The Bakersfield Californian: Newsom Signs Bains' Fentanyl Task Force Bill Into Law 
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law Assemblywoman Jasmeet Bains' bill to form a statewide Fentanyl Addiction and Overdose Prevention Task Force.Assembly Bill 33 was the first legislation the Delano Democrat and medical doctor introduced when she took the 35th District office, vowing that as an addiction medicine specialist she had seen the scourge of the deadly drug. (10/14)

CalMatters: Gavin Newsom Rejected Plan To Lower Insulin Copays, Saying A Better Deal Is In The Works
Gov. Gavin Newsom has made lowering the cost of prescription drugs a signature health care issue, but over the weekend, he rejected a bill that would have provided some relief for diabetics by capping what they pay for insulin. (Ibarra, 10/12)

Bay Area News Group: What Did Newsom Sign -- And Veto -- This Legislative Season?
Gov. Gavin Newsom has finished off this year’s legislative session, signing 890 bills -- and rejecting 156 others -- over the last several weeks. In his final day of bill signings Friday — the deadline was midnight Saturday — Newsom vetoed just two bills, for a total of 890 signed and 156 vetoed in 2023. That’s a slight uptick in rejecting proposed legislation that reflects both his concerns about the state’s finances in an uncertain economy, as well as his national political ambitions. (Miolene, 10/14)

The New York Times: California’s Ban On Red Food Dye Puts FDA On The Spot 
Thirty-three years after the Food and Drug Administration banned the use of Red Dye No. 3 in red lipstick and other cosmetics by linking it to cancer, California has become the first state to ban the chemical in food. Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, signed a law this month that outlawed the red dye and three other chemicals. Red No. 3 is used in Halloween treats and other foods, including private-label candy, cookies and frostings sold at national chains such as Walmart and Target. (Jewett and Creswell, 10/14)

Los Angeles Times: News Analysis: With Actions On Drug Laws, Mental Health And Labor, Newsom Moves Toward Center In Second Term
When Gov. Gavin Newsom put down his veto pen Friday night, closing the book on his fifth year of making laws for California, what emerged were signs that in his second term leading the state, the liberal Democrat from San Francisco is drifting toward the political center. He vetoed bills to decriminalize psychedelic drugs and allow Amsterdam-style cafes for smoking pot. He bucked powerful labor unions in rejecting a bill that would have allowed workers to receive unemployment benefits when they strike. (Rosenhall and Luna, 10/15)

The Wall Street Journal: Rite Aid Files For Bankruptcy, Undone By Years Of Losses
Your local Rite Aid could soon disappear, a casualty of years of losses and failed mergers. In the end, Rite Aid was too small and too poor to pay the costs of lawsuits related to the opioid epidemic. Rite Aid filed for bankruptcy on Sunday in New Jersey, unable to find the money to settle hundreds of federal, state and private lawsuits alleging it oversupplied prescription painkillers. The filing puts all those suits on hold. (Nassauer and Gladstone, 10/15)

Los Angeles Daily News: Five LA County Libraries To Offer Free Narcan — Medicine That Reverses Effect Of Opioid Overdoses 
In an effort to save lives, Los Angeles County residents can get free naloxone — the medication that can reverse an opioid overdose — during distribution events at five select public library branches. (Scauzillo, 10/13)

SciTechDaily: Prisons: The Unexpected Answer To The Opioid Epidemic?
With opioid overdose deaths surging in the United States, many communities are urgently seeking effective solutions. A recent Rutgers-led study has identified strengthening prison reentry programs for the highest-risk users as one of the most promising interventions. (10/15)

Medical Xpress: Opioid Limits Didn't Change Surgery Patients' Experience, Study Shows
Worries that surgery patients would have a tougher recovery if their doctors had to abide by a five-day limit on opioid pain medication prescriptions didn't play out as expected, a new study finds. Instead, patient-reported pain levels and satisfaction didn't change at all for Michigan adults who had their appendix or gallbladder removed, a hernia repaired, a hysterectomy or other common operations after the state's largest insurer put the limit in place, the study shows. (10/13)

Capital & Main: Kaiser's Massive Mental Health Care Settlement Sends Strong Message To Providers That Ignore Patient Needs
Kaiser Permanente’s $200 million settlement with the State of California for its repeated failures to provide patients with adequate and timely mental health care was a long while coming. The deficiencies themselves? Kaiser’s own employees say they’ve been hiding in plain sight. (Kreidler, 10/13)

