Los Angeles Times: Supreme Court Upsets $10 -Billion Opioid Settlement
The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a mass settlement related to the nation’s opioid crisis that would have paid an estimated $10 billion to victims, hospitals, states and others, and shielded the Sackler family from further liability. By a 5-4 vote, the justices ruled that a bankruptcy judge does not have broad power to arrange a mass settlement of thousands of claims that includes protections for people who are not bankrupt. (Savage, 6/27)

Reuters: US Supreme Court Purdue Ruling Makes Mass Litigation Tougher To Resolve In Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy may become a less attractive way to resolve sprawling lawsuits after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling scuttled OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma's Chapter 11 settlement and sharply scaled back a court's ability to wipe away legal claims against entities that have not filed for bankruptcy themselves. Bankruptcy courts offer several attractive tools for companies and other organizations to settle mass tort litigation, which have been used in cases involving claims of widespread sexual abuse against Catholic dioceses and the Boy Scouts of America, the marketing and sale of addictive opioid painkillers, and that consumer products cause cancer. (Knauth, 6/27)

NBC News: Families Of Those Lost In Opioid Crisis 'Devastated' By Supreme Court's Decision To Reject Purdue Settlement
Some people who lost family members to opioids expressed shock and sadness, but also a resolve to keep fighting, after the Supreme Court on Thursday torpedoed a massive settlement for victims of the drug crisis. "I felt like someone came up and punched me in the stomach," Jill Cichowicz, whose twin brother, Scott Zebrowski, collapsed in a California parking lot and died of fentanyl poisoning after he took what he thought was OxyContin in 2017, said. "It kind of equated to the day that he died," Cichowicz, who founded a nonprofit group called Two in the Stigma, said in an interview that aired on NBC News' "Hallie Jackson Now." (Helsel and Lubbehusen, 6/27)

The 19th: Biden And Trump Address Abortion In First Debate — With Misinformation And Confusion
In the first presidential debate of 2024, former President Donald Trump defended abortion restrictions levied by Republican-led states across the country and falsely accused Democrats of supporting the murder of babies after they are born. President Joe Biden, who has staked his reelection campaign on reproductive rights, called the end of federal abortion protections “a terrible thing” but did little to articulate his support or clearly push back on Trump’s claims. Thursday’s debate, hosted by CNN, marked the first time Trump and Biden have faced off in nearly four years. It was also the first debate since the end of federal abortion rights reshaped the country and brought the fight for reproductive rights to the forefront of American politics. (Barclay and Rodriguez, 6/27)

The Hill: Donald Trump Says He Will Not Block Access To Mifepristone
Former President Trump said Thursday he would not block access to the abortion pill mifepristone if he returned to the White House. “The Supreme Court just approved the abortion pill, and I agree with their decision to have done that, and I will not block it,” Trump said during the CNN presidential debate in Atlanta when asked if he would block abortion medication. (Vakil, 6/27)

KRCGTV: Trump, Biden Trade Shots Over Struggling Finances Of Social Security And Medicare
Both presidential candidates accused each other of running Social Security and Medicare into the ground at their debate in Atlanta Thursday night as both popular entitlement programs are facing serious budget shortfalls in the next decade that could result in stiff benefits cuts without congressional intervention. The long-term finances of the programs are one of the chief problems facing Washington over the next decade and certain to be a part of budget battles on Capitol Hill for years to come. Without action from Congress, both are destined to automatic benefit cuts. (Denean, 6/28)

Stat: Trump, Biden Don't Mention Addiction Treatment In Debate
President Biden and former President Trump were each given the chance on Thursday to speak to a kitchen-table issue plaguing the nation: the addiction and drug overdose epidemic claiming over 110,000 American lives each year. One word was conspicuously absent from both of their answers: “treatment.” (Facher, 6/27)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Biden Accuses Trump Of Planning To Eliminate The Affordable Care Act
President Joe Biden accused former President Donald Trump of planning to eliminate the Affordable Care Act if re-elected. Biden also added that he pushed to cap the price of insulin to $35. (Baruchman, 6/27)

