Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
States Reconsider Religious Exemptions for Vaccinations in Child Care
Providers and health care advocates warn a proposed rule change in Montana would jeopardize immunity levels in child care centers and communities. Efforts to change vaccination exemption rules are underway in other states, too. (Matt Volz, )
TB Exposure Warning Issued For Pacheco Casino's Staff, Customers: Health officials in Contra Costa County sounded a warning Thursday to anyone who has spent time in a Pacheco casino over the past five years that they were exposed to tuberculosis and should be tested. Read more from Bay Area News Group.
Tens Of Thousands Apply For SF Housing Help, But Only 6,500 Spots Available: More than 40,000 people have applied for a rare chance to join a wait list for federal rental assistance in San Francisco, an indication of how many people are desperate for housing help. There are only 6,500 spots available. About 60,000 applications are expected by the deadline Monday. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
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
Los Angeles Times:
Harbor-UCLA Doctors Allege Toxic Work Environment, Retaliation
Beginning a decade ago, staff at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center started to report the same high-ranking doctor, alleging jarring sexual comments and retaliatory behavior that routinely raised alarms inside the renowned teaching hospital. Maria Garibay, then a medical secretary, told human resources in 2013 that her boss, Dr. Louis Kwong, the head of orthopedics, would openly discuss with his staff how the women he operated on under anesthesia “would groom their pubic areas,” according to her written complaint reviewed by The Times. Los Angeles County, which runs the public hospital in West Carson, found the complaint unsubstantiated. (Ellis, 11/3)
The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat:
Santa Rosa Shelter For Foster Youth To Pioneer As First California Program To Offer On-Site Residential Therapy
An empty wing of the Valley of the Moon Children’s Center will soon house a residential treatment center for foster youth, just across from the center’s emergency placement shelter. When the therapeutic facility opens its doors in July 2024, Sonoma County will be the only county in the state to house both resources for foster youth on the same site. (Gutierrez, 11/2)
Axios:
Medicare Cuts Doctor And Hospital Payments
Medicare administrators served doctors and hospitals a pair of big payment cuts late Thursday. Doctors will see a 3.4% decrease to a key factor determining their base Medicare pay next year, officials announced in a final rule. That’s virtually unchanged from what administrators proposed this summer. (Goldman, 11/3)
Modern Healthcare:
Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Final Rule For 2024 Cuts Payment
Physicians will be hit with a 1.25% reduction in Medicare reimbursements next year under a final rule the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued Thursday. The American Medical Association and other doctor groups sharply criticized the proposed rule CMS published in July, which contained the same pay cut, and have taken their case to Congress that Medicare fees for physicians should not be reduced. (Bennett, 11/2)
Stat:
Medicare Proceeds With Plan To Claw Back Hospital Funds
Medicare officials are moving forward with a plan to claw back money from certain hospitals to try to remedy overpayments struck down by the Supreme Court, they announced Thursday. A federal court ordered the Department of Health and Human Services to compensate hospitals that receive discounted drugs through the 340B program for billions of dollars of underpayments, but the money had already gone out to hospitals that didn’t participate in the program. (Cohrs, 11/2)
California Healthline:
Medicare Expands The Roster Of Available Mental Health Professionals
Medicare is expanding access to mental health counselors and marriage and family therapists come Jan. 1. But the belief that seniors who suffer from mental health problems should just grin and bear it remains a troubling barrier to care. (Graham, 11/3)
California Healthline:
Medical Debt Is Disappearing From Americans’ Credit Reports, Lifting Scores
As credit rating agencies have removed small unpaid medical bills from consumer credit, scores have gone up, a new study finds. (Levey, 11/3)
Los Angeles Times:
U.S. Senate Proposal Could Force Action On Counterfeit Pills In Mexican Pharmacies
A few lines in a Senate appropriations proposal could force U.S. officials to confront a deadly threat they ignored for years: Counterfeit, fentanyl-laced painkillers sold at pharmacies in Mexico. If approved, Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken would have 90 days to draft a report that would — for the first time — reveal key details about overdoses caused by fake pills sold in Mexican drug stores. (Sheets and Blakinger, 11/2)
The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat:
Sonoma State University Student’s Death Inspires Opioid Education Program
Early in his freshman year at Sonoma State University, Trevor Leopold called his parents at home in Marin County and invited them to dinner. (Benefield, 11/2)
Berkeleyside:
Southwest Berkeley 1-Year-Old Sickened By Meth, Police Say
A Southwest Berkeley woman is facing a felony charge of child endangerment after police say a 1-year-old in her home grew sick from methamphetamine. Someone flagged down a Berkeley police officer in the 2400 block of Fifth Street at approximately 1:28 p.m. Monday, telling the officer there was a child nearby “who appeared to be seizing, lethargic, fading in and out of consciousness,” according to a declaration of probable cause against 35-year-old Mabel Miranda. (Gecan, 11/2)
Modesto Bee:
In Stanislaus Region, Health Risks Of Fentanyl Use Are Many
