- California Healthline Original Stories 2
- Thousands Mistakenly Enrolled During State’s Medicaid Expansion, Feds Find
- As Trump Targets Immigrants, Elderly Brace To Lose Caregivers
- Sacramento Watch 1
- Lawmakers Unveil Major Legislative Push On Health Care Aimed At Increasing Coverage, Reducing Costs
- Health Care Personnel 1
- Administration's Focus On High-Skilled Immigration Puts Personal Health Care Services In Jeopardy
- Hospital Roundup 1
- St. Joseph Health's Decision To Streamline Some Authority Into One Regional Board Praised
- Public Health and Education 1
- 'Let Kids Speak': California Students Join In Nationwide Protest Over Gun Violence
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Thousands Mistakenly Enrolled During State’s Medicaid Expansion, Feds Find
California health officials do not dispute most of the findings, saying they have already made improvements in determining eligibility. (Chad Terhune, )
As Trump Targets Immigrants, Elderly Brace To Lose Caregivers
Families and nursing homes say Trump administration policies threaten to drive immigrants away from caring for older and disabled patients, intensifying a shortage in these low-wage jobs. (Melissa Bailey, )
More News From Across The State
Lawmakers Unveil Major Legislative Push On Health Care Aimed At Increasing Coverage, Reducing Costs
Lawmakers late Friday released 14 bills they're expected to promote as a package this year, because Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon has shelved protential single-payer legislation.
Sacramento Bee:
CA Assembly Pitches Alternative To Single-Payer Health Care
California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon is refusing to advance this year a controversial single-payer health care bill that would dramatically reshape the state's health care financing and delivery system. Instead, he's orchestrating an alternative, narrower approach that seeks to achieve universal coverage and make Obamacare more affordable. (Hart and Luna, 3/26)
KPCC:
California Lawmakers Are Working On Bills To Lower Health Costs And Expand Access
Much of the legislation is based on recommendations in a report by three independent consultants to the Assembly Select Committee on Health Care Delivery Systems and Universal Coverage. The consultants based their analysis on 30 hours of testimony given to the committee between October and February. (Faust and Glickman, 3/23)
Drugmakers Report Expected Cost Spikes Under California's New Transparency Law
Notifications from Valeant and Teva Pharmaceuticals are early results of the California law that in January began requiring drug companies to give major purchasers 60 days’ notice of significant increases.
Politico:
California's Drug Transparency Law Yields Early Surprises
California’s first-in-the-nation drug pricing transparency law is beginning to kick in — and to spur copycats, with Oregon’s governor last week signing a law that requires drug companies to disclose cost components they have long considered proprietary. Whether they’ll actually reduce prices is a crapshoot. California has already pried loose new numbers that may seem deja vu: Valeant, a magnet for criticism over past price boosts, is about to raise the price of a generic glaucoma medication by 63 percent, and Teva Pharmaceuticals, the world’s biggest generic drugmaker, plans a 49 percent price bump May 1 for an inhaled solution to prevent asthma attacks, according to documents obtained by POLITICO. (Colliver, 3/25)
Administration's Focus On High-Skilled Immigration Puts Personal Health Care Services In Jeopardy
In 2017, 26 percent of personal care aides and home health aides were foreign born, and as baby boomers age, the demand for workers in the fast-growing field is only going to increase.
The New York Times:
When The Elderly Call For Help, A ‘Chain’ Immigrant Often Answers
Irma Mangayan was lathering and rinsing a 92-year-old woman in Room 413 one recent afternoon when she received a page from another room. An incontinent resident had an accident, and Ms. Mangayan would have to clean it up. Before her shift was over at Belmont Village Senior Living, Ms. Mangayan would hoist women and men into their wheelchairs, escort residents using walkers downstairs to the dining room and then back and perform myriad other tasks that they once could do for themselves. (Jordan, 3/25)
California Healthline:
As Trump Targets Immigrants, Elderly Brace To Lose Caregivers
After back-to-back, eight-hour shifts at a chiropractor’s office and a rehab center, Nirva arrived outside an elderly woman’s house just in time to help her up the front steps. Nirva took the woman’s arm as she hoisted herself up, one step at a time, taking breaks to ease the pain in her hip. At the top, they stopped for a hug. “Hello, bella,” Nirva said, using the word for “beautiful” in Italian. (Bailey, 3/26)
St. Joseph Health's Decision To Streamline Some Authority Into One Regional Board Praised
"In general, the more boards you have and the more layers of governance, the more challenging the governance model is and the more likely it is to add cost rather than adding value," said Jamie Orlikoff, American Hospital Association's national adviser on governance and leadership.
