- California Healthline Original Stories 3
- Despite Advance Directive, Dementia Patient Denied Last Wish, Says Spouse
- Anthem’s Exit Leaves Thousands With No Choice Of Health Plans
- Too Few Patients Follow The Adage: You Better Shop Around
- Sacramento Watch 1
- Prescription Drug Price Battle Emerges From Shadows As Other Health Care Issues Fizzle
- Health Care Personnel 1
- State Lawmaker Says San Diego's Staffing Levels Of Public Health Nurses Fall Short Of Guidelines
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Despite Advance Directive, Dementia Patient Denied Last Wish, Says Spouse
Oregon court says Alzheimer’s patient Nora Harris must be spoon-fed. But her husband says she never wanted to live like this. (JoNel Aleccia, )
Anthem’s Exit Leaves Thousands With No Choice Of Health Plans
When Anthem Blue Cross pulls out of the individual market next year, about 60,000 Covered California enrollees, plus others who buy insurance outside of the exchange, will have only one health plan in their areas. (Ana B. Ibarra, )
Too Few Patients Follow The Adage: You Better Shop Around
Three-quarters of participants in a newly released study said they did not know of resources for comparing health care costs, while half said that if a website were available to provide such information, they would use it. (Michelle Andrews, )
More News From Across The State
Covered California & The Health Law
Covered California Strives To Stabilize Marketplace
The board unanimously adopted two new resolutions members believe will maintain market stability. One updates contracts between Covered California and insurance companies, allowing insurers that lose money in 2018 to increase profit margins in the following three years in order to recoup losses. The second increases Covered California’s marketing and outreach budget by more than $5 million.
KQED:
Amid Uncertainty Over Health Care, Covered California Appeals To Insurers’ Bottom Lines
With ongoing uncertainty around the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the board that oversees California’s health care marketplace took action to stabilize the exchange on Thursday. Their goal was to convince insurance companies to continue offering health plans through Covered California. (Klivans, 8/18)
Meanwhile —
California Healthline:
Anthem’s Exit Leaves Thousands With No Choice Of Health Plans
For about 60,000 Covered California customers, choosing a health plan next year will be easier, and possibly more painful, than ever: There will be only one insurer left in their communities after Anthem Blue Cross of California pulls out of much of the state’s individual market. That means they could lose doctors they trust, or pay higher premiums. (Ibarra, 8/18)
Prescription Drug Price Battle Emerges From Shadows As Other Health Care Issues Fizzle
Several measures trying to tackle high drug costs are getting a push now that the single-payer bill has been shelved, and the pressure has lessened on repeal-and-replace.
Los Angeles Times:
With New Allies And Approaches, California Lawmakers Try Again To Confront High Prescription Drug Prices
Less rowdy than the sputtered push for single-payer healthcare and less fraught than the battle over Obamacare’s future, the concern over the cost of prescription drug prices has been overshadowed for the past year by the marquee healthcare battles gripping Sacramento and Washington. ... The price disclosure bill , SB 17 by state Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-Azusa), is now one of five measures that have been proposed to tackle prescription costs, forcing the drug industry to fend off multiple threats. (Mason, 8/20)
In other news —
Los Angeles Times:
An Unforeseen Benefit Of California's Physician-Assisted Death Law
Many healthcare systems designed protocols for screening people who say they’re interested in physician-assisted death, including some that were meant to dissuade patients from taking up the option. But physicians across the state say the conversations that health workers are having with patients are leading to patients’ fears and needs around dying being addressed better than ever before. (Karlamangla, 8/21)
State Lawmaker Says San Diego's Staffing Levels Of Public Health Nurses Fall Short Of Guidelines
State Sen. Ben Hueso’s office released a statement claiming that 18 nurses serving California Children’s Services average 760 cases each, a number that is nearly double the 400 cases per nurse recommended in guidelines published by the California Department of Health Care Services.
