The San Diego Union-Tribune: Surcharge Could Hit Covered California Customers
Thousands of Covered California policyholders can save money this year by paying extra attention to a few unprecedented changes which could dramatically affect the cost of health coverage in 2018. President Donald Trump’s recent order to withhold special payments to health insurance companies, and a decision by Anthem Blue Cross to pull out of most of the state’s Obamacare markets, will affect more than 10,000 current Covered California enrollees in San Diego County as this year’s annual open enrollment season gets underway. (Sisson, 11/2)

The Associated Press: Free ‘Obamacare’ For Older, Poorer In Nearly All Counties
Older people with low incomes nearly everywhere would have access to free “Obamacare” health coverage next year, according to a study Thursday that found the Trump administration’s efforts to undercut the Affordable Care Act have broad unintended consequences. The analysis by the consulting firm Avalere Health found that in nearly 98 percent of counties served by HealthCare.gov, a 50-year-old making about $18,000 a year would be able to get a basic “bronze” plan for no monthly premium in 2018. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 11/2)

The Associated Press: Health Care Enrollment Counselors Facing Stiff Challenges
It's not easy being an advocate for the Affordable Care Act right now. Health care advocacy groups are making an against-all-odds effort to sign people up despite confusion and hostility fostered by Republicans opposed to President Barack Obama's signature domestic policy achievement. (Kennedy, 11/2)

Sacramento Bee: Sacramento County Sees Jump In Abuse Cases Among Foster Children 
Sacramento County foster kids are being mistreated at a rate not seen since the recession a decade ago, the latest state data show, but the county has no immediate answers about what’s causing the increase in confirmed cases of abuse of children in its care. (Chabria and Reese, 11/3)

In other news from across the state —

The Bakersfield Californian: Kern Still Performing Poorly In Preterm Birth Rates 
Kern County was among the worst in the state for premature births last year, according to a report on national preterm births from the March of Dimes. The county received a C score for its preterm birth rate of 9.3 percent, an increase from the 9 percent rate seen in 2015. Among other counties in California with the highest birth rates, Fresno was the only other one to receive a C, due to its preterm birth rate of 10.1 percent, the highest in California. (Kotowski, 11/2)

KPBS: El Cajon Fights Homelessness, Hep A With Tough New Regulations
Serving meals to groups of homeless people in parks and other public spaces is now against the law in El Cajon as well as panhandling, sleeping on the sidewalk and setting up encampments. The tough restrictions are part of the city’s strategy to combat homelessness and hepatitis A. (Murphy, 11/2)

Los Angeles Times: Glendale Health Festival To Provide Free Health Screenings
The eighth annual Glendale Health Festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday at the Pacific Edison Community Center, 501 S. Pacific Ave., Glendale. The event will be free and open to the public. (Kellam, 11/2)

KPBS: City Heights Hosts One-Stop Shop For Community Resources 
Thousands of San Diegans suffer from unemployment, poverty, poor health and other problems, and a local group aims to help residents address them all in one day. The effort, called Day of Dignity, is part of a national campaign to connect low-income and homeless populations with support programs and necessities, such as school supplies, hygiene kits and clothing. (Mento, 11/2)

KPCC: LA, Long Beach Ports Approve Plan To Cut Air Pollution 
After a marathon meeting on Thursday, the Harbor Commissioners of Los Angeles and Long Beach voted unanimously to approve the Clean Air Action Plan, which would clamp down on diesel exhaust, smog-forming chemicals, and greenhouse gas emissions from trucks, ships, cargo handling and other equipment at the ports, which are the largest source of air pollution in Southern California. Many commissioners acknowledged it was an extremely difficult issue, pitting economic competitiveness against public health and the responsibility to act on climate change. (Guerin, 11/2)

In related news —

KQED: After Wildfires, What Happens To Fire Retardant-Soaked Crops?
Among the assessments still to be made is what impact millions of gallons of fire retardant—essentially a potent fertilizer—may have on carefully tended plants and soils. (Cart, 11/2)

Santa Rosa Press Democrat: EPA Finished With Hazardous Waste Cleanup At One-Third Of Destroyed Sonoma County Homes
Hundreds of fire-scorched 5-gallon propane tanks were piled Thursday at a Windsor industrial park, a collection point for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s removal of household hazardous waste in the wake of the North Bay wildfires. More than 8,300 containers of hazardous waste have been picked up by EPA teams working on nearly 7,000 residential, commercial and public properties in Sonoma and Napa counties since the work started last week as the first phase of the government-funded post-fire cleanup. (Kovner, 11/2)

The Associated Press: GOP Tax Plan May Offer Little Aid For Many In Middle Class
House Republicans have stressed that the tax plan they unveiled Thursday is tailored to benefit America's middle class. Just how much it would remains uncertain based on the details that have been provided so far. What is clear is that many of the benefits for the middle class could dwindle over time, even while companies and wealthy individuals could enjoy lasting tax advantages. (Boak, 11/2)

