- California Healthline Original Stories 4
- Wrecked And Retching: Obscure Vomiting Illness Linked To Long-Term Pot Use
- Medicare Seeks Comment On Ways To Cut Costs Of Part D Drugs
- About A Third Of Americans Unaware Of Obamacare Open Enrollment
- Despite ACA Cost Protections, Most Adolescents Skip Regular Checkups
- Public Health and Education 2
- Officials Expand Probe Of Legionnaires' Outbreak Beyond Disneyland's Cooling Towers
- CTE Case Offers Potential Breakthrough In Difficult-To-Study Disease
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Wrecked And Retching: Obscure Vomiting Illness Linked To Long-Term Pot Use
Emergency room doctors are seeing a growing number of marijuana users with a mysterious condition that causes extreme vomiting and abdominal pain. (Pauline Bartolone, )
Medicare Seeks Comment On Ways To Cut Costs Of Part D Drugs
Medicare is examining how rebates and discounts could be shared in some way with Part D beneficiaries to reduce their out-of-pocket costs. (Sarah Jane Tribble, )
About A Third Of Americans Unaware Of Obamacare Open Enrollment
Nonetheless, federal officials report sign-ups are robust so far this year. (Phil Galewitz, )
Despite ACA Cost Protections, Most Adolescents Skip Regular Checkups
Only 48 percent of kids ages 10 to 17 have well-child visits, even though the federal health law requires insurers to pick up the entire tab, a study finds. (Michelle Andrews, )
More News From Across The State
Covered California & The Health Law
Sign-Ups For Covered California Surge Past Last Year's Pace
“I’m guessing a lot of people are enrolling rapidly because they’re trying to get it while they still can,” said Nadereh Pourat, research director at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.
San Francisco Chronicle:
Covered California Sees 23 Percent Jump In Health Insurance Signups
The number of new customers signing up for health insurance through the Covered California exchange jumped 23 percent during the first two weeks of open enrollment compared with the same period last year, state officials said Thursday. (Ho, 11/16)
California Releases Rule Book For Soon-To-Be-Legal Marijuana Industry
The regulations give aspiring and established marijuana businesses their first look at 276 pages of rules they must abide by come Jan. 1.
Orange County Register:
Here Are The Rules For Legal Marijuana In California Once Law Goes Into Effect Jan. 1
Cannabis businesses in California can’t be within 600 feet of schools. Shops have to close by 10 p.m., and they need 24-hour video surveillance. Those regulations are in the new rule book for California’s cannabis industry, which state regulators released Thursday. (Staggs, 11/16)
KQED:
Tea & THC: Lady Entrepreneurs Aim to Take Your Happy Hour Higher
With retail sales of recreational marijuana expected to go legal in California on Jan. 1, one small startup is building its client base with marijuana-laced tea parties around the Bay Area. For the brainy, well-to-do set in Palo Alto, nothing goes over quite so well as cucumber sandwiches, macarons and a witty, educational talk about the history and science of marijuana. (Myrow, 11/16)
Officials Expand Probe Of Legionnaires' Outbreak Beyond Disneyland's Cooling Towers
Four of the people who were sick hadn't been to the amusement park.
Los Angeles Times:
Officials Are Still Searching For The Source Of 4 Legionnaires' Cases. Disneyland Cooling Towers Haven't Been Ruled Out
After several people in Orange County fell sick with Legionnaires’ disease in recent weeks, officials said two cooling towers at Disneyland had been linked to the outbreak. Those towers were shut down, and officials say they no longer pose a risk to park visitors. But a key question remains unanswered: How did four people who had not visited Disneyland become infected? (Karlamangla, 11/16)
Orange County Register:
Search For Source Of Legionnaires’ Disease Spreads To Areas Outside Disneyland Resort
So far, of the 15 cases of the disease reported, 11 were individuals who visited Disneyland in September. Two of those who were infected died. However, they were said to have other health issues and did not visit Disneyland, health officials said. The county’s Health Officer, Dr. Eric Handler, ordered Disneyland on Nov. 8 to take two of its cooling towers out of operation. (Bharath, 11/16)
CTE Case Offers Potential Breakthrough In Difficult-To-Study Disease
Bennett Omalu says that he successfully identified CTE in a living person -- where as before it could only be diagnosed postmortem. In other public health news: the flu, depression and work place injuries.