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Hueso Demands Audit Of Public Nursing Resources
Already tense relations between county government and union members frayed a bit more Friday as state Sen. Ben Hueso demanded a state audit of San Diego County public health resources, alleging that current staffing levels for public health nurses do not meet state guidelines. Hueso stood with members of Service Employees International Union Local 221 in San Diego and announced that he recently sent a letter to the state legislature’s Joint Committee on Legislative Audit requesting that the panel “determine whether adequate levels of county public health nurses are available to appropriately serve the residents of San Diego County.” (Sisson, 8/18)
In other news —
The Bakersfield Californian:
'It's Like A Family' East Bakersfield Doctor Bridges Gap Between Community Health And Medicine
[Dr. Kimberly] Dixon was recently awarded a $100,000 grant from the Stephen M. Thompson Loan Repayment Program to cover her medical school bills in exchange for committing to work in Kern County, which is considered a medically underserved area by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. Programs like that, Dixon said, encourage talented physicians to practice in areas like Kern County, which has historically contended with a revolving crop of young doctors who build their resumes in Bakersfield, then leave. ...And Dixon is acutely aware of the health impacts of the impoverished area she’s serving. A majority of her patients are on Medi-Cal, the state insurance for the poor. Others face barriers to accessing medical care or have difficulty navigating the system, struggle with financial issues, and endure violence, all of which impact the health of kids. (Pierce, 8/20)
Advocates See Gaps In Sonoma's Mental Health Services
When a person is having a mental health crisis but hasn't committed a crime and isn't suicidal there are few good options on where to take them.
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Sonoma County Reshapes Approach To Mental Health Care
Like the man in west Santa Rosa last March, a growing number of people with severe psychiatric illnesses are winding up in jail and hospital emergency rooms, The Press Democrat found during a six-month review of local mental health services. As the mental health system shifts further and further away from a centralized model, which historically placed people in large institutions for treatment, county officials, mental health advocates and medical professionals are now trying to bring all the pieces together to serve more than 20,000 people in Sonoma County estimated to suffer from serious mental illnesses. (Espinoza, 8/19)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Array Of Mental Health Programs Serves Sonoma County
Over the past decade, Sonoma County has reshaped its approach toward caring for people with mental illness, increasing its investment in community-based outpatient programs while reducing its reliance on psychiatric hospitals. County officials say they’ve embarked on a new era, one that hopes to fulfill the decades-old promise of creating a safety net of mental health services robust enough to meet the needs of the community. (Espinoza, 8/19)
In other mental health news —
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Mendocino County Revives Sales Tax Measure To Fund Mental Health Services
Voters in Mendocino County will get another shot at approving a sales tax increase to fund mental health and substance abuse services, after narrowly rejecting a similar measure last November. This time, Measure B has broad support, including the approval of key county officials who opposed last year’s Measure AG. The 2016 initiative was spearheaded by Sheriff Tom Allman, who was seeking money to build a psychiatric hospital that, among other things, would reduce the number of people with mental illness ending up in jail. (Espinoza, 8/19)
Los Angeles Times:
Burbank Unified Renews Contract For Mental Health And Wellness Centers
The mental health and wellness program in the Burbank Unified School District will continue at least another year after the school board renewed the district’s contract with the Family Service Agency of Burbank, a local nonprofit agency, on Thursday. Wellness centers at John Burroughs and Burbank high schools provide a supportive environment, where students can walk in to share their thoughts and feelings with counselors from the Family Service Agency. (Vega, 8/18)
Simple Genetic Test Could Determine If Cancer Will Return, But Many Survivors Aren't Taking It
Dr. Christopher Childers, the lead author of the UCLA study, says that both providers and patients need to work to close the gap on why the women are getting tested.