The New York Times: Who Wins And Who Loses From The Republican Tax Plan
Under the Republican plan, the deduction for medical expenses would be eliminated. This currently applies to taxpayers, spouses or other dependents with health expenses that exceed a tenth of the taxpayer’s income. AARP, which advocates for retirees, said that they strongly opposed the repeal of the deduction and said that doing so would impose a “health tax” on the oldest and sickest Americans. (Rappeport, 11/2)

Stat: GOP Tax Plan Would End Student Loan Deduction Used By Young Doctors
Newly minted doctors and other health care workers may lose a critical tax deduction under the tax code overhaul House Republican leaders unveiled Thursday. The proposal repeals the student loan interest deduction — a policy that helped more than 12 million Americans who racked up education loans save up to $2,500 on their tax bills in 2015. The popular policy doesn’t require taxpayers to itemize their deductions to claim it — instead, it’s available to anyone paying interest on either private or public student loans who makes less than $80,000 in a year. (Mershon, 11/2)

CQ: House Bill Affects Medical Expense, Drug Industry Tax Breaks
The House Republican tax proposal would repeal a tax credit meant to spur research spending on treatment for rare diseases. The tax bill (HR 1) as released Thursday, would repeal the orphan drug tax credit beginning in 2018. Drug manufacturers currently can claim a 50 percent tax credit on some costs of clinical research and testing of treatments for certain rare medical conditions under the 1983 Orphan Drug Act. (McIntire, 11/2)

Modern Healthcare: House GOP Tax Cut Bill Has Pluses And Pitfalls For Healthcare Stakeholders 
Healthcare companies, executives and professionals could enjoy lower business and personal taxes while facing reduced revenue due to Medicare and Medicaid cuts that may be used to pay for the tax reductions, under the House Republican tax reform bill released Thursday. The 429-page Tax Cuts and Jobs Act—which congressional Republicans hope to pass quickly through the expedited budget reconciliation process with little or no Democratic support—would slash the corporate tax rate from 35% to 20%. That would benefit profitable companies like UnitedHealth Group, HCA and Universal Health Services, according to an analysis by Mizuho Securities. (Meyer, 11/2)

Stat: 7 Ways Biopharma Would Win — And Lose — Under The New Tax Bill
Biopharma can find plenty to celebrate — and a few things to despair over — in the new Republican plan to rewrite the tax code. The long awaited “Tax Cuts and Jobs Act,” unveiled as a House bill on Thursday, will likely still be revised significantly. But so far, here are the seven provisions with the biggest implications for the drug industry. (Robbins, 11/2)

The Hill: Tax Bill Will Not Seek Repeal Of Individual Health Insurance Mandate 
The tax reform bill to be released Thursday will not include a repeal of ObamaCare's individual mandate, sources say, despite President Trump proposing the idea on Wednesday. Repealing the mandate would introduce a whole new area of controversy into the bill, and many Republicans think tax reform is hard enough without adding in health care. (Sullivan, 11/2)

The New York Times: House To Vote On Child Health Care, But Funding Will Remain In Limbo
The House on Friday is expected to pass legislation to refinance the Children’s Health Insurance Program and send federal funds to community health centers. But a partisan morass over how to pay for the legislation all but ensures that state governments and millions of children will get little relief from the uncertainty that has faced the programs since funding officially expired a month ago. (Pear, 11/2)

CQ: House Begins Debate On Children's Health Bill
The House kicked off debate on a bill to renew funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program and community health centers on Thursday after the Rules Committee advanced the bill late Wednesday. A vote on passage of the legislation is expected Friday. Energy and Commerce Committee Democrats have not thrown their support behind the bill (HR 3922), due to disagreements over the offsets, which would change Medicare, Medicaid and provisions of the 2010 health care law (PL 111-148, PL 111-152). Similarly, the Rules Committee vote on Wednesday fell on party lines with all present Democrats voting against proceeding with the bill. (Raman, 11/2)

The Hill: Senate Dems Warn Against Cutting ObamaCare Fund To Pay For Children's Health Program
Senate Democrats warned Republican leadership Thursday against cutting ObamaCare's public health fund to pay for an extension of the popular Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). A bill the House is expected to pass this week to extend funding for CHIP would pay for it through cuts to ObamaCare's Prevention and Public Health Fund (PPHF). (Hellmann, 11/2)

Los Angeles Times: Researchers Suggest Delusion May Be At The Heart Of Conservative Hatred Of Obamacare
This week’s open enrollment for Obamacare once again made me wonder: How can conservatives be so convinced of the healthcare law’s failure when the opposite is demonstrably clear? Obamacare is far from perfect, but it’s in no way a “disaster,” a “catastrophe” or “imploding.” In 2010, the year the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, nearly 50 million people in this country were uninsured. As of 2016, that number had dropped to about 29 million, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. (David Lazarus, 11/3)

The Mercury News: Covered California Health Market Alive And Well
Thanks to careful planning, the vast majority of the 1.4 million enrolled in Covered California plans will be able to find affordable health insurance plans for 2018. Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee says 78 percent of the program’s enrollees can expect to see their costs actually decrease next year. (11/1)