Synthetic opioids, including fentanyl, are the most common drugs linked to overdose deaths in Stanislaus County and the rest of the nation, according to health agencies. Most people know by now that a tiny amount of fentanyl is lethal — one pill can kill. But what are the other health risks of illegal drugs containing fentanyl? Health problems associated with fentanyl use include constipation, difficulty breathing, slow heart rate, drowsiness, respiratory trouble and decreased lung function. Prolonged use of fentanyl may eventually affect the liver and kidneys. (Carlson, 11/2)
CNN:
Matthew Perry Went To Rehab 15 Times Before Getting Sober. Here’s Why It’s So Hard
It took 15 entries into rehab before the late actor Matthew Perry found long-term sobriety, he wrote in his memoir, “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.” And after his death, loved ones and fans alike are honoring his commitment to recovery. (Holcombe, 11/2)
The Oaklandside:
Oakland Has A New Head Start Center—On Wheels—For Homeless Families
An RV converted into a Head Start classroom will hit the road soon, providing services to families at Oakland homeless shelters. The city of Oakland unveiled the bright green “Ready, Set, Go! Mobile Classroom” vehicle at Arroyo Viejo Park in East Oakland on Wednesday. “We were losing people in our programs when housing became difficult,” Diveena Cooppan, Oakland Head Start program director, told The Oaklandside at the event. It’s a challenge for families to show up consistently and on time at a given center, or provide a stable location for home visits, when they’re sleeping in different places on different nights. (Orenstein, 11/1)
The Hill:
Court Tosses EPA Ban On Pesticide Linked To Brain Damage In Kids
A federal appeals court on Thursday is tossing the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) ban on a pesticide that has been linked to brain damage in children. The decision from the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals to send the rule back to the agency does not preclude the agency from reinstating the ban in the future. But it said the EPA needs to give greater consideration to whether there are cases where the pesticide, called chlorpyrifos, could be used safely. Chlorpyrifos has been used as an insecticide, protecting crops like soybeans, broccoli, cauliflower and fruit trees. (Frazin, 11/2)
The Hill:
USDA Report: Around Half Of Those Eligible For WIC In 2021 Received Benefits
Only half of people eligible for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) receive benefits from it, a new United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) report has found. The report, released Friday, said that despite 12.1 million Americans being eligible for the program in 2021, only 6.2 million received benefits, or 51 percent. (Suter, 11/3)
Politico:
Johnson’s Brewing SNAP Crisis
Republican Speaker Mike Johnson, more so than previous Speaker Kevin McCarthy, is a proponent of more hard-line GOP efforts to overhaul the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the country’s largest anti-hunger program that serves 41 million low-income Americans. As a senior member of the conservative-leaning Republican Study Committee, Johnson backed proposals to roll back food aid expansions under Biden and block states from exempting some work requirements for SNAP, formerly known as food stamps. In 2018, Johnson referred to SNAP as “our nation’s most broken and bloated welfare program.” (Hill, 11/2)
CNN:
FDA Proposes Ban On Additive Found In Sodas
The US Food and Drug Administration has proposed revoking its regulation authorizing the nationwide use of brominated vegetable oil, or BVO, as an additive in food. The FDA’s decision comes after California banned the ingredient in October by passing the California Food Safety Act, the first state law in the United States to ban brominated vegetable oil. The additive is already banned in Europe and Japan. (Rogers, 11/2)
Fresno Bee:
Daylight Saving Time Ends In California: How It Affects Mood
For states like California, Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, Nov. 5, which means clocks round back one hour at 2 a.m. The extra hour can shift your body clock, disrupt sleep and “throw everything off track,” Deborah Fernandez-Turner, deputy chief psychiatric officer at CVS Health said. (Truong, 11/2)
San Francisco Chronicle:
SF Museum Had Defibrillator While Man Was Dying Nearby
It all happened in a rush of panic and fear. After Gary Hobish collapsed while swing-dancing with friends in Golden Gate Park Sunday, a fellow dancer raced to the nearby de Young Museum in search of a defibrillator. Most people in the group knew Hobish, 70, had a heart condition. Seconds counted. Inside the museum, Tim O’Brien found himself pleading with a staff member to let him use the life-saving device, or to accompany him back to where Hobish, a legend of the Bay Area music scene, lay unconscious. O’Brien offered the museum staffer his wallet and his watch as collateral. (Fagan, 11/1)
AP:
Fewer High School Students Are Vaping This Year: US Report
Fewer high school students are vaping this year, the government reported Thursday. In a survey, 10% of high school students said they had used electronic cigarettes in the previous month, down from 14% last year. Use of any tobacco product — including cigarettes and cigars — also fell among high schoolers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report. (Stobbe and Perrone, 11/2)
ABC News:
More Than 40% Of US Adults Are Unaware They Have High Cholesterol. And Are Untreated
More than 40% of adults in the United States are unaware they have -- and therefore are not being treated for -- high cholesterol, according to a new study. For the study, published in JAMA Cardiology, researchers from institutions in New York, Texas, Louisiana, Pakistan and Egypt looked at data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 1999 and 2020 examining patients at least ages 20 and older with cholesterol levels above 160 mg/dL (milligrams per deciliter). (Kekatos and Jain, 11/3)