The Mercury News:
Renowned Concussion Doctor Says He Found CTE In Living NFL Player
Researchers have identified the degenerative brain disease known as CTE in a living person, according to a report published this week in the medical journal Neurosurgery. The paper’s lead author, Bennett Omalu, told an audience last month in San Francisco that physicians discovered CTE in Fred McNeill, a former Minnesota Vikings linebacker, during initial testing of a new method to identify chronic traumatic encephalopathy in the living. (Almond, 11/16)
San Jose Mercury News:
Santa Clara County Reports Its First Flu Death Of The Season
A Santa Clara County adult under age 65 is the first flu-related death reported in the county this flu season, public health officials announced Thursday. The victim, who died earlier this month, had not received this year’s flu vaccine and suffered from other medical conditions that placed the person at greater risk of severe complications from the flu, Santa Clara County health officials said. (Seipel, 11/16)
KQED:
Increased Hours Online Correlate With Uptick In Teen Depression, Suicidal Thoughts
A study published Tuesday in the journal Clinical Psychological Science finds that increased time spent with popular electronic devices — whether a computer, cell phone or tablet — might have contributed to an uptick in symptoms of depression and suicidal thoughts over the last several years among teens, especially among girls. (Neighmond, 11/16)
Sacramento Bee:
Worker Injury, Illness Rate Continues To Decline In California
The state Department of Industrial Relations says California’s overall incidence rate of non-fatal occupational injuries and illnesses fell to 3.7 cases per 100 workers for full-time employees in 2016. ..The injury/illness rate has been in decline since 2002, when there were an estimated six cases per 100 workers. (Glover, 11/16)
Collins Hesitant About Including Repeal Of Individual Mandate In Tax Bill
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) has been a crucial swing vote in the Senate this year, and looks to play a main role again in the tax debate. The House passed its version of the tax bill on Thursday.
The New York Times:
House And Senate Panel Pass Tax Bill In Major Step Toward Overhaul
With 227 Republican votes, the House passed the most sweeping tax overhaul in three decades on Thursday, taking a significant leap forward as lawmakers seek to enact $1.5 trillion in tax cuts for businesses and individuals and deliver the first major legislative achievement of President Trump’s tenure. (Kaplan and Rappeport, 11/16)
Reuters:
Moderate Collins Back In Prominent Role In Senate Tax Drama
Senator Susan Collins is back in the spotlight as a crucial swing vote in the U.S. Senate as she raises questions about how combining a Republican tax-cut plan with a partial repeal of Obamacare will affect middle-class Americans. ... She told reporters in the Capitol on Wednesday that her staff's research showed pairing tax cuts with an effective repeal of the individual mandate of Obamacare, formally known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA), could be a mistake. (11/16)
The Associated Press:
Pope to Lawmakers: Protect All People With Health Care Laws
Pope Francis on Thursday urged lawmakers to ensure that health care laws protect the "common good," decrying the fact that in many places only the privileged can afford sophisticated medical treatments. The comments came as U.S. lawmakers in Washington, D.C., have been debating how to overhaul the nation's health insurance laws. (11/16)
The Washington Post Fact Checker:
The GOP Claim That Half Of The People Paying The Obamacare Penalty Make Less Than $25,000
On Nov. 14, Senate Republicans tacked a repeal of the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate onto their tax bill. The mandate, which polls indicate is one of the most disliked aspects of Obamacare, requires Americans to pay a fine if they are uninsured for all or a portion of the year. During a news conference with Senate leaders, Sen. John Cornyn criticized the mandate, calling it a “tax on poor Americans” because “about half” make $25,000 or less. (Lewis, 11/17)
Los Angeles Times:
Obamacare 101: Will The GOP Tax Bill Force Big Medicare Cuts?
