Capital Public Radio: Gov. Gavin Newsom’s First California Budget Deal Is Near. Here’s What To Watch For 
The first California budget deal under Gov. Gavin Newsom is just days away. Newsom and legislative leaders must finalize their spending plan for the coming fiscal year this weekend for lawmakers to meet their June 15 constitutional budget deadline. (Adler, 6/7)

Capital Public Radio: Plan To Prop Up Obamacare Emerges As Key Budget Debate For California Democrats 
As the Democrats who run California government hash out the final details of the state budget, some lawmakers and advocates are raising doubts about Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to shore up Obamacare. Newsom’s office argues that fining people without insurance, a policy known as the individual mandate, will stabilize the state’s health insurance market and generate money to subsidize insurance for middle-income people. But others say the money it would generate isn’t enough to make health insurance truly affordable. (Bollag, 6/6)

The Desert Sun: Uninsured Small Businesses Hope For Affordable Health Care Under Governor
Of the 2.84 million Californians who remained uninsured in 2017, 444,000, or 16%, were self-employed, according to the California Health Insurance Survey conducted by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. Right now, Covered California enrollees making less than roughly $49,000 per year get federal subsidies to lower their insurance costs. But the median annual income for small-business owners in California is about $57,000, according to the latest numbers from the federal Small Business Administration. (Caiola and Amaro, 6/6)

Capital Public Radio: Undocumented Seniors Have Tenuous Chance At Needed Health Care As Coverage Debate Reaches A Head 
In a pie chart of California’s undocumented population, seniors make up only a sliver. But this oft-overlooked group is now at the center of the Capitol debate over which, if any, undocumented immigrant adults should become eligible for public health insurance. The decision is based on the state budget, which could be finalized as soon as Friday. (Caiola, 6/6)

Los Angeles Times: Soaring Insurance Deductibles And High Drug Prices Hit Sick Americans With A ‘Double Whammy’
Wendy Matney hesitated to tell her family not to call 911. “It seemed almost selfish to say, ‘Please don’t call because we can’t afford this,’” said the 39-year-old home health aide, who has a form of epilepsy that causes frequent, sometimes violent, seizures. Matney has been to the hospital enough, though, to know a trip means thousands of dollars in bills under the family’s high-deductible health plan. And she and her husband — struggling with more than $20,000 in medical debt — can afford no more. Hit with a hospital lawsuit over unpaid bills, the couple are declaring bankruptcy, effectively giving up hope of moving out of their trailer and buying a house. (Levey, 6/6)

Sacramento Bee: Anthem Will Pay $2.8 Million Fine To Resolve California Charges
Anthem Blue Cross will pay $2.8 million to the state of California and invest $8.4 million to improve how it logs consumer calls as part of a settlement with the Department of Managed Health Care over its allegations that the insurer was failing to identify, process or resolve consumer complaints, the department announced Thursday. (Anderson, 6/7)

Sacramento Bee: Thousands Of Veterans Can Choose To See Private-Sector Doctors
Many U.S. military veterans will gain a choice in their health care decisions Thursday, and depending on who’s talking, this new freedom will either give them greater access to doctors closer to their homes or sabotage the quality of care delivered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The debate hinges on implementation of a piece of federal legislation, the MISSION Act. It’s more formally known as the VA Maintaining Internal Systems and Strengthening Integrated Outside Networks Act of 2018. (Anderson, 6/6)

Los Angeles Times: Coming Home Stressed? Your Dog Is Internalizing Those Bad Vibes Too, Study Suggests
In the 15,000 years that humans and dogs have lived together, dependence and mutual affection have deepened our bond. And science has long established that “emotional contagion” between us and our canine pets is very real. The new study, published Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports, is the first to find that this contagion is not fleeting. It also suggests that a dog owner’s mental well-being shapes the pet’s emotional health in a uniquely powerful way. Much has been made of the health benefits that dogs offer to humans. Our heart rates and blood pressure routinely decline in their presence. Our levels of circulating oxytocin — often referred to as the “love hormone” — rise when we gaze into a dog’s eyes. (Healy, 6/6)

San Jose Mercury News: Kaiser Housed 300 Homeless Bay Area Seniors This Year
Kaiser Permanente has helped usher about 300 homeless seniors off the streets of Oakland and into stable housing over the past six months — a milestone that means the healthcare giant is more than halfway to its ultimate goal. Oakland-based Kaiser, in partnership with the nonprofit Bay Area Community Services, in January pledged to house more than 500 homeless Oaklanders who are over the age of 50 and living with at least one chronic health condition. (Kendall, 6/6)