KPCC:
Many Breast, Ovarian Cancer Survivors Should Take This Genetic Test
More than 1 million American women who have had breast or ovarian cancer are not getting a simple genetic test that will determine whether they carry a mutation that puts them at higher risk of a recurrence, according to a UCLA study published Friday. Up to 10 percent of women who have, or have had, breast cancer, and up to 15 percent of those with a history of ovarian cancer, carry inheritable mutations that put them at higher risk of the cancer returning, says the study, which was published Friday in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. (Plevin, 8/18)
In other public health news —
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Top UCSD Researchers Pitch Yoga, Massage And Integrative Medicine For Healing
[Serena Silberman's] feast was to commemorate the debut of UC San Diego’s Centers for Integrative Health, an initiative throughout the university and health network to unify current research, education and clinical programs ranging from nutrition and acupuncture to meditation and yoga. Saturday’s all-day conference rang in the new collaborative health effort at UC San Diego by discussing how western science can be better wedded to traditional folk cures and alternative medicine to offer better outcomes for patients. (Prine, 8/19)
Capital Public Radio:
Cal EPA Moves Toward Tighter Pesticide Restrictions
The state Department of Pesticide Regulations Friday released their newest risk assessment for a commonly used pesticide called chlorpyrifos. The report found elevated health risks for children and women of childbearing age who inhale the chemical or get it on their skin. (Caiola, 8/18)
California Marines Caught Up In $67M Kickback Scheme Involving Compound Drugs
The investigation is part of a larger effort to revamp how TRICARE bills for such drugs, which are custom-made by pharmacists to tailor to a patient’s specific needs.
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Pharmacy And Medical Practice Accused Of Using San Diego Marines In $67 Million Healthcare Fraud
A small pharmacy in Utah and a doctor’s office in Tennessee have been implicated in an alleged kickback scheme that used San Diego County Marines to defraud the military’s health insurance provider out of at least $67 million, according to court records filed in San Diego by federal authorities. The allegations add to a growing number of investigations into fraudulent prescriptions of compound medications – high-priced drugs custom-made by pharmacists to tailor to a patient’s specific needs. The investigations have led to arrests in similar cases across the country and a change in how TRICARE — which serves 9.4 million active, retired and reserve military and their families — bills for such drugs. (Davis, 8/18)
In other news from across California —
KPBS Public Media:
San Diego Seniors Plan Protest Of Proposed Medicare Cuts
The House Republicans' proposed budget would cut Medicare by $487 billion over 10 years. A group of San Diego seniors called the Senior Action Movement says no way. A group of San Diego seniors called the Senior Action Movement says no way. The group plans to demonstrate Aug. 23 during the afternoon rush hour near the corner of Genesee Avenue and Nobel Drive in La Jolla.(Goldberg, 8/21)
Sacramento Bee:
Religious Leaders Demand Comprehensive Plan For Ending Homelessness In Sacramento
Sacramento’s spiritual community, citing an alarming increase in homelessness, has issued a “call to action” for a comprehensive, collaborative plan to get thousands of people off the streets in the capital city and beyond. ... A recent census documented that more than 3,600 people are homeless on any given night in Sacramento County, a 30 percent increase since 2015. (Hubert, 8/20)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. Warns Homebuilders, But Not Residents, Of Traffic Pollution Health Risks
For five years, Los Angeles has been issuing health advisories to housing developers, warning of the dangers of building near freeways. But when the city moved to alert residents as well, officials rejected it. Planning commissioners axed a provision to require traffic pollution signs on some new, multifamily developments from an environmental ordinance on the grounds that it would burden developers and hurt market values. (Barboza, 8/20)
Modesto Bee:
Two Residents Stricken By Neurological Illness In Stanislaus County
As Stanislaus County confirmed the first two cases of West Nile disease this year, mosquito abatement districts said regulators have shut down their aerial spraying used to control mosquitoes that spread the debilitating illness. The county Health Services Agency said Friday that a 53-year-old woman and 64-year-old man had been hospitalized with the life-threatening form of West Nile. (Carlson, 8/18)
Upon Returning From Recess, Republicans Will Face Ticking Clock To Shore Up Marketplaces
Lawmakers will need to scrounge up 60 votes in 12 days to pass their bipartisan bill. Meanwhile, another plan from Sens. Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R., La.) gains traction among Republicans and three former HHS chiefs urge Republicans to stabilize the system.