AP: Biden-Trump Debate: A Look At Some Of The False Claims Made
Joe Biden, who tends to lean more on exaggerations and embellishments rather than outright lies, misrepresented the cost of insulin and overstated what Trump said about using disinfectant to address COVID. Here’s a look at the false and misleading claims on Thursday night by the two candidates. (6/28)

The Washington Post: The First Debate Reinforced Biden’s Biggest Weakness
Joe Biden has very few opportunities to demonstrate to the public that his age is not a hindrance to what he wants to do, including this opportunity. He demonstrated the opposite. (Bump, 6/27)

USA Today: Biden, Trump's Age Has Taken Center Stage. Many US Workers Are As Old
On Nov. 20, 2022, Joe Biden broke new ground by becoming the first 80-year-old commander in chief, but consider how many of his and Donald Trump’s peers also are still working. Only about a quarter of Americans 65 and over are in the workforce, but nearly 2 million people over 75 are still working, based on estimates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Maybe more significant to those in the ageism camp: CEOs who lead four of the 500 largest U.S. companies are older than both candidates, according to a Madison Trust Company analysis. (Sergent, 6/26)

Bay Area News Group: Pre-Roe Abortion Stories: Walnut Creek Play Examines Historical Struggles And Modern Reproductive Rights Fight
After the Supreme Court’s Dobbs v. Jackson decision two years ago overturned an abortion right the court had set in 1973 with Roe v. Wade, Martha Boesing helped create “Voices from the Silenced,” a play in which Bay Area women anonymously share — for the first time — their stories of illegal abortions. (Gibbs, 6/28)

Stat: Biden's Supreme Court Abortion Wins Could Be Short Lived
The Supreme Court this month handed President Biden a pair of wins on abortion rights — but they could be short-lived. The court made two major decisions about abortion that preserved or expanded access to reproductive health care for now, but teed up an even sharper debate about reproductive rights that will play out in November’s elections. (Owermohle, 6/27)

The Hill: Democrats Vow To Make Abortion Protections Top Priority If Given House Majority
House Democrats are vowing to make abortion protections among their first acts of business next year if voters return them to power in November’s elections. The lawmakers are warning that keeping the GOP in control of the House — especially if Republicans take the Senate and White House — would lead to tougher restrictions on not only abortions, but also contraception, in vitro fertilization (IVF) and stem cell research. (Lillis, 6/27)

The New Republic: $100 Million For Abortion Rights—With A Lot Of Questions
At first glance, the new campaign Abortion Access Now doesn’t look that new—its website features the ubiquitous, navy-blue “Keep Abortion Legal” protest sign from the National Organization for Women (who are not part of the campaign). Its remit doesn’t seem all that new, either; the “national, 10-year campaign,” Politico reported this week, “will both prepare policies for the next time Democrats control the House, Senate and White House, and build support for those policies among lawmakers and the public.” But the policies that have been shared so far are legislative proposals that have already been made. The headline is the money: The groups involved in the campaign—including well-known and well-resourced groups such as Planned Parenthood and the ACLU—recently announced they are “pledging a $100 million investment.” (Grant, 6/27)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Providence To Pay $10 Million To Settle Dispute Over Closure Of Petaluma Maternity Ward
Health care giant Providence has agreed to pay almost $10 million get out of its contractual obligation to operate a maternity ward at Petaluma Valley Hospital. (Espinoza, 6/27)

Orange County Register: California Pharmacist Accused Of Submitting More Than $300 Million In Fraudulent Claims
An Inland Empire pharmacist accused of submitting more than $300 million in fraudulent Medi-Cal claims for prescriptions processed through his pharmacy was charged with health care fraud on Thursday, June 27, by the Justice Department. (Ritchie, 6/28)

Reuters: US Charges 193 People In $2.75 Billion Health Care Fraud Bust 
The U.S. Justice Department has criminally charged 193 people, including 76 doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, with participating in health care fraud schemes worth $2.75 billion, the agency said on Thursday. The two-week operation ensnared defendants accused of illegally distributing millions of pills of the stimulant Adderall. (6/27)

