Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Task Force Outlines Strategy To Address California’s Shortfall Of Health Workers
A new report by a coalition of health, education and labor leaders concludes that the state must build a larger and more culturally diverse pool of medical, mental health and home care professionals to meet the needs of a growing population. The findings point to a big challenge for Gov. Gavin Newsom as he seeks to extend health insurance to many of California’s nearly 3 million uninsured residents. (Anna Gorman, )
Good morning! As exemplified by Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) last week, “Medicare for All” is putting 2020 Democrats into a tough spot: the progressive side of the party is using it as litmus test for candidates but how do they campaign on it without alienating the more moderate base? More on that below, but first, here are some of your top California health stories for the day.
After Series Of Setbacks Over The Years, Catholic Health Initiatives And Dignity Health Seal Prolonged Courtship: Catholic Health Initiatives and Calif.-based Dignity Health announced they have finally merged and become CommonSpirit. The not-for-profit system now has 142 hospitals, 150,000 employees, nearly $30 billion in revenue and more than 700 care sites across 21 states, including 30 hospitals in California. On the path to a final deal, the merger drew scrutiny from the Roman Catholic Church, which was concerned about the combined system’s stance on abortion, physician-assisted suicide and other medical procedures. On the other side of things, the California Justice Department had been hesitant to approve the deal over concerns it would limit care options for women. The department conditionally approved the merger in November. Read more about it in Modern Healthcare, the Ventura County Star and The Houston Chronicle.
California’s Public Health Officials Tell Doctors To Be On Lookout For Measles: As the ever-spreading measles outbreak in Washington continues, California public health officials are spending a good deal of time and energy reminding doctors and other medical personnel that measles can present like a respiratory illness. They also warn that it has “a very high attack rate.” "Most bacteria and viruses, you … have to breathe in a lot of those viruses to get sick, but with measles, it takes very few,” said Dr. Karen Smith, director of the California Department of Public Health. Meanwhile, the outbreak is reviving the debate over nonmedical exemptions for vaccinations. California is one of the few states that got rid of personal belief exemptions in 2015 following a massive measles outbreak that was linked to a sick child at Disneyland. Read more about it in The Sacramento Bee and The San Francisco Chronicle.
‘It’s Useless’: Ventura County Hospitals Officials Frustrated With Mandate To Post Prices: As part of a new nationwide rule geared toward increasing price transparency, Ventura County hospitals have to post their chargemaster on their sites. But hospital officials say those prices that are shown are meaningless if the goal is to give patients an idea of what they’ll actually pay. “It’s probably going to be completely incomprehensible,” said Jan Emerson-Shea, spokeswoman for the California Hospital Association. “It really is meaningless.” Read more about the new policy in the Ventura County Star.
Below, check out the full round-up of California Healthline original stories, state coverage and the best of the rest of the national news for the day. Media outlets report on news about more hospital news, legislation on police shootings, the opioid epidemic, the homeless crisis, high drug prices and more.
More News From Across The State
The Mercury News:
Attorney General Makes Last-Ditch Effort To Stop Hospital Sales To Santa Clara
Santa Clara County ECO Jeff Smith said Friday he was notified that the state will ask a federal district court to block the county from buying two hospitals. He said the office of state Attorney General Xavier Becerra informed him the state is seeking a court order to stay the sale of of O’Connor Hospital and St. Louise Regional Hospital to the county while it pursues an appeal of a bankruptcy judge’s approval earlier this week of the transaction. (Vo, 2/1)
Capital Public Radio:
Can A New Law Reduce Police Shootings? California Lawmakers Will Soon Put That Question To The Test
Clark’s killing set off protests nationwide and spurred a highly controversial bill in the state Capitol that would have set a tougher legal standard to justify police shootings. After months of intense lobbying by police groups opposed to the bill, the Senate leader shelved it over the summer—but promised to help deliver a new version this year. (Rosenhall, 2/3)
Los Angeles Times:
Even In Best-Case Scenario, Opioid Overdose Deaths Will Keep Rising Until 2022
In the nation’s opioid epidemic, the carnage is far from over. A new projection of opioid overdose death rates suggests that even if there is steady progress in reducing prescription narcotic abuse across the country, the number of fatal overdoses — which reached 70,237 in 2017 — will rise sharply in the coming years. (Healy, 2/1)
Capital Public Radio:
After Complaints About Treatment Of Homeless People, Sacramento To Allow Public On City Hall Grounds Overnight
Homeless advocates have been complaining recently about the Sacramento Police Department rousting people from tents near the entrance of City Hall — and on at least one occasion moving homeless campers off the site, sometimes into the rain. Last week during a city council meeting, Mayor Darrell Steinberg apologized for the above incident. (Moffitt, 2/1)
KQED:
Volunteers Help Count San Mateo County's Homeless
On Thursday, 300 volunteers across San Mateo County came out in the rain—arriving at 5 a.m. at places like Safe Harbor House in South San Francisco—to help put together this year's point-in-time homeless count. Volunteers were divided into groups, and spent the day walking and driving along U.S. Census tracts, taking care not to disturb people who appeared to be sleeping. (Schiffer, 2/2)
Fresno Bee:
Fresno Will Use State Money For Low-Barrier Homeless Shelter
Over the next three years, the city of Fresno will use roughly over $3 million in state funding for a low-barrier homeless shelter dedicated to individuals and families, the City Council decided this week. The funding comes from state surplus money, called the Homeless Emergency Aid Program (HEAP), which gives money for a strategy in which the city will partner will the Fresno Madera Continuum of Care. The Continuum is slated to receive about $9.5 million. (Calix, 2/2)
San Jose Mercury News:
New Campbell Center Is Stanford's Flagship For Blood Donors