Los Angeles Times: UC Irvine Receives Record $653 Million In Research Funding For Fiscal 2022-23 – 12.7% More Than Previous Year
From cutting-edge research on Alzheimer’s disease to an innovative effort to include environmental justice and community engagement in climate and sustainability science research and education, University of California, Irvine scholars, scientists and physicians are blazing new paths to help change the world. And the school’s impact keeps growing. In fiscal 2022-23, which ended June 30, UCI received the most research funding in campus history: $653 million in grants and contracts. (10/15)

AP: Annual Window To Shop For Medicare Advantage Plans Returns On Sunday 
Open enrollment for Medicare opens Sunday, and seniors could have dozens of options. During the enrollment period, which ends Dec. 7, people will have the opportunity to choose between traditional Medicare and privately run Medicare Advantage plans in their area, as well as prescription drug plans. But research shows that most people don’t bother shopping. (Murphy, 10/13)

The New York Times: Medicare Open Enrollment Is Starting. Here’s How To Navigate The Ad Blitz
If you’re enrolled in Medicare, you might want to turn off your television this time of year. In the weeks ahead, the airwaves will be flooded with advertisements promoting insurance plans during Medicare’s open enrollment period, which will start on Sunday and end Dec. 7. ... But government officials and researchers have voiced rising concerns about the way these plans are marketed to more than 66 million Americans covered by Medicare, considering the complexity — and importance — of enrollment decisions. (Miller, 10/15)

Stat: What's Changing In Medicare's Open Enrollment This Year?
It’s the middle of October — the time of year that’s filled with pumpkin spice lattes, jumbo-sized bags of Halloween candy, and endless advertisements to sign up for Medicare. Medicare’s annual enrollment period kicked off Sunday and runs through Dec. 7, allowing eligible older adults and people with disabilities to sign up for traditional Medicare coverage or Medicare Advantage, the alternative option that is run by health insurance companies. (Herman, 10/15)

Vox: Medicare Vs. Medicare Advantage: What You Need To Know About Privatization Efforts 
If you’re signing up for Medicare benefits this open enrollment, odds are you aren’t actually enrolling in the traditional government program that people may envision. More than half of Medicare beneficiaries are now choosing an alternative version of the program administered by private companies. Medicare, the paragon of America’s welfare state, is undergoing a subtle but fundamental transformation from government program to public benefit provided by private companies, a shift with major implications for both patients and taxpayers. This alternative version of Medicare, known as Medicare Advantage, now covers more than half of the program’s 60 million enrollees, or about 31 million Americans — nearly double its share 10 years ago. (Scott, 10/16)

Axios: Medicare Advantage's Growth Spurt Brings Tensions
If trends hold, more people will choose a Medicare Advantage plan over traditional Medicare during the open enrollment season that began Sunday. That's amping up concern about the way plans are marketed, how the government pays insurers who administer benefits and the way they've turned down millions of requests for coverage of services and drugs. (Goldman, 10/16)

Axios: Medicare Advantage Star Ratings Fall Again
Medicare Advantage plans' average star ratings have fallen for the second straight year, according to data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The ratings are a closely watched metric intended to help seniors pick better-performing plans, based on up to 40 quality measures. The scores also determine if insurers qualify for bonuses from Medicare, and consumers can switch into the highest-scoring plans year-round. (Goldman, 10/16)

Modern Healthcare: Centene, Elevance See Medicare Advantage Star Ratings Dip In 2024
Medicare Advantage insurers will lose hundreds of millions of dollars in 2024 amid another year of lower star ratings, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services revealed Friday. For the 2024 plan year, 42% of plans with prescription drug coverage are rated at least four stars out of five and will receive bonuses from the quality ratings program, down from 51% this year. Nonprofit insurers outperformed for-profit companies: 56% of nonprofit Medicare Advantage carriers will earn bonuses compared with 36% of for-profit companies, according to CMS data. (Tepper, 10/13)

The Motley Fool: Here's A Good Reason To Delay Your Medicare Enrollment
You can get Medicare coverage at age 65. Here's why you may not want to. (Backman, 10/16)