Modern Healthcare:
Experts Praise Centralizing Health System Control
When it comes to health system governing boards, for the most part, experts agree: Less is more. It's an important message for the hospital industry, which has been slow to shed its bureaucratic layers. Industry gurus praised St. Joseph Health's recent move to strip key decision making authority from four California hospital boards and shift that control to a regional board, saying it aligns with a governance style that keeps health systems nimble and efficient, even as they add new hospitals. (Bannow, 3/24)
In other news —
Ventura County Star:
Outpatient Opening Should Ease Psych Care Shortage
Legislation spurred by a gaping shortage in psychiatric care and signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday allows a Ventura psychiatric hospital closed by the Thomas Fire to reopen outpatient services, possibly in a week. All inpatient and outpatient services at Vista del Mar Hospital were halted after two buildings on its hillside campus were destroyed Dec. 4 by the massive wildfire that consumed more than 1,000 structures and grew into California’s largest officially recorded wildfire ever. (Kisken, 3/23)
'Let Kids Speak': California Students Join In Nationwide Protest Over Gun Violence
The demonstrations were held in response to the mass school shooting in Parkland, Florida last month.
Capital Public Radio:
Thousands March For Gun Reform At California’s Capitol
Holding signs that read “Enough is enough” and “Leave the gun, take the cannoli,” young people led a march of thousands down Sacramento’s Capitol Mall in protest of gun violence. It was students who mostly coordinated Saturday’s rally at the Capitol, which according to an event post on Facebook more than 4,000 people had RSVP’d to attend. (Miller and Bandlamudi, 3/24)
Orange County Register:
School Districts Across Southern California Consider Safety Changes In Wake Of Florida Shooting
When a shooter killed 26 people at Sandy Hook Elementary in 2012, schools across the country beefed up security and safety measures.Santa Ana Unified, one of the state’s few school districts with its own police department, sent officers to a debriefing in Connecticut to learn from the tragedy. ...Now, in the wake of last month’s massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida, districts are once again reviewing safety procedures and considering changes while reassuring jittery parents that their children are safe. (Puente, 3/23)
PReP Is Highly Effective In Preventing HIV, But Few Women Are Getting Prescriptions
As of 2015, about 15 percent of those who were affected by HIV in the San Gabriel Valley were female, a number that has been steadily increasing since 2011, but they're often left out of the conversation.
Orange County Register:
HIV Affects Women Too. Now Southern California Planned Parenthood Centers Provide The Preventive Drugs
When it comes to HIV prevention, African-American and Latina women – who are disproportionately affected by HIV infection – are left out of the conversation, says Sheri Bonner, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley. And, she says, this is exactly why Planned Parenthood facilities in Pasadena, Alhambra, Glendora and Eagle Rock have now started offering Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis, commonly known as PrEP, a daily pill that helps prevent HIV for those at high risk of infection. (Bharath, 3/24)
In other news from across the state —
Ventura County Star:
Ventura County Hospitals Scramble To Deal With Opioid Shortage
As regulators and addiction prevention advocates worry about the crutch of opioids, hospitals across Ventura County are scrambling to find more of the drugs. A shortage triggered by nationwide manufacturing issues has cut into the supply of the injectable opioids used at hospitals and surgery centers to control acute pain after surgery. Drugs affected include liquid forms of morphine, fentanyl and Dilaudid. (Kisken, 3/24)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Sonoma County Mental Health Nonprofits Dodge Budget Cuts This Year, But Brace For Big Cuts Next Year
Sonoma County nonprofits that provide mental health and substance abuse services may have dodged a bullet this fiscal year, but come June many fear they may be facing a cannonball. With strong direction from some members of the Board of Supervisors, county officials are now looking for ways to backfill a $1.8 million deficit in the Behavioral Health Division. While the move eliminates the need for cuts to nonprofits, next year’s Behavioral Health deficit could be as high as $19 million. In a letter sent to nonprofits late this week, county health services director Barbie Robinson relayed the “good news” but warned that “challenging, and at times, painful dialogue” lies ahead. (Espinoza, 3/23)
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
State Finds No License Violation At Independent Living Facility
A state agency that investigated a report of an unlicensed residential care facility in Chula Vista determined the home is an independent living facility, which does not require a state license.The home on E Street near Beech Avenue was a licensed care facility for the elderly for more than a decade before the state revoked its license in 2012, citing dozens of violations. Residential care facilities provide around-the-clock care and assistance to tenants who need help with everyday needs, such as managing their medications and bathing. (Hernandez, 3/23)
Ventura County Star:
Medi-Cal Discussion Of Pharmacy Controversy Delayed
A Medi-Cal commission meeting set for Monday and slated to include a key report regarding reimbursement to independent pharmacists has been canceled. The Gold Coast Health Plan issued a notice Friday morning explaining that the cancellation was necessary because not enough members of the commission could attend the meeting for a quorum. The 11-member Ventura County Medi-Cal Managed Care Commission, which includes one vacant seat, governs the publicly funded Gold Coast plan that administers Medi-Cal insurance to about 200,000 Ventura County residents. (Kisken, 3/23)
Some Transgender Troops Can Continue To Serve Under Trump's New Policy, But New Recruits Are Banned
Under the new policy, troops who require or have had gender reassignment surgery or those with “gender dysphoria” would be disqualified from service — but with some exceptions. The move was promptly assailed by congressional Democrats and civil rights groups, and legal challenges are all-but certain.