After his father developed anemia, Campbell City Councilman Paul Resnikoff made the trek to the Stanford Blood Center in Mountain View to donate. “I’ve been to the facility in Mountain View many times, and I know its value,” he told the crowd gathered Jan. 31 for the grand opening of Stanford’s South Bay Donor Center in Campbell. “If you can’t donate to someone directly, you can donate to someone else.” (Gelhaus, 2/3)
The New York Times:
Medicare For All Emerges As Early Policy Test For 2020 Democrats
Senator Elizabeth Warren spoke at length this week about her vision for improving the American health care system, like strengthening the Affordable Care Act and making prescription drugs more affordable. Twice, though, she ignored a question posed to her: Would she support eliminating private health insurance in favor of a single-payer system? “Affordable health care for every American” is her goal, Ms. Warren said on Bloomberg Television, and there are “different ways we can get there.” To put it another way: I am not walking into that political trap. (Martin and Goodnough, 2/2)
The New York Times:
Cory Booker On The Issues: Where He Stands
In his six years in the Senate, Cory Booker has progressed from a moderate who defended private equity to a leading progressive voice on issues like criminal justice reform and marijuana legalization. As he transitions to a national presidential campaign, which he announced Friday, the candidate has been focusing on some key issues that animate the left wing of the Democratic Party. ... In 2017, Mr. Booker announced his support for the Medicare for All Act drafted by Senator Bernie Sanders, and reiterated his support in an interview after he announced his candidacy Friday, saying “I signed up and am a big believer in Medicare for all.” (Corasaniti, 2/1)
The Associated Press:
Trump Health Chief Asks Congress To Pass Drug Discount Plan
The Trump administration's top health official asked Congress on Friday to pass its new prescription drug discount plan and provide it to all patients, not just those covered by government programs like Medicare. The plan would take now-hidden rebates among industry players like drug companies and insurers and channel them directly to consumers when they go to pay for their medications. (2/1)
The Wall Street Journal:
Cigna Says Proposed Drug-Rebate Curbs Will Have Minimal Impact On Earnings
Cigna Corp. said a new federal proposal that would curb rebates from drugmakers would have minimal impact on its results and offered conservative earnings guidance for 2019, the first year it will include the operations of Express Scripts Holding Co. The insurer’s projections for the year were expected to be closely watched by investors, as they provide the first snapshot of the newly merged company’s expected 2019 performance. The insurer closed its $54 billion deal for the pharmacy-benefit manager in December. (Wilde Mathews and Chin, 2/1)
Politico:
Trump’s State Of The Union Pledge: Ending HIV Transmissions By 2030
President Donald Trump plans to use Tuesday night’s State of the Union address to promise an end to the HIV epidemic in America, four individuals with knowledge of the planned remarks told POLITICO. Under Trump’s 10-year strategy, health officials would target the U.S. communities with the most HIV infections and work to reduce transmissions by 2030. The strategy has been championed by top health officials, including HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CDC Director Robert Redfield. (Diamond, 2/3)
The Associated Press:
Changed Supreme Court Weighing Louisiana Abortion Clinic Law
The outcome of a fight over a Louisiana law regulating abortion providers could signal whether a fortified conservative majority on the Supreme Court is willing to cut back on abortion rights. The high court is expected to decide in the next few days whether the state can begin enforcing a law requiring doctors who work at abortion clinics to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. It was passed in 2014, but has never taken effect. (2/3)
The New York Times:
Clash Of Giants: UnitedHealth Takes On Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway And JPMorgan Chase
Inside a federal courtroom in Boston this week, a bit of intrigue has emerged as lawyers try to pry open the secretive plans of a new venture created by three of the world’s most powerful corporations. The underlying case involves allegations made by UnitedHealth Group, which is asking a judge to stop a former executive from working at the new health care outfit created by Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase. UnitedHealth has accused the executive, David William Smith, of removing confidential, proprietary information that could benefit his new employer, and he has denied any inappropriate action. (Abelson, 2/1)
Stat:
As Cystic Fibrosis Drugs Deliver New Hope, Progress Isn't Reaching Everyone
Those medications, the first to be tuned to the genetic mutations that cause the disease, have helped people experience fewer flare-ups and hospitalizations. They have also brought the relief of simply feeling better and breathing easier. The drugs have been touted as a testament to what’s possible with precision medicine treatments, which target the roots of diseases instead of just addressing symptoms. The catch is that cystic fibrosis is not caused by one mutation, or a handful, but more than 1,500 different rearrangements in the code for the gene known as CFTR. (Joseph, 2/4)
The Associated Press:
Digital Design, QB Investments Could Aid Football Helmets
Football helmets could be getting another boost toward enhanced safety features with announcements by two major manufacturers Friday. Riddell has partnered with Carbon, a tech company that features 3-D printing, to bring digital design innovation and customization to head protection through its new Diamond helmets. (2/1)
The Wall Street Journal:
Debunking The Myths About Male Sexuality
What do men secretly want? Long-held stereotypes contend they’re always interested in sex; happiest being the pursuer; focused on the physical rather than the emotional connection. If we discuss male sexuality at all, we tend to focus on the darker, toxic side—the entitlement and aggression increasingly exposed by the #MeToo movement. (Bernstein, 2/2)
The New York Times:
When Is The Surgeon Too Old To Operate?
In the fall of 2015, Dr. Herbert Dardik, chief of vascular surgery at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in New Jersey, nodded off in the operating room. Note that Dr. Dardik, then 80, was not performing the operation. He’d undergone a minor medical procedure himself a few days earlier, so he’d told his patient that another surgeon would handle her carotid endarterectomy, in which plaque is removed from the carotid artery to improve blood flow. (Span, 2/1)