Stat: Medicare To Cover More Brain Scans Related To Alzheimer’s Drugs
Medicare has officially expanded its coverage policy for brain scans that detect a brain plaque associated with Alzheimer’s disease, the agency announced on Friday. Amyloid PET scans are important tools to help determine whether patients with mild cognitive impairment are good candidates for new Alzheimer’s drugs, including Eisai and Biogen’s drug Leqembi, which means there will likely be an increase in demand for the scans as uptake increases. (Cohrs, 10/13)

Forbes: RSV Vaccines Aren’t Covered By Medicare For These Vulnerable Groups
Some seniors and pregnant people—among the most vulnerable to respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)—are forced to pay out of pocket (upwards of $300) for an RSV vaccine this year due to a loophole that means it’s not covered under all Medicare plans. (Johnson, 10/13)

Stat: Medicare Urged To Lower Insurance Hurdles Amid Avastin Shortage
Due to a shortage of a widely used compounded medicine for serious eye diseases, two leading ophthalmologic groups want Medicare contractors to halt practices that limit coverage of other — albeit costlier — treatments over concerns about patient access. (Silverman, 10/13)

San Diego Union-Tribune: California Has A Long, Complicated History When It Comes To Treating Severe Mental Illness 
This month marks the start of a new court program created by the Community Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment Act, called CARE Court, which aims to help people with mental illness before they got caught in a cycle of hospitals and jails. (Figueroa, 10/15)

Marin Independent Journal: Marin County To Expand Involuntary Medication Of Jail Inmates
Last fall, the Board of Supervisors allowed court-ordered medications to be given to inmates who have been deemed incompetent to stand trial — without their consent, if necessary. Prior to the authorization, inmates had to remain in jail for months until a bed became available at a state hospital. (Halstead, 10/16)

KVPR: ‘Slippery Slope’ Or Needed Regulation? Fresno Eyes New Rules For Smoke Shops
Tobacco retail is a thriving industry in Fresno. But city officials are eyeing regulations that could change the landscape for smoke shops. (Hok, 10/13)

Stat: Next-Generation Covid Vaccines Get $500 Million In Federal Funding 
The Biden administration announced Friday that it is investing in three potential vaccines and a range of new technologies aimed at staying ahead of Covid-19. The $500 million investment across 13 projects is the latest installment in the federal government’s Project NextGen, a $5 billion plan to develop new Covid-19 treatments, vaccines, and ways of delivering them. The Health and Human Services Department this summer channeled $1.4 billion to similar goals. (Owermohle, 10/13)

CIDRAP: US COVID Markers Trend Downward 
After a small rise from very low levels over the summer months, US COVID markers last week registered declines, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its latest data update. Of the main severity indicators, hospitalizations declined 8.2% from the previous week, and deaths were down 3.8%. Early indicators also fell, with emergency department visits for COVID-19 down 17.7% from the past week and test positivity down 0.8%. The national test positivity rate is at 10.1%, but is a bit lower in the South and Southeast than in the rest of the country. (Schnirring, 10/13)

USA Today: Why Don't Kids Usually Get Really Sick From COVID? The Nose Knows
It has been clear since early in the coronavirus pandemic that children ‒ typically magnets for colds and the flu ‒ weren't getting very sick from COVID-19. Now, a study suggests the answer lies in their noses. The study from researchers at Stanford University and Cincinnati Children's Hospital found the immune systems of younger children typically wipe out the SARS-CoV-2 virus when it arrives in the nose. (Weintraub, 10/14)

CIDRAP: Review Estimates 69% 3-Dose Vaccine Efficacy Against Long COVID
A meta-analysis today in Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology estimates a vaccine effectiveness (VE) of 69% for three doses of COVID-19 vaccine against long COVID, while two doses offer 37% efficacy. Led by researchers at the University of Iowa, the meta-analysis involved 24 studies on COVID-19 VE against long COVID among recipients of at least two doses of a vaccine before or after infection from December 2019 to June 2023. (Van Beusekom, 10/13)

The New York Times: Lab Leak Fight Casts Chill Over Virology Research 
Questions about whether Covid leaked from a Chinese laboratory have cast a chill over American virus research, drying up funding for scientists who collect or alter dangerous pathogens and intensifying a debate over those practices. The pullback has transformed one of the most highly charged fields of medical science. While some believe such experiments could fend off the next pandemic, others worry that they are more likely to start one. (Mueller and Stolberg, 10/16)