Reuters:
California Healthcare Provider's Move Shows Pitfalls Of Medicare Advantage
Many people on Medicare look the other way when the program’s annual enrollment period rolls around, preferring simply to ignore the hassle. But for thousands of seniors in San Diego, California, Medicare enrollment this year has become a confusing scramble to find new insurance - or new health providers. Scripps Health, a major Southern California healthcare provider, announced in September that beginning next year, its popular clinic and coastal medical groups will no longer accept patients enrolled in Medicare Advantage, the managed-care alternative to traditional Medicare offered by commercial insurance companies. That has left 32,000 San Diego seniors rushing to find either new healthcare options or new insurance for 2024. (Mark Miller, 11/2)
Capitol Weekly:
Shifting Politics Pushes Mental Health Care Onto The Agenda
Gov. Gray Davis visited the Los Angeles Times’ Sacramento Bureau in 1999 not long after he was sworn in and took questions from reporters who gathered in the conference room, me included. When my turn came, I asked him what his plan was for the mental health care system. He paused to think and answered: The issue was not on the agenda. The response was direct and honest, and hardly unique. (Dan Morain, 11/2)
Los Angeles Daily News:
Under Speaker Johnson, Incremental Healthcare Reform Should Be A Top Priority
One survey finds that nearly 40 percent of Americans don’t take medications as prescribed because of cost. Some patients are going so far as to ration dosages by cutting pills in half, delaying refills, or even not taking prescribed medication altogether. These types of behaviors have been linked to half of treatment failures, roughly 125,000 fatalities, and up to one-quarter of hospitalizations annually in the U.S. (Tom Price, 11/2)
Los Angeles Times:
California Didn't Ban Skittles But It Did Boost Food Safety
Last month, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law California’s Food Safety Act banning four ingredients that are linked to health risks. These substances — red dye no. 3, propyl paraben, brominated vegetable oil and potassium bromate, currently found in some candies, sodas and baked goods — will not be allowed in the state’s foods starting in 2027. (Emily Broad Lieb, 11/1)
Capital & Main:
Poverty And Long COVID Go Together
When the COVID-19 pandemic fully reached California in early 2020, experts in the fields of low-wage work and poverty braced for the worst. Their fear: The state’s poorest residents, often living in crowded conditions with inferior access to both information and adequate health care, were likely to suffer from the virus disproportionately. That concern was prescient. Poorer communities in the state were wracked by dramatically outsized rates of infection and death in the pandemic’s first year. Workers in low-paying but “essential” jobs — in agriculture, food service, sanitation, public transportation — continued to be called into work, sometimes in unsafe conditions that further prompted disease spread. It was an ugly picture. And its effects are still being drawn. (Mark Kreidler, 11/2)
Los Angeles Daily News:
New CARB Equity Plan Actually Would Hurt The Poor
We all want a cleaner environment. But how to get it? Through more needless regulations? Or economic growth? (John Seiler, 11/2)
San Diego Union-Times:
How Salvation Army's Rady Center Will Help Unhoused
In January 2023, the San Diego Regional Task Force on Homelessness conducted a point-in-time count revealing that over 10,250 individuals in San Diego County are homeless on any given night. The Salvation Army has been sheltering people experiencing homelessness and helping those in need in San Diego since 1887. (Bob Reardon, Amy Reardon and Lee Lescano, 10/31)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
On Housing Bills, When Will Leaders Grasp Poor Past Results Predict Future Performance?
Last week’s unanimous vote by the San Diego County Board of Supervisors to take initial steps toward adopting a ban on allowing homeless individuals to sleep outside in unincorporated county areas was a particularly telling comment on how elected officials now view one of California’s most intractable problems. (11/2)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Fear Of School Shootings Is Keeping Cell Phones In School. Our Kids Will Pay The Price
Despite an abundance of evidence that phone addiction is wreaking havoc on every aspect of our children’s lives — and news that attorneys general from 41 states and the District of Columbia are suing Meta for its contribution to this crisis — many parents are still opposed to outright cell phone bans in schools. (Julie Scelfo, 11/3)
Sonoma Index-Tribune:
For Healthier Kids, Give Them Some Space
Are the kids all right? They have anxiety about school and climate change, widespread feelings of isolation, and by the time they reach adulthood, more young people than ever before are said to be suffering from mental health disorders, “failure to launch” — loosely defined as an inability to leave home and support oneself — or plain burnout. (Alvin Jornada, 11/2)
Los Angeles Times:
A Blind Woman's Journey Up A Towering California Summit
As Eline Øidvin approached the top of Mt. Langley, a 14,000-foot colossus in California’s Eastern Sierra Nevada, she could feel the soft, sandy gravel beneath her feet. She could hear the enveloping silence of the barren landscape. But she couldn’t see a thing. Not the craggy summit looking over the Owens Valley 10,000 feet below or the nearly vertical, several-hundred-foot drop that menaced just a few steps to the right. (Jack Dolan, 11/2)