- California Healthline Original Stories 3
- 4 Takeaways As HHS Relaxes Rules On Contraception Coverage At Work
- Overlooked By ACA: Many People Paying Full Price For Insurance ‘Getting Slammed’
- Patients, Health Insurers Challenge Iowa's Privatized Medicaid
- Women's Health 2
- New Moral, Religious Exemptions To Birth Control Mandate Prompt Medical Groups To Speak Out
- California Sues To Stop Contraception Rollback, Saying New Rules Are Unconstitutional
- Sacramento Watch 1
- California Downgrades Knowingly Exposing Others To HIV From Felony To Misdemeanor
- Covered California & The Health Law 1
- Advocacy Group Running Ads Against ACA Repeal On Chance It Comes Back To Life
- Public Health and Education 2
- Unique Circumstances Around Hep A Outbreak Force Officials To Rethink Normal Strategy
- Lab Wants To Help People 'BioHack' Their Bodies In Pursuit Of Better Health
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
4 Takeaways As HHS Relaxes Rules On Contraception Coverage At Work
The rollback of regulations, announced Friday, will significantly expand the number of employers eligible for exemptions from the requirement that they provide women, at no cost, coverage of any contraception method approved by the FDA. (Mary Agnes Carey and Lexie Verdon, )
Overlooked By ACA: Many People Paying Full Price For Insurance ‘Getting Slammed’
For several million consumers who buy their own insurance but earn too much to qualify for subsidies, the ever-growing price of premiums takes a big toll. (Julie Rovner, )
Patients, Health Insurers Challenge Iowa's Privatized Medicaid
Complaints are rising against for-profit insurance companies that manage Medicaid for about 600,000 Iowans. The privatization of Medicaid is a national trend affecting more than half of the 74 million Americans,and 13.5 Californians, who get their health care through the state-federal program. (Clay Masters, Iowa Public Radio, )
More News From Across The State
New Moral, Religious Exemptions To Birth Control Mandate Prompt Medical Groups To Speak Out
“Contraception is a medical necessity for women during approximately 30 years of their lives,” the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said. About 200 employers that are involved in suing the government over the requirement to provide contraception coverage would likely take advantage of the rule change, the administration estimated.
The New York Times:
Trump Administration Rolls Back Birth Control Mandate
The Trump administration on Friday moved to expand the rights of employers to deny women insurance coverage for contraception and issued sweeping guidance on religious freedom that critics said could also erode civil rights protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. The twin actions, by the Department of Health and Human Services and the Justice Department, were meant to carry out a promise issued by President Trump five months ago, when he declared in the Rose Garden that “we will not allow people of faith to be targeted, bullied or silenced anymore.” (Pear, Ruiz and Goodstein, 10/6)
The Washington Post:
Trump Administration Narrows Affordable Care Act’s Contraception Mandate
The rules significantly widen the range of employers and insurers that can invoke religious or moral beliefs to avoid the ACA requirement that birth control pills and other contraceptives be covered by insurance as part of preventive care. Administration officials and their allies on the right downplayed the impact of the change on American women, while women’s rights and civil liberties groups portrayed it as a massive, discriminatory act. (Goldstein, Eilperin and Wan, 10/6)
The Associated Press:
Birth Control: Trump Expands Opt-Out For Workplace Insurance
The new policy was a long-anticipated revision to Affordable Care Act requirements that most companies cover birth control as preventive care for women, at no additional cost. That Obama-era requirement applies to all FDA-approved methods, including the morning-after pill, which some religious conservatives call an abortion drug, though scientists say it has no effect on women who are already pregnant. (10/6)
Politico:
Trump Rolls Back Obamacare Birth Control Mandate
The new policies, which take effect immediately, reignite a fierce battle over one of the health care law's most controversial provisions and quickly drew legal challenges. The requirement to provide FDA-approved contraception at no cost was long opposed by religious groups that heavily favored Trump, and has been wrapped up in litigation for more than five years. (Ehley, 10/6)
Bloomberg:
Trump Religion Rule Curbs Obamacare’s Birth Control Coverage
The American College of Physicians said the rule change will “create substantial barriers to patients receiving appropriate medical care as recommended by their physicians.” The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said the rules would hurt patients. “Contraception is a medical necessity for women during approximately 30 years of their lives,” the group said. “It improves the health of women, children and families as well as communities overall; reduces maternal mortality; and enhances economic stability for women and their families.” (Tracer, Edney and Larson, 10/6)
California Sues To Stop Contraception Rollback, Saying New Rules Are Unconstitutional
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra says the rule unlawfully targets women. “What group of Americans will they target next? Will they allow businesses to deny you cancer treatment?" Other states react as well.