Becker's Hospital Review: Hospital Reaches Clinical Milestone: 1,000 Days Free Of Major HAI
Southern California Hospital at Culver City has been free of central line-associated bloodstream infections for over 1,000 days and free of catheter-associated urinary tract infections for 750 days, it announced June 26. (Hollowell, 6/27)

San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego’s Dexcom Cuts 500 Jobs, Moves Manufacturing To Arizona
Dexcom, the San Diego-based maker of continuous glucose monitors, is moving its local manufacturing operations to Arizona and cutting more than 500 local jobs. Barry Regan, Dexcom’s executive vice president of global operations said the company remains committed to San Diego, and its headquarters will remain here. In an interview with the Union-Tribune, Regan explained that this strategic shift stems from Dexcom outgrowing its manufacturing sites in San Diego. (Rocha, 6/26)

San Francisco Chronicle: Walgreens Could Close Up To 25% Of Its U.S. Stores
Walgreens could close up to a quarter of its 8,600 U.S. stores after sales have slumped amid inflation. The retail giant is reviewing the 25% of its stores that are unprofitable and a list of closures hasn’t been finalized, but a “meaningful percent” will be shuttered, CEO Tim Wentworth told the Wall Street Journal. (Li, 6/27)

The New York Times: New Covid Shots Recommended For Americans 6 Months And Older This Fall
All Americans ages 6 months and older should receive one of the new Covid-19 vaccines when they become available this fall, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Thursday. The recommendation comes as the nation faces a summer wave of Covid, with the number of infections rising in at least 39 states and territories. (Mandavilli, 6/27)

USA Today: LB.1 COVID Variant: Symptoms, Spread, Latest Data
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is tracking the growth of the COVID-19 LB.1 variant as it begins to trail KP.3. For a two-week period starting on June 9 and ending on June 22, the CDC’s Nowcast data tracker showed the projections of the COVID-19 variants. The KP.3 variant accounted for 33.1% of positive infections followed by KP.2 at 20.8%. The new variant LB.1 was at 17.5% of infections and JN.1, the previous ring leader since 2023, only had 1.6% of positive cases. (Forbes, 6/27)

Stat: House Panel Passes Bills To Expand Medicare Obesity Drug Coverage, Cancer Screening
A House committee overwhelmingly passed four bills on Thursday that would expand Medicare coverage of obesity drugs and cancer screening blood tests and place guardrails around Medicare’s discretion in covering drugs and devices approved by the Food and Drug Administration. (Zhang, Wilkerson and Lawrence, 6/27)

Modern Healthcare: Dialysis Providers To See 2.2% Medicare Pay Bump In 2025 From CMS
Kidney dialysis providers would get a 2.2% Medicare reimbursement hike next year under a proposed rule the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued Thursday. The agency also intends to go forward with a payment bundling plan including oral-only drugs for kidney disease patients with high phosphorus levels. Dialysis providers have said making them responsible for supplying medicines patients can get at retail pharmacies is infeasible. (Early, 6/27)

Bloomberg Law: Home Health Agencies To Renew Suit Over Medicare Payment Rates
The home health industry will turn to Congress—and again to the courts—for redress after absorbing yet another proposed Medicare pay cut this week. William A. Dombi, president of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC), told Bloomberg Law that the organization intends to renew its lawsuit to stop Medicare from calculating home health payments using a disputed methodology that has slashed reimbursements since 2020. (Pugh, 6/28)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: 'Pass The Buck:' Sonoma County Grand Jury Faults Health Services Department For DEMA Payments 
In a broadly critical report on the Department of Health Services published Wednesday, the Sonoma County Civil Grand Jury faulted the county’s response to revelations about the for-profit homeless services provider DEMA. (Graham, 6/27)

Voice of San Diego: Escondido Passes New Public Camping Ban Ahead Of U.S. Supreme Court Decision
Escondido leaders approved a homeless camping ban Wednesday, becoming the latest San Diego County city to crack down on encampments. The new ordinance makes it illegal to camp on public property when shelter is available. This includes camping in streets, sidewalks, parks, open spaces and waterways. Public camping is also illegal if it poses a threat to any person, public safety or to vital government services. (Layne, 6/27)

