (Pachon, 7/25)
Berkeleyside:
Alzheimer’s Treatments Give Us Hope, But Diagnosis Needs Improving
While working at Alzheimer’s Services of the East Bay (ASEB) has been an incredible experience, the sheer number of patients has also demonstrated how widespread dementia has become. Although the latest developments in Alzheimer’s treatments have given many patients hope, these new drugs are only effective if the disease is diagnosed early. And as my great-grandmother’s story demonstrates, many Alzheimer’s patients may never receive proper diagnosis, costing them valuable access to treatment. (Haley Willem, 7/26)