Los Angeles Times: On Eve Of Obamacare Open Enrollment, More Evidence Of Impact Of Trump's Sabotage
Several important conclusions emerge from the latest statistics about Affordable Care Act premiums, issued Monday on the eve of open enrollment for 2018 plans, which begins Wednesday. First, gross premiums will rise substantially for next year and enrollment is likely to fall, mostly because of Trump administration efforts to sabotage the law. Second, millions of Americans will be insulated from those increases thanks to the administration’s profound ignorance about how the law works. Because government subsidies will be higher in 2018, many will pay less for equivalent coverage than they pay this year—in some cases, nothing. (Michael Hiltzik, 10/30)

San Francisco Chronicle: Want To Defy Trump? Get Health Coverage
Americans have opposed the Trump administration in many ways, from taking to the streets to leaving Congress. Here’s a more practical form of protest: obtaining health insurance. (11/1)

Sacramento Bee: Obamacare Isn't Imploding In California
Covered California’s open enrollment period begins Wednesday, and Californians need to know that the state’s health insurance marketplace is open for business. Until Jan. 31, Californians can sign up for quality health care coverage, and current members can change plans or see if they qualify for extra financial help. (Pan, 10/31)

Los Angeles Times: CVS-Aetna Deal Could Have Same Result As Telecom Mergers — Higher Prices
The news that CVS Health is making a $66-billion play for health insurer Aetna inevitably raises two key questions for consumers: What would this do to insurance rates? What would this do to drug prices? At this point, the answer to both questions is nobody knows for sure. We’re heading into uncharted territory. (David Lazarus, 10/31)

Orange County Register: How California Skims Federal Medicaid Payments To Fund A Powerful Union 
Home caregivers serving Medicaid patients in California are being shortchanged and, chances are they don’t even know it. Medicaid pays for elderly and disabled individuals who need support with activities of daily living to receive support at home from a caregiver. (Han and Swaim, 10/30)

Los Angeles Times: Ending Birth Control Coverage, Notre Dame Abandons Its Progressive Legacy On Women's Rights
The University of Notre Dame, which once reigned as a beacon of liberal Catholic thought, has announced that it will cancel all birth-control coverage for students and employees next year. That includes contraception provided to those recipients for free, under government auspices and at government expense. Notre Dame thus becomes the first and most important employer publicly to take advantage of the Trump administration’s Oct. 6 rollback of contraceptive coverage under the Affordable Care Act. (Michael Hiltzik, 11/1)

Orange County Register: Medical Aid-In-Dying Laws Do Not Authorize Assisted Suicide 
It’s a shame that two of our own local members of Congress, Reps. Lou Correa, D-Santa Ana, and Juan Vargas, D-San Diego, joined Ohio Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Ohio, as sponsors of a concurrent resolution in the House, (H.Con.Res.80), that wrongly claims medical aid in dying “puts everyone … at risk of deadly harm.” This resolution does not have the force of law, but it is the first step toward voiding medical aid-in-dying laws in the District of Columbia, California and five other states, as well as legislation introduced in 26 other states this year alone. (Robert Olvera, 10/30)

Los Angeles Times: Do We Really Want To Stack Oxycontin Next To The Jim Beam?
One painful aspect of the public debates over the opioid-addiction crisis is how much they mirror the arguments that arise from personal addiction crises. If you’ve ever had a loved one struggle with drugs — in my case, my late brother, Josh — the national exercise in guilt-driven blame-shifting and finger-pointing combined with flights of sanctimony and ideological righteousness have a familiar echo. (Jonah Goldberg, 10/31)

Sacramento Bee: Fentanyl: China's Chemical Weapon Against The U.S.
Fentanyl is the synthetic opioid driving America’s public health crisis. Its cheap price, widespread use, addictive quality and deadly effect make it more dangerous than other narcotics classified by the DEA. It is, ultimately, a chemical. And it’s being used as a weapon in China’s 21st Century Opium War against America. (Markos Koulanakis, 11/2)

Los Angeles Times: How Legalized Pot Can Make Up For The Disastrous War On Drugs
When recreational cannabis becomes legal in California on Jan. 2, part of the focus — in Los Angeles, at any rate — will be on “social equity.” That’s the term for a set of guidelines meant to spread legalization’s wealth to neighborhoods that have gotten the worst of the drug wars. According to draft legislation currently moving through the City Council, for every general license approved for a pot shop, one license must also be approved for social equity reasons. (David L. Ulin, 11/1)

Sacramento Bee: College Students Can't Succeed If They're Hungry 
Today, hunger is still a reality for many college students. In a recent report by the National Student Campaign Against Hunger & Homelessness, about 22 percent said they go hungry and more than half said they missed a class or didn’t buy a required book to save money for food. (Monica Beas, 10/27)

Sacramento Bee: Why Doesn't Homelessness Inspire More Empathy?
It’s impossible to ignore that a growing subset of our fellow citizens faces a daily life without the security of a solid roof or walls. We’ve all seen the stats on homeless people: the hospitalizations, the impact on public services, the losses in economic productivity. And mostly, we see them. They’re under bridges, sprawled in makeshift shelters along the parkway, and huddled in dank alleys. (Greg Sazima, 11/1)