San Francisco Chronicle: Breed Slammed Homeless Lawsuit But Data Shows Sweeps Of Tents Up
Sweeps of San Francisco homeless encampments have increased over the past two years despite a court order that city officials complained limited their ability to address clusters of tents, a Chronicle analysis of city data found. In the wake of a lawsuit filed by the advocacy organization the Coalition on Homelessness, a December 2022 court order prohibited San Francisco from enforcing certain laws to clear homeless tents. It did not ban the city from sweeping encampments, but it prevented officials from citing or arresting people who refused to move in violation of six city laws. (Angst, 6/27)

Berkeleyside: Berkeley Adopts $1.5B 2-Year Budget Boosting Public Works, Police And Fire
The Berkeley City Council approved a $1.5 billion budget for the next two years just before midnight on Tuesday, adopting major allocations for housing, public safety and community organizations amid strict planned budget saving measures. In both upcoming fiscal years, local expenditures are expected to outpace revenue as the city recovers from major losses in funding from the COVID-19 pandemic. (Yelimeli, 6/27)

Times of San Diego: SDCCU Hosting A Blood Drive: Register To Donate On July 3 At 7 Locations
San Diego County Credit Union is hosting a blood drive on Wednesday, July 3 at seven locations; six in San Diego County and one in Riverside County. Historically, there is an extremely low inventory of blood during the busy summer months and hospital shelves have a constant need, which affects thousands of patients. The community is encouraged to help – lives depend on it! (Sklar, 6/27)

Los Angeles Times: Could L.A. Enforce Antimasking Laws For Protesters? Experts Weigh In
In the wake of a violent protest at a Los Angeles synagogue over the weekend, city officials said they would examine what sort of rules are on the books, or might be put in place, to govern whether people should be allowed to wear masks during public demonstrations. It was unclear what such restrictions might look like — Mayor Karen Bass did not offer a specific proposal, saying only that City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto would examine “the idea of people wearing masks at protest[s] and establishing clear lines of demarcation between what is legal and what is not.” And now Los Angeles may never know. Bass tempered expectations of any kind of restrictions during a news conference on Wednesday. (Garcia and Beason, 6/27)

San Francisco Chronicle: SF Main Trans Health Clinic Was At Death’s Door. Now It's Expanding
Since 1980, Lyon-Martin Community Health has been San Francisco’s most important health service provider to transgender, gender-nonconforming and intersex patients, and it is a refuge for people seeking gender-affirming care. It hasn’t been a smooth ride. (Nuala Bishari, 6/28)

San Francisco Chronicle: Doctors Tested Conversion Therapy On Me As A Kid. It Nearly Killed Me
“Are you a boy or a girl?” It was a question I often got as a kid growing up in the late 1960s and 1970s. As a young, red-headed tomboy, I didn’t make sense to my family or classmates. There were girls and there were boys. A girl who presented and acted like a boy was tolerable — but only up to a point. (Sé Sullivan, 6/27)

Fresno Bee: Only 74.9% Of People Living With HIV In Tulare County Are In Care. Get Tested This Week
In Tulare County, we’re facing a concerning trend: new HIV diagnoses have more than doubled from three in April 2023 to seven in April 2024. More than 15,000 people in the Central Valley and over 142,000 throughout California are living with HIV. (Dean Jackson, 6/27)

San Francisco Chronicle: The Untold Story Of The Struggle Against HIV In Oakland
When people think of the history of HIV and AIDS on the West Coast, San Francisco is usually the first city to come to mind. Before the first case of HIV was discovered in the early 1980s, San Francisco had put itself on the map as the epicenter of California’s fight for gay liberation. (Nuala Bishari, 6/24)

Los Angeles Times: Banning Masks At Protests Is A Bad Idea 
One of the ideas that Mayor Karen Bass listed that the city could consider in response to violence Sunday outside Adas Torah synagogue in the Pico-Robertson area was the role of masks at protests. (6/27)