Becker's Hospital Review: U Of California Floats 27% Raise For Nurses
The University of California system has offered California Nurses Association members a 27% wage increase, amounting to over $1.1 billion over five years, in its proposed contract. Under UC’s proposal, union members would receive a 7% pay increase in the first year through base-building raises, step increases and a one-time cash payment, according to an Oct. 1 news release from the university. In subsequent years, nurses would receive wage increases of up to 5%. (Gooch, 10/2)

Modern Healthcare: Providence, Compassus Finalize Joint Venture In California
Providence finalized Wednesday the second phase of a joint venture with Compassus to manage the health system’s home care operations in California. Under the terms of the deal, Compassus will manage approximately 20 home health, hospice, personal home care and palliative care locations under the name Providence at Home with Compassus. (Eastabrook, 10/2)

The San Diego Union-Tribune: Six Hospitals In San Diego County Make Honor Roll For Substance Use Treatment
Six San Diego County hospitals are among 33 statewide named the highest achieving in substance use disorder treatment by Cal Hospital Compare, a nonprofit organization that grades medical center performance in more than 60 categories. ... Facilities receiving honor roll recognition are: Scripps hospitals in La Jolla, Torrey Pines, Encinitas and San Diego; Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa and Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside. (Sisson, 10/2)

Becker's Hospital Review: States With Highest, Lowest ED 'Left Without Being Seen' Rates
CMS’ Timely and Effective Care dataset, updated Aug. 6, tracks the percentage of patients who left an ED before being seen between January and December 2023. The measures apply to children and adults treated at hospitals paid under the inpatient or the outpatient prospective payment systems, as well as hospitals that voluntarily report data on relevant measures for Medicare, Medicare-managed care and non-Medicare patients. Averages include data for Department of Veterans Affairs and Defense Department hospitals. (Taylor, 10/2)

Los Angeles Times: Newsom Threatens To Cut State Funding To Universities That Sign Trump’s Political Compact
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday threatened to cut “billions” in state funding, including to USC, from any California campus that agrees to a Trump administration compact to enact sweeping and largely conservative campus policies in exchange for priority access to federal funding. ... The bold statement came less than a day after the White House asked the University of Southern California and eight other major universities throughout the country to shift to the right and follow Trump’s views on gender identity, admissions, diversity and free speech among other areas — in exchange for more favorable access to federal research grants and additional funding. (Kaleem, Gutierrez and Madhani, 10/2)

The Mercury News: Bay Area Cities And County Sue Trump Administration Over Emergency And Disaster Preparedness Funds
A coalition of local governments led by Santa Clara County and San Francisco are suing the Trump administration over attempts to impose conditions on more than $350 million in emergency and disaster preparedness funds across the 27 jurisdictions. (Hase, 10/3)

Los Angeles Times: U.S. Says It Will Cut $8 Billion For Climate Projects In Blue States
The Trump administration on Wednesday said it will cut billions of dollars in funding for energy projects in Democratic states — including California’s massive effort to develop clean hydrogen energy. “Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left’s climate agenda is being canceled,” said Russell Vought, director of the White House’s Office of Management and Budget, in a post on X. (Smith, 10/2)

Politico: FDA Approved New Generic Abortion Pill Before Shutdown
The FDA signed off on a second generic option for the abortion pill mifepristone on Tuesday, hours before most of the federal government shut down and despite Republican opposition to the drug. Evita Solutions applied to make another generic mifepristone on Oct. 1, 2021, according to the FDA’s Sept. 30 approval letter. (Gardner, 10/2)

The New York Times: Kennedy Fires N.I.H. Scientist Who Filed Whistle-Blower Complaint
Three weeks after a leading scientist at the National Institutes of Health filed a whistle-blower complaint against the Trump administration, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy fired her, according to her lawyer and a copy of the termination letter. Her dismissal was the latest in a series of steps the Trump administration has taken against government scientists and environmental experts after they warned that administration policies were endangering public health and safety. (Mueller, 10/2)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Sonoma Valley, Schell-Vista Fire Districts Secure New Medical Coverage After Prior Provider's Collapse
With open enrollment looming and the collapse of a longtime insurance provider leaving firefighters at risk of losing health coverage, both the Sonoma Valley Fire District and the Schell-Vista Fire Protection District voted this week to adopt new health insurance packages with broker Keenan & Associates. (Beer, 10/2)

Becker's Hospital Review: Firearm Injury Costs Fall Largely On Medicaid: Study
Firearm-related injuries drove $7.7 billion in healthcare spending over six years, with $1.6 billion attributable to 2021 alone, according to a study published in JAMA Health Forum on Sept. 26. More than half the costs were billed to Medicaid. The study estimated how much U.S. hospitals spent on firearm injuries between 2016 and 2021 by evaluating emergency department and inpatient visits across six states. (Casolo, 10/2)

Stat: Trump Medicare Rule Delays Fix For Drug Price Negotiation Loophole 
The Trump administration is delaying a proposal to crack down on a loophole that allows drugmakers to avoid Medicare price negotiation on some of their products by making minor tweaks. (Wilkerson, 10/3)

Modern Healthcare: UnitedHealthcare, Humana, Aetna Medicare Advantage Plans Revealed
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services previewed the Medicare Advantage options available for 2026 on Tuesday. The Medicare Plan Finder tool that beneficiaries use to select coverage is live with the policies and prices health insurance companies offered for the coming plan year. The annual enrollment period runs from Oct. 15-Dec. 7. (Tepper, 10/2)