The Hill:
California Challenges Trump’s Rollback Of Birth Control Mandate
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra (D) on Friday filed a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's rollback of an Obama-era policy that required employers include birth control coverage in their health insurance plans. “Donald Trump wants businesses and corporations to control family planning decisions rather than a woman in consultation with her doctor. These anti-women's health regulations prove once again that the Trump administration is willing to trample on people’s rights,” Becerra said in a statement. (Manchester, 10/6)
Sacramento Bee:
California Preparing Lawsuit To Defend Women's Contraceptive Care
In a complaint filed Friday afternoon in federal district court in San Francisco, Becerra argued that the directive issued by President Donald Trump, through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is unconstitutional. (Hart, 10/6)
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Sues Over Trump Administration’s Rollback Of Birth Control Mandate
The lawsuit claims the rule change is unconstitutional because it specifically targets and harms women — thus denying their Fifth Amendment rights to equal protection under the law — and allows employers to use their religious beliefs to discriminate against employees. The suit also accuses the Trump administration of violating a federal law that requires regulatory changes to go through a public comment period before taking effect. It seeks an injunction to stop the policy change from taking effect. (Ho, 10/6)
California Downgrades Knowingly Exposing Others To HIV From Felony To Misdemeanor
HIV was the only communicable disease for which exposure is a felony under California law.
Los Angeles Times:
Knowingly Exposing Others To HIV Will No Longer Be A Felony In California
Gov. Jerry Brown signed a bill Friday that lowers from a felony to a misdemeanor the crime of knowingly exposing a sexual partner to HIV without disclosing the infection. The measure also applies to those who give blood without telling the blood bank that they are HIV-positive. (McGreevy, 10/6)
Capital Public Radio:
Brown Lowers HIV Transmittal Penalty, Rejects State Parks Smoking Ban
For the second year in a row, Gov. Jerry Brown has vetoed legislation that would have banned smoking at California state parks and beaches. The two similar bills, SB 386 by Sen. Steven Glazer (D-Orinda) and AB 725 by Asm. Marc Levine (D-Marin County) were among five vetoes issued by the governor Friday. (Adler, 10/6)
Covered California & The Health Law
Advocacy Group Running Ads Against ACA Repeal On Chance It Comes Back To Life
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee also began running its first California TV ad of the year this week, which warns that "They'll never stop ... coming after your healthcare."
Los Angeles Times:
California Voters Warned About Their Healthcare In New Ad: 'Just Like A Zombie, Repeal Keeps Coming Back'
A couple of groups started running ads in the districts of GOP members of Congress this week, encouraging voters to call their representatives and demand that they reject the concept of a healthcare repeal altogether. Save My Care, a left-leaning healthcare advocacy group in Washington, began running a series of digital ads this week taking aim at California Reps. David Valadao (R-Hanford), Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) and Darrell Issa (R-Vista). (Mai-Duc, 10/6)
Unique Circumstances Around Hep A Outbreak Force Officials To Rethink Normal Strategy
The outbreak is unusual for the U.S. because the spread of the liver infection has been blamed on a lack of basic hygiene and sanitation, not contaminated food.
Los Angeles Times:
How San Diego's Hepatitis A Outbreak Became The Worst The U.S. Has Seen In Decades
Experts say San Diego took all the right steps in addressing what is now one of the largest hepatitis A outbreaks the country has seen in decades, but variables unique to the city’s situation contributed to the outbreak. At least 481 people have been infected and 17 have died of the infection since November in San Diego. Another 88 cases have been identified in Santa Cruz and Los Angeles counties, where hepatitis A outbreaks have been declared. (Schroeder, 10/8)
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
San Diego Followed Hepaptitis Guidelines, But Local Conditions Worsened Outbreak
Experts say San Diego followed all the right steps in addressing what is now one of the largest hepatitis A outbreaks the country has seen in decades, but variables unique to the city’s situation contributed to the outbreak. At least 481 people have been infected and 17 have died of the infection since November in San Diego. Another 88 cases have been identified in Santa Cruz and Los Angeles counties, where local hepatitis A outbreaks have been declared. (Schroeder, 10/6)
Lab Wants To Help People 'BioHack' Their Bodies In Pursuit Of Better Health
Bulletproof Labs offers elite training equipment to non-athletes to better understand and adjust their biology.