The New York Times:
Trump Approves New Limits On Transgender Troops In The Military
Transgender troops who are currently in the United States military may remain in the ranks, the White House said late Friday, but the Pentagon could require them to serve according to their gender at birth. The policy recommendation that President Trump approved flatly states that “transgender persons who require or have undergone gender transition are disqualified from military service.” But it also largely gives the Pentagon the ability to make exceptions where it sees fit. (Cooper and Gibbons-Neff, 3/24)
In other news —
The New York Times:
AP Sources: Trump Plans To Oust Shulkin As VA Secretary
President Donald Trump is planning to oust embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin amid an extraordinary rebellion at the agency and damaging government investigations into his alleged spending abuses, three administration officials told The Associated Press on Sunday. Two officials said an announcement on Shulkin could happen this week, subject to Trump's final decision as the White House hones in on possible replacements to head the Department of Veterans Affairs. (3/25)
With Premiums Likely To Spike Just Before Midterms, Lawmakers Are Bracing For Blame Game Battle
Language on abortion threw a wrench in both sides' plans to add money to stabilize the marketplace into the sweeping spending bill that Congress passed last week. Now they'll have to deal with the potential fallout. Meanwhile, some Americans are opting to take a chance they'll stay healthy over paying astronomical insurance bills.
The Wall Street Journal:
Health-Insurance Premiums Loom As Election Issue
Health-insurance premiums are likely to jump right before the November elections, a result of Congress’s omission of federal money to shore up insurance exchanges from its new spending package. Lawmakers from both parties had pushed to include the funding in the $1.3 trillion spending law signed Friday, but they couldn’t agree on details. A battle has already begun over how to cast the blame for the expected rate increases. Democrats blame GOP lawmakers for the failure of negotiations over the funding, saying Republican leaders demanded the inclusion of abortion restrictions they knew would be unacceptable to Democrats. Republicans say that they negotiated in good faith and that Democrats rejected reasonable rules on abortion. (Armour, 3/25)
Bloomberg:
Why Some Americans Are Risking It And Skipping Health Insurance
Across America there are thousands of people like the Buchanans, the Owenses and the Bobbies making the same hard decision to go without health insurance, despite the benefits. They’re risking it—betting that they’ve got enough savings, enough of a back-up plan, or enough luck to get them through a twisted knee, a cancer, or a car wreck. Bloomberg is following a dozen of these families this year in an effort to understand the trade-offs when a dollar spent on health insurance can’t be spent on something else. Some are financially comfortable. Others are scraping by. (Tozzi, 3/26)
In other national health care news —
NPR:
The Omnibus Budget Grants CDC Right To Research Gun Violence. Researchers Don't Think It Will Help
Government health agencies have spent more than two decades shying away from gun violence research, but some say the new spending bill, signed by President Trump on Friday, will change that. That is because, in agency instructions that accompany the bill, there is a sentence noting that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has the authority to conduct research on the causes of gun violence. "I think this is a huge victory for our country and our communities and our children. This is one step in many to help stop gun violence in this country," says Rep. Stephanie Murphy, a Democrat from the Orlando, Fla., area, where a mass shooting left 49 dead at a gay nightclub in 2016. But researchers who study gun violence are unimpressed. (Greenfieldboyce, 3/23)
The Washington Post:
Tenacious New Gun Researchers Are Determined To Break Cycle Of Mass Shootings
Yifan Zhang was finishing her PhD in biostatistics at Harvard five years ago when news broke of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. As a graduate student from China, specializing in highly technical design of clinical drug trials, she had little connection to America’s long-running debate over gun violence. But even now, she said, the anguished faces of those parents she saw on television remain seared in her memory.So when she heard about a gun-violence research project at Stanford University that could use the statistical skills she had honed on pharmaceuticals, she jumped at the chance. (Wan, 3/24)
The New York Times:
Why Can’t Dying Patients Get The Drugs They Want?
At first glance, a bill passed by the House of Representatives this week seems like the kind of thing anyone could get behind. Known as the “Right to Try” legislation, it would allow terminally ill patients access to experimental drugs without the approval of the Food and Drug Administration. But the bill and a similar one passed last summer by the Senate do little to address the main barrier that patients face in getting unapproved treatments: permission from the drug companies themselves. (Thomas, 3/23)
NPR:
Patients' Comment About Drug Side Effects On Social Networks
When Allison Ruddick was diagnosed with stage 3 colorectal cancer in October 2014, she turned to the world of hashtags. After her initial diagnosis it wasn't clear if the cancer had metastasized, so she was in for a nerve-wracking wait, she says. She wanted outside advice. "But they don't really give you a handbook, so you search kind of anywhere for answers," Ruddick says. "Social media was one of the first places I went." (Wilhelm, 3/23)