As congressional Republicans move forward with their tax legislation, there are growing concerns that the costs, which are projected to increase the deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next decade, will force a host of big cuts in government programs, including Medicare. The Medicare cuts alone are projected to hit $25 billion next year, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, and would increase steadily by 2026. (Levey, 11/16)
The New York Times:
Middle-Class Families Confront Soaring Health Insurance Costs
Consumers here at first did not believe the health insurance premiums they saw when they went shopping for coverage this month on HealthCare.gov. Only five plans were available, and for a family of four with parents in their mid-30s, the cheapest plan went typically for more than $2,400 a month, nearly $30,000 a year. With the deadline for a decision less than a month away, consumers are desperately weighing their options, dismayed at the choices they have under the Affordable Care Act and convinced that political forces in Washington are toying with their health and well-being. (Pear, 11/16)
The Hill:
Poll: 60 Percent To Blame Trump, GOP For ObamaCare Problems
Americans will largely blame the Trump administration if fewer people sign up for health insurance this year, according to a new poll. The Kaiser Family Foundation poll found that over 60 percent of respondents believe the Trump administration and congressional Republicans are responsible for any and all future problems with ObamaCare. (Weixel, 11/17)
If HHS Nominee Is Approved He's Set To Inherit Agency Rocked By Internal Strife, 'Dysfunction'
Running the HHS is notoriously challenging, but lately it has faced widespread criticism that it is unresponsive and neglecting staff advice. Former pharmaceutical executive Alex Azar has been nominated to head the agency and will have his senate hearing later this month.
The Wall Street Journal:
New Health And Human Services Secretary Would Inherit Troubled Agency
The next head of the Department of Health and Human Services will be handed an agency facing criticism from state officials and internal strife. HHS, which employs about 80,000 people, oversees Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, and such agencies as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has been caught up in the fallout over the Republicans’ failure to repeal the law legislatively and an ethics scandal over government-funded travel that led to the resignation of Secretary Tom Price in September. (Armour, Radnofsky and Wilde Mathews, 11/17)
The Hill:
HHS Nominee Azar To Get Senate Hearing Nov. 29
The Senate Health Committee will hold a hearing Nov. 29 on the nomination of Alex Azar by President Trump to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). On Monday, Trump tapped Azar to take over the post Tom Price vacated, after details were revealed about how he took repeated trips on government and private jets costing more than $1 million to taxpayers. (Roubein, 11/16)
In other administration news —
The Wall Street Journal:
Discord Threatens Federal Role At Indian Hospitals
The federal government’s management of three Indian hospitals that treat thousands of patients is crumbling, a failure that could jeopardize care on some of the nation’s poorest and most remote reservations. All three hospitals are run by the federal Indian Health Service, which was created to fulfill U.S. legal obligations to provide health care to members of Indian tribes. (Weaver and Frosch, 11/16)
Viewpoints: Republicans Have Been Busy Slipping Health Care Attacks Into Tax Bill
A selection of opinions on health care developments from around the state.