Los Angeles Times:
Hacking Your Health At The New Bulletproof Labs In Santa Monica
The first thing Dave Asprey will tell you about his newly opened Bulletproof Labs in Santa Monica is that it’s not a gym. Rather, he says, it’s the world’s first “human upgrade” facility dedicated exclusively to biohacking, or tweaking your biology for better performance. At first glance, the light-filled space adjacent to his Bulletproof Coffee café on Main Street certainly looks like a gym, with personal trainers standing by and gleaming equipment lined up. (Fulmer, 10/6)
In other public health news —
Orange County Register:
Flu Season Has Begun In Orange County With First Confirmed Case Reported
The Orange County Health Care Agency, on Friday, Oct. 6, confirmed the county’s first influenza case of the new flu season. Influenza is a seasonal contagious respiratory illness, which could be caused by the influenza A or B viruses. (Bharath, 10/6)
Orange County Register:
Orange County Confirms First West Nile Virus Death Of Season
An elderly Anaheim woman is the county’s first confirmed West Nile virus-related death of the season, the OC Health Care Agency reported Friday, Oct. 6. The woman died from complications of a West Nile virus infection, health officials said. (Smith, 10/6)
KPCC:
Breathing Bad Air While Pregnant May Increase Risk Of ADHD In Kids
A new study finds exposure to vehicle exhaust in utero can lead to behavioral issues in young children, especially children who grow up in low-income households. The study, which followed 351 babies born to African-American and Dominican women in New York City, has implications for greater Los Angeles, where the impacts of air pollution are disproportionately borne by low-income residents and people of color. (Guerin, 10/9)
For Years Opioid Clinic Has Been Seeking Support From County To Get Second Facility To No Avail
Alex Dodd, the chief executive officer of the clinic, says responses from county staff have varied: We’re too busy; there’s no money; or county supervisors won’t like the idea.
Modesto Bee:
Opioid Addicts Could Use Another Clinic In Modesto. Why Are Stanislaus County Officials Not Supporting It?
Aegis Treatment Centers, the clinic’s parent company, says its needs support from Stanislaus County, which would be expected to commit 5 percent of the funding for a second clinic. But the county has not supported the proposal. (Carlson, 10/8)
In other news from across the state —
The Bakersfield Californian:
Smile! Pro Bono Dentists Brighten Outlooks With Free Clinic
Hundreds of people waited in line for several hours Friday, but it wasn’t for a concert or some other kind of entertainment event. Their teeth beckoned. The California Dental Association hosted the first day of its two-day dental clinic in Bakersfield. The free service started on Friday and ends Saturday at the Kern County Fairgrounds. Patients are seen on a first-come, first-served basis, and the goal is to provide care to about 2,000 people over the course of the two days. (Luiz, 10/6)
Capital Public Radio:
New Elk Grove Exhibit Tells Tales Of Mental Battles
The pieces are part of "Journey of Hope," a Sacramento County initiative to raise awareness around mental illness. Project participants wrote down their stories of depression, addiction, trauma and more and gave them to local artists. (Caiola, 10/6)
East Bay Times:
President Of Los Medanos Healthcare District Sentenced To Six Years In State Prison
The president of the Los Medanos Healthcare District was sentenced to six years in state prison for a felony assault on a man who had been meeting his daughter late at night. The charges stem from a 2014 incident where Emmanuel Ogunleye caught his 18-year-old daughter sneaking out of their home in Antioch to meet a 30-year-old man. While accounts differ on the exact circumstances, it’s understood that Ogunleye went to confront a person in the car idling near his home as he waited for his daughter. Ogunleye tried to speak with Josh Mazzanti, the 30-year-old man for whom his daughter was sneaking out. (Davis, 10/6)
Trump's Proposed 'Association Plans' Popular With Conservatives, But Insurers Aren't Fans
The White House plans to issue executive orders to promote selling insurance across state lines and "association health plans," which would allow small employers to band together to offer coverage that wouldn’t be subject to the full range of ACA requirements. But some insurers fear that associations would peel off healthier and younger individuals and leave traditional insurance plans to cover sicker and older customers.