Sacramento Bee: Grant To Expand Access To Doctors In California And Oregon
With the backing of a five-year, $1.8 million grant from the American Medical Association, UC Davis and Oregon Health & Science University will expand the number of medical students and resident physicians at hospitals from Sacramento to Portland, the three parties announced today. The trainees will serve in rural, tribal, urban and other communities that lack resources, UC Davis School of Medicine officials said in a prepared news release. It is hoped that they will wish to remain and serve in these areas, which have physician shortages. (Anderson, 6/5)

The New York Times: Joe Biden Denounces Hyde Amendment, Reversing His Position
After two days of intense criticism, Joseph R. Biden Jr. reversed himself Thursday night on one of the issues most important to Democratic voters, saying he no longer supports a measure that bans federal funding for most abortions. As recently as Wednesday, Mr. Biden’s campaign had said he supported the measure, known as the Hyde Amendment. His decision to change positions illustrates the intense pressure he faces as the presumed front-runner for the Democratic nomination for president. (Glueck, 6/6)

The New York Times: What Is The Hyde Amendment? A Look At Its Impact And History
The broad answer is that it’s a measure banning federal funding for abortion. More precisely, it states that Medicaid will not pay for an abortion unless the woman’s life is in danger or the pregnancy resulted from rape or incest. The amendment — named for former Representative Henry Hyde, Republican of Illinois — was first passed in 1976 as part of the appropriations bill for what is now the Department of Health and Human Services, and it is renewed every year, with occasional changes to the list of exceptions. (Astor, 6/7)

The Hill: Democrats Demand Answers From Migrant Children's Shelter Company That Hired John Kelly
Two Democratic lawmakers want the company operating the country’s largest shelter for migrant children to explain why it hired former Trump White House chief of staff John Kelly to serve on its board of directors. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Rep. Pramila Jayapal (Wash.) sent a letter Thursday to the CEO of Caliburn International asking questions ranging from Kelly's compensation to company revenue from operating shelters for unaccompanied migrant children. (Weixel, 6/6)

Politico: Trump Signs Long-Stalled $19.1B Disaster Relief Bill
President Donald Trump Thursday signed a package that would deliver $19.1 billion in disaster relief to communities across the country that are still recovering from a spate of catastrophic hurricanes, wildfires and flooding. The House passed the bill on Monday after Republicans successfully thwarted three attempts to fast-track the package. The Senate passed the bill before the Memorial Day recess, removing Trump’s request for billions in emergency border aid in a last-minute scramble because it was holding up the deal. The legislation was delayed for months prior to that amid partisan infighting. (Emma, 6/6)

The Washington Post: VA Owes Disabled Veterans Refunds On Home Loan Fees, Report Says
The federal government owes at least $189 million to 53,000 disabled veterans who overpaid on their home loans, according to the Department of Veterans Affairs’ inspector general. When veterans take out a mortgage, they pay a funding fee to the lender that usually costs several thousand dollars. The fee is waived for veterans who receive disability compensation. A review by VA’s Office of Inspector General released Thursday found that from 2012 through 2017, more than half of the veterans entitled to this added benefit paid the fee and never received reimbursement from the government. (Itkowitz, 6/6)

The Wall Street Journal: Selling Wellness, Whether It Works Or Not
When Daniel Donnelly spent $9 million on a three-bedroom, three-bathroom Manhattan condominium in November, he wasn’t just buying high-end real estate. He was investing in his own wellness. “We have the cleanest possible water in the building, the best air. My building is healthy,” said Mr. Donnelly, 60, who owns a design firm and a restaurant, and recently sold an HVAC and water tower company. He regularly uses 252 E. 57th’s “hydrotherapy circuit,” consisting of a steam room, experiential shower and ice room. He meditates in the sauna, studies Pilates in the Pilates room and receives massages twice weekly in the massage room. (McLaughlin, 6/6)

Los Angeles Times: Backing The FDA, A Federal Judge Delivers A Blow Against Bogus Stem Cell Clinics
Judge Ursula Ungaro handed a major defeat to U.S. Stem Cell Clinic, which has been fighting an FDA complaint that it was illegally administering therapies labeled stem cell treatments. She found that the FDA had acted properly in deeming the clinic’s purported stem cell treatments illegal, and issued an injunction against the continuation of the treatments. The ruling is subject to appeal. (Michael Hiltzik, 6/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Coffee Doesn’t Kill After All
California’s regulatory regime is enough to give anyone the jitters, so good news that the state signed off Monday on a new rule admitting that coffee won’t kill you. Roasted coffee beans contain a chemical called acrylamide, which is also found in roughly 40% of calories Americans consume, according to the Grocery Manufacturers Association. But acrylamide is one of hundreds of chemicals listed as carcinogens or reproductive toxins under California’s 1986 Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act, known as Proposition 65. (6/5)