Los Angeles Times:
Suddenly, The GOP Tax Bill Has Morphed Into An Attack On Your Healthcare
The line going around Washington these days is that the Republicans previously tried to hide a tax cut for the rich in their Obamacare repeal measures; and now they’re hiding an Obamacare repeal inside their tax cut bill. That’s correct. The Senate Finance Committee on Tuesday slipped a provision into its tax cut bill that would effectively repeal the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate. On the surface, this is a fiscal measure—it would theoretically reduce the federal deficit by $338 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. (Michael Hiltzik, 11/15)
Los Angeles Times:
Sabotage Obamacare To Finance More Tax Cuts For The Rich? No Thanks
As Republicans try to rush a tax bill through Congress, some lawmakers want to use the measure to kill a key piece of the Affordable Care Act. Doing so would free up more dollars for tax cuts, but in the most shortsighted and cynical way: by inducing fewer low- and moderate-income Americans to sign up for health insurance. Oh and yes, it would cause premiums to rise even faster for those who get their insurance coverage through Obamacare. (11/14)
Sacramento Bee:
This Is How Health Care Costs Are Stealing Your Raises
How do rising health costs reduce wages? Most full-time workers are paid a combination of wages and benefits. If the cost of benefits goes up, employers have less to pay wages – and the cost of health benefits to employers has been increasing rapidly for many years. (Glenn Melnick, 11/15)
Los Angeles Times:
In Landmark Ruling, Court Orders Paint Companies To Pay To Clean Lead Paint Out Of California Homes
In a ruling that could set a precedent for lawsuits over the effects of climate change, a panel of appeals judges on Tuesday found three paint manufacturers responsible for the health hazards of lead paint in California homes and upheld an order that they pay to abate the dangers. The companies — ConAgra, NL Industries and Sherwin-Williams — had been ordered by a trial court in 2014 to pay a combined $1.15 billion for a lead paint abatement program in 10 counties and cities covering homes built before 1978, when lead paint in homes was outlawed. (Michael Hiltzik, 11/15)
Los Angeles Times:
‘Sleep Education’ Must Play A Role In Discussion About School Start Times
Do teenagers know how to sleep? If you’re the parent of a teen, you might be laughing to yourself. That’s all they know how to do. In truth, teens (and their parents) might not know enough about how to sleep, when to sleep and why. California is considering a bill that would require secondary schools to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m. As a neurologist specializing in sleep medicine, I support the effort to give our state’s teens more time to sleep. But in all the discussions and debates about the economic and health implications of a later school start time, I’ve noticed one very important element is missing: sleep education. (Jay Puangco, 11/14)
Sacramento Bee:
We Don’t Need More Awareness On Homeless. We Need Solutions
This week is National Hunger & Homelessness Awareness Week, but do Californians really need to be reminded? Tattered tents along sidewalks, beat-up recreational vehicles parked on streets and panhandlers are common. Last year, the Department of Housing and Urban Development documented that California is home to 22 percent of all the homeless in the country. (Joel John Roberts, 11/16)
Los Angeles Times:
He Served As A Marine In Vietnam And Later Dedicated His Life To Helping Struggling Vets And Others. Now He's Fighting For His Life
Ken Williams, who grew up in La Mirada, saved the draft board the cost of a stamp. "I volunteered," he said. "I was raised to serve our country. You didn't question it." He went to Vietnam with the 9th Marines in 1969, saw action and made it home considerably less gung-ho about the war. That's when he made a commitment to social work, particularly in the service of struggling veterans and those with mental health issues. (Steve Lopez, 11/11)
Orange County Register:
Banning Legal Marijuana Doesn’t Stop Illegal Market
The Orange County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to advance an ordinance to prohibit commercial cannabis activity and outdoor personal cultivation in the county’s unincorporated areas ahead of Jan. 1, when new state laws pertaining to marijuana go into effect. By prohibiting such activity, the majority of Orange County supervisors are out of step with the will of most Orange County voters, 52 percent of whom backed Prop. 64 last November, legalizing recreational marijuana. The lone vote against the ordinance was Supervisor Shawn Nelson, who specifically mentioned the will of the voters in his dissent. (11/15)
Los Angeles Times:
California Politicians In Washington Need To Defend The State's Pot Laws From Federal Attack
The Obama administration took a largely hands-off approach to cannabis after Colorado and Washington legalized it for recreational purposes in 2012. But while President Trump campaigned on respecting state laws, his pick of longtime legalization foe Jeff Sessions as U.S. attorney general instilled fear and uncertainty in the industry. Last year, Sessions said that "good people don't smoke marijuana." If the Department of Justice moves against California's cannabis industry, can members of the state's congressional delegation be counted on to stand up for their constituents? (Tom Angell, 11/17)