The Associated Press:
White House Plans Order To Expand Health Care Options
The White House is finalizing an executive order that would expand health plans offered by associations to allow individuals to pool together and buy insurance outside their states, a unilateral move that follows failed efforts by Congress to overhaul the health care system. President Donald Trump has long asserted that selling insurance across state lines would trigger competition that brings down premiums for people buying their own policies. Experts say that's not guaranteed, partly because health insurance reflects local medical costs, which vary widely around the country. (Thomas and Alonso-Zaldivar, 10/9)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump To Sign Order Easing Health Plan Rules, Official Says
Mr. Trump will order three agencies, the departments of Health and Human Services, Labor and Treasury, to take steps to make it easier for people to band together and buy insurance through “association health plans,” the official said. Such plans would in some ways be like large employer’s health plans, subject to some restrictions set by the Affordable Care Act, including a ban on lifetime limits. But they would be free of other regulations, including the requirement that insurance plans cover a set package of benefits. These plans are popular with conservatives; some insurers fear that associations would peel off healthier and younger individuals and leave traditional insurance plans to cover sicker and older customers. (Radnofsky, Armour and Mathews, 10/7)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Executive Order Could Divide The Health Insurance Market
Together, if executed in an expansive way, Mr. Trump’s changes could “cause a bifurcation of the market,” said Cori Uccello, senior health fellow at the American Academy of Actuaries. Insurers that offer plans under the ACA could face new difficulties, but companies also might find opportunities in offering new types of insurance. Mr. Trump’s order, described by a senior administration official, will include broad instructions for federal agencies to loosen rules on health plans that the administration says have driven up premiums and reduced insurance offerings available to people who buy coverage on their own or who work for a small employer. (Radnofsky, Mathews and Armour, 10/8)
Trump Reaches Out To Dems On Health Care, But Schumer Makes Clear Repeal Is Off Table
"If he wants to work together to improve the existing health care system, we Democrats are open to his suggestions," Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) says. "A good place to start might be the Alexander-Murray negotiations that would stabilize the system and lower costs.”
The New York Times:
Schumer Says He Rebuffed Another Offer From Trump On Health Care
President Trump reached out to the Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, on Friday to propose yet another effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, but Mr. Schumer later said he had quickly shot down the offer. Mr. Trump’s phone call, which he announced in a tweet on Saturday morning, was his latest overture to Democrats, after reaching a bipartisan spending deal and forging an unexpected, if tentative, alliance on immigration with Mr. Schumer and the House Democratic leader, Nancy Pelosi. (Landler, 10/7)
The Associated Press:
Trump Reaches Out To Democrats In Bid For 'Great' Health Law
Trying to revive health care talks, President Donald Trump said Saturday that he had spoken to the Senate's Democratic leader to gauge whether the minority party was interested in helping pass "great" health legislation. The answer back: Democrats are willing to hear his ideas, but scrapping the Obama health law is a nonstarter. (Thomas, 10/7)
The Washington Post:
Trump Says He Called Schumer To Broker Deal With Democrats For ‘A Great HealthCare Bill'
"The president wanted to make another run at repeal and replace and I told the president that's off the table," Schumer said in a statement. "If he wants to work together to improve the existing health care system, we Democrats are open to his suggestions. A good place to start might be the Alexander-Murray negotiations that would stabilize the system and lower costs." (Rucker, 10/7)
Red And Blue States Alike Frustrated That Crucial Health Programs Are Languishing In Washington
Everything from the funding of community clinics and CHIP to the uncertainty in the ACA marketplaces is worrying state officials.
Los Angeles Times:
Even Red States Feel Left In The Lurch By The Trump Administration's Management Of Healthcare
As it works to roll back the Affordable Care Act, the Trump administration is letting crucial state health initiatives languish, frustrating a growing number of state leaders, including several from solidly Republican states. Last week, Oklahoma’s health secretary sent a blistering letter to senior administration officials, taking them to task for failing to approve a plan state officials drew up to protect their consumers from large rate hikes. (Levey, 10/6)