Los Angeles Times: Gov. Newsom Stepped Into A Vaccine Debate We Shouldn’t Be Having. Big Mistake
Over the weekend, a reporter asked Gov. Newsom his opinion of a Senate bill to tighten the regulations concerning medical exemptions for child vaccinations. His answer was a huge blunder. Newsom’s response fed into the anti-vaccination fever swamp. He undermined a necessary effort to place oversight on the distribution of medical exemptions, which have soared sharply enough in the last two years to raise suspicions about whether some are not legitimate. (Michael Hiltzik, 6/4)

The Mercury News: Blocking Fetal Tissue Research Is Shortsighted
Another day, another attack on innovation and science. The Trump administration announced Wednesday that the federal government would block funding for medical research by scientists using fetal tissues, halting progress on promising projects that could provide cures for diseases that range from HIV to Parkinson’s to dementia to various forms of cancer. (6/7)

Los Angeles Times: Two-Thirds Of L.A.’s Homeless Are Trying To Find Work. Let’s Help Them 
The most frequent explanation homeless adults give for their lack of housing is the loss of a job, which meant they couldn’t pay their rent. We all know that a homeless individual needs a home — “homeless” is part of the description. But many are also unemployed workers looking for a job and a regular paycheck. Not having enough money to pay rent contributes to homelessness just as much as the lack of affordable housing does. (Daniel Flaming, 6/6)

Los Angeles Times: Homelessness In L.A. Is A Catastrophe In Motion, And Our Leaders Are Largely To Blame
Some of them are flat broke, some are sick, some work, some have given up hope. They are homeless in Los Angeles, where mega-mansions and shantytowns share the same ZIP code, and where the dark underbelly of a colossal social breakdown is on full display. In L.A. city and county, you taxed yourselves to do something about it, and last year alone $619 million was poured into housing and services. (Steve Lopez, 6/4)

CALmatters: Politicians Missing In Action On Housing
When the year began, the Legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom had just two must-do jobs – pass a state budget and do something meaningful about the state’s chronic and corrosive shortage of housing. The budget is a slam-dunk, thanks to the state’s fat treasury. Housing, however, is a smellier kettle of political fish. Midway through the legislative session, there’s been no discernable progress on eliminating the structural impediments to the major surge in housing construction that California desperately needs. (Dan Walters, 6/6)

Los Angeles Times: The Cigarette Tax Has Saved Millions Of Lives. A Soda Tax Could Too 
Sugary drinks have long been shown to be bad for our health, and many doctors and public health scholars have advocated for soda taxes because of that. Our results also support soda taxes, but for a conceptually broader reason. We find that soda taxes increase what economists call “social welfare,” a comprehensive measure including health costs, the enjoyment from drinking beverages we like, tax revenues, and the extent to which benefits accrue to lower-income people. (Hunt Allcott and Benjamin Lockwood and Dmitry Taubinsky, 6/3)

Sacramento Bee: Colleges And Universities Should Provide Abortion Pills On Campus 
The University of California Student Association (UCSA) is proud to this year support and advocate for Senate Bill 24, which would require on-campus student health centers at all public California universities to provide medication abortion, also known as the abortion pill. As president of the UCSA, I have the honor of representing the voices of more than 235,000 students across all nine UC campuses and advocating for current and future UC students’ well-being. (Caroline Siegel Singh, 6/3)

Los Angeles Times: UCLA’s Paranoid Stance On Cannabis Leaves Students In The Lurch 
The company will procure vape pens and joints from three cannabis companies, and offer customers a box with a variety of strengths and strains to see what may work, since everyone responds differently. The object is to help people sleep without pharmaceuticals, not to get high. Dr. Alon Avidan, director of the UCLA Sleep Disorders Center, is an advisor. Last month, however, UCLA rolled out a restrictive policy about cannabis-related activities, which has put the future of cannabis entrepreneurship at UCLA in jeopardy and forced the last-minute cancellation of a cannabis research conference Gerson had helped organize. (Robin Abcarian, 5/31)

Sacramento Bee: Many Californians Don’t Have Clean, Safe Water. That’s Not OK
Water is a basic necessity of life, but over one million Californians lack access to clean, safe and affordable drinking water, says Gov. Gavin Newsom. Six million Californians receive their water from operators who have been fined for violating the state’s clean water laws in recent years, according to a 2018 investigation by McClatchy. (6/4)