The Wall Street Journal:
Republicans Face Looming Deadline On Health Law
A fast-approaching deadline for insurers to commit to selling health plans next year under the Affordable Care Act is pressuring Republican lawmakers to decide quickly whether to shore up the law and ease the path for insurers or continue efforts to roll it back. Lawmakers returning to the Capitol from recess on Sept. 5 will have only 12 legislative days to decide whether to pass a bipartisan bill aimed at bolstering the ACA’s markets before insurers must commit to participating in the law’s exchanges in 2018. (Armour and Hackman, 8/20)
The Associated Press:
Past Health Chiefs: Insurance Market Stability Is The Goal
Three former U.S. health secretaries of both parties say President Donald Trump and the GOP-led Congress should make stabilizing health insurance marketplaces their immediate goal. Former Health and Human Services secretaries Kathleen Sebelius, Mike Leavitt and Tommy Thompson tell The Associated Press that calming markets should be the objective now that "Obamacare" seems here for the foreseeable future. (8/21)
Politico:
Obamacare Survives Its Latest Threat — Bare Counties
President Donald Trump contends the health care law is “dead,” but residents of all but one county in America will be able to get an Obamacare health plan next year. Poised for their fifth enrollment cycle this fall, the Obamacare insurance markets are proving more resilient than many anticipated, with insurers jumping in to cover regions other companies fled, undercutting GOP predictions of widespread market collapses. (Demko, 8/20)
Modern Healthcare:
Collins, McCain And Murkowski Are Modern Healthcare's Most Influential People In Healthcare
In the end, three Republican senators—Maine's Susan Collins, Alaska's Lisa Murkowski and Arizona's John McCain—decided their party's bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act would be bad for the states they represent. Resisting tremendous political pressure, the three voted against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's stripped-down ACA repeal bill. In doing so, they dramatically reshaped the epic political battle over the future of the ACA, which has been bitterly fought over by Republicans and Democrats since it was passed by Democrats on a party-line vote in March 2010. (Meyer, 8/19)
Roll Call:
Will 2018 Look Like 2010 For Anti-Repeal Republicans?
When House Republicans passed their measure to repeal and replace the 2010 health care law in May, 20 members of their conference voted against it. While some of them might be able to defend themselves against criticism by saying they voted against a historically unpopular bill, they could find themselves in the same political peril as Democrats who voted against the original health care bill in 2010. (Garcia, 8/21)
In other national health care news —
The New York Times:
Trump Moves To Impede Consumer Lawsuits Against Nursing Homes
The Trump administration is pushing to scrap a rule that would have made it easier for nursing home residents to sue nursing homes for injuries caused by substandard care, abuse or neglect, bringing its campaign to relax federal regulations to the delicate business of care for older Americans. The push would undo a rule issued by the Obama administration that would have prevented nursing homes from requiring that consumers agree to resolve any disputes through arbitration rather than litigation. (Pear, 8/18)
Stat:
Plans For White House Vaccine Commission Appear To Have Stalled
Robert Kennedy Jr., the environmental activist and leading vaccine skeptic, says that it has been months since he has talked with White House officials about chairing a vaccine safety commission — and that the idea of such a panel may no longer be under consideration. ...Kennedy said, however, he has met with a series of top administration officials about vaccine safety since Trump took office, including agency heads at the Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health. He said those meetings took place at the request of the White House. (Branswell, 8/21)
Stat:
Trump Quietly Signs New FDA User Fee Agreement Into Law
President Trump on Friday quietly signed into law a sweeping measure that will help ensure the Food and Drug Administration can continue to oversee drug and device approvals. It’s a victory for the pharmaceutical industry, which, together with the FDA, fought to ensure the package would become law before existing agreements expire at the end of September. The industry will pay more than $1 billion toward the agency’s oversight efforts, per an agreement hammered out with lawmakers and the FDA. Both industry and the agency say the so-called user fees are critical to keeping the lights on at the FDA. (Mershon, 8/18)