The Bay Area Reporter: LGBTQ Issues At Center Of US Supreme Court’s New Term
There is more drama than usual around the start of the new U.S. Supreme Court session, which begins Monday, October 6. LGBTQ issues are also at the center of several cases that await the justices’ decision on whether to hear them. First up, an appeal seeking a First Amendment protection for therapists who want to use so-called conversion therapy on minors will be heard by the justices Tuesday. (Keen, 10/2)

Fierce Healthcare: Judge Rejects Democratic State AGs' Push To Block ACA Final Rule
A federal judge has denied a request from 20 Democratic attorneys general to delay the implementation of a significant overhaul to the Affordable Care Act's exchanges. The Trump administration finalized a rule in June that it says will address a "surge of improper" enrollments on the insurance marketplaces. The agency argues that millions of people may have been signed up for coverage potentially without their knowledge, with data from right-wing think tank Paragon Health Institute projecting as many as 5 million improper enrollments. (Minemyer, 10/2)

Medical Xpress: Brain Shape Changes Could Offer Early Warning Signs Of Dementia
A new study led by University of California, Irvine's Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory researchers found that aging changes the brain's overall shape in measurable ways. Instead of focusing only on the size of specific regions, the team used a new analytic method to see how the brain's form shifts and distorts over time. The analysis revealed substantial alterations in brain shape, which were closely associated with declines in memory, reasoning and other cognitive functions. This suggests that the shape of the brain can serve as a reliable indicator of its overall health. The study appears in Nature Communications. (10/1)

CIDRAP: COVID-19 Infection Associated With Increased Risk Of New-Onset Vascular Dementia In Older Adults
A new study in npj Dementia using data from the UK Biobank shows that COVID-19 survivors aged 50 and older had a higher likelihood of developing new-onset dementia (NOD) compared to uninfected controls. ... According to the authors, compared with matched non-COVID controls, prior COVID-19 infection was associated with a 41% increased risk of all-cause dementia. ... Men, unvaccinated participants, those with high blood pressure, and those with frequent alcohol use had the highest association with NOD. (Soucheray, 10/2)

The San Diego Union-Tribune: Chula Vista Launches Five-Year Homelessness Plan With Community Workshops
Chula Vista is rolling out its first strategic plan to address homelessness, a five-year roadmap aimed at expanding services, building long-term housing and gathering community feedback on how the city should tackle one of the region’s most pressing issues. (Armstrong, 10/2)

Los Angeles Blade: Community Is The Cure: AIDS Walk LA Returns To Fight HIV And Funding Cuts
APLA Health, a nonprofit providing HIV care, prevention, and sexual health services, announced the return of AIDS Walk Los Angeles on Sunday, October 12, 2025, starting from West Hollywood Park. This year’s theme, “Community Is the Cure,” emphasizes the role of unity in advancing progress against HIV/AIDS and supporting those affected. (Montoya, 10/2)

KVPR: As Wildfire ‘Season’ Expands, California Promotes Firefighters To Work Year-Round
California is looking to combat increasing wildfires by including funding for more year-round firefighters in this year’s state budget. The funding aims to transition thousands of seasonal firefighters into permanent positions as massive wildfires increasingly spark during what was previously considered an off-season. The current budget includes almost $40 million for this year and $78 million each year after that. The funding was set in motion by state lawmakers including Assemblymember Dr. Jasmeet Bains. (Livinal, 10/2)

Los Angeles Times: The Obamacare Subsidies Are A Life-And-Death Issue
Republicans on Capitol Hill and at the White House have been working assiduously to belittle the concerns of Democrats about healthcare subsidies that are scheduled to expire at the end of this year and have become the central issue provoking the government shutdown that began Wednesday morning. Democrats thus far have held fast to their demand that the subsidies be extended as a condition of their voting for the GOP’s budget plan. But their position has been wildly misrepresented by the GOP. (Michael Hiltzik, 10/2)

Capitol Weekly: Waiting For Affordable Medications Is A Matter Of Life And Death
“Sorry doc, but I just can’t afford my insulin.”As a practicing physician for over 30 years, I have heard those words too many times from my patients. Young and old, type 1 or type 2 diabetes- it doesn’t matter. The cost of insulin has skyrocketed over the last few decades, and people feel the crunch in their pockets, and in their worsening health. (Francisco Prieto, 9/29)

CalMatters: Cities That Ban Or Criminalize Homeless Services Worsen California's Crisis
A bill on the governor’s desk, Senate Bill 634 from state Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez, would be a step forward in holding local jurisdictions accountable for addressing homelessness by stopping cities from chasing away critical, supportive services — along with the people who take on the tough task of helping unhoused people. (Jed Leano, 10/1)

Times of San Diego: Never Take The Importance Of Mental Health For Granted
As high schoolers, we take the stress and work of everything, jobs, driving, sports, and getting into college or trade school. With so much on our plates and so little time to complete it, we begin to feel the stress of it all, the sadness, and if we’re not careful, it could end badly. The concept of teenagers’ mental health is embedded in society’s brains at this point, yet I feel as though many parents still do not get it. (Sydney Robledo, 9/27)