- California Healthline Original Stories 1
- Expansion Of Short-Term Health Plans A Non-Starter In California
- Sacramento Watch 1
- Anti-Vaccine Activists Sue To Get California State Senator To Unblock Them On Twitter
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Expansion Of Short-Term Health Plans A Non-Starter In California
The Trump administration's plan to expand the use of cheap but skimpy short-term health plans will not fall on fertile soil in California, where lawmakers are pushing legislation to ban such policies. (Julie Appleby and Alex Leeds Matthews, )
More News From Across The State
Gubernatorial Candidate Newsom's War Chest Flush As He Heads Into General Election
Democrat Gavin Newsom has a large financial advantage over his opponent John Cox, but Cox has been receiving larger donations since he place second in the June 5 primary.
Los Angeles Times:
Newsom Cashes In On Primary Victory, Far Outraising Cox In California Governor's Race
Democrat Gavin Newsom emerged from California’s gubernatorial primary with a prodigious financial advantage over Republican rival John Cox, banking more than seven times as much money for the general election. As of June 30, California’s two-term lieutenant governor and the front-runner in the race, has more than $11 million in the bank, while Cox has $1.5 million, according to campaign finance reports filed with the state Tuesday. (Mehta and Willon, 8/2)
Anti-Vaccine Activists Sue To Get California State Senator To Unblock Them On Twitter
The activists say the decision by state Sen. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) to block them was an infringement on their First Amendment rights. “Can we sit by and allow Senator Pan to squelch his dissenters and play favorites in this public forum?” said Marian Tone, the attorney representing the activists.
Los Angeles Times:
Citing Free Speech Rights, Anti-Vaccine Activists Sue State Senator For Blocking Them On Twitter
A pair of anti-vaccine activists recently filed a lawsuit against a state senator who authored a controversial vaccine law for blocking the activists on Twitter, arguing that it limited their 1st Amendment rights. The suit pointed to a recent court decision that deemed President Trump’s Twitter page a public forum and ruled that he must unblock users he had previously blocked. (Racker, 8/1)
Counties Vow To Continue Fight Against Needle Sharing Program State Approved
Taking the counties' concerns into consideration, the state did limit the program both to smaller service areas than proposed in Costa Mesa and Santa Ana and a tighter schedule.
Los Angeles Times:
Costa Mesa ‘Appalled’ After State Approves Mobile Needle-Exchange Program In 4 O.C. Cities
Despite the staunch opposition of Costa Mesa community and police leaders, the California Department of Public Health has approved a nonprofit’s proposal to operate a mobile needle-exchange service in the city’s Westside, as well as in three other Orange County cities. Supporters say the program is intended to provide clean needles to help prevent the spread of diseases among intravenous drug users. (Money, 8/1)
In Busy Emergency Rooms, Patient Liaisons Can Make The Difference Between Life And Death
Although they may not have any medical experience, these hospital workers can spot symptoms and get patients help when they need it most.
Fresno Bee:
Community Regional Hospital Hero Helps Stroke, Heart Patient
Iliana Prudente has greeted thousands of patients and visitors in her two years as a patient liaison at the emergency department at Community Regional Medical Center — some bleeding from gunshot wounds — but nothing seemed amiss about the young man who came to visit his wife a few weeks ago. Until he dropped his keys. (Anderson, 8/1)
Health Officials Warn That Packaged Salads May Contain Parasites
The warnings are just the latest in a long string of food safety issues that has plagued the country this summer.
The Mercury News:
New Romaine Lettuce Recall: Some Packaged Salads And Wraps
Hot on the heels of the last scary romaine lettuce outbreak, federal officials are now warning that certain packaged salads and wraps containing the leafy green lettuce may be contaminated with cyclospora parasites. Consumers are urged to check their refrigerators for packaged salads and wraps that were distributed by Caito Foods of Indianapolis and sold by Walgreens, Trader Joe’s and Kroger, owner of Ralphs supermarkets, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. (D'Souza, 8/1)
Los Angeles Times:
Parasite Problems Linked To Packaged Salads And Wraps Prompt Recall
The beef, pork and poultry salads and wraps were distributed by Caito Foods of Indianapolis and sold by Walgreens, Trader Joe’s and Kroger, owner of Ralphs supermarkets, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. All of the items had “best by” dates of July 18 to 23, the agency said. (Mohan, 7/31)
The administration issued its final rule on the short-term plans on Wednesday, allowing insurers to sell them for 12 months and then renew them for two years. The coverage is cheaper because it doesn't meet the strict requirements instituted by the health law -- such as covering essential benefits. Democrats and other critics aired their concerns about the move putting both consumers and the marketplace at risk.
The New York Times:
‘Short Term’ Health Insurance? Up To 3 Years Under New Trump Policy
The Trump administration issued a final rule on Wednesday that clears the way for the sale of many more health insurance policies that do not comply with the Affordable Care Act and do not have to cover prescription drugs, maternity care or people with pre-existing medical conditions. President Trump has said that he believes that the new “short-term, limited-duration insurance” could help millions of people who do not want or need comprehensive health insurance providing the full range of benefits required by the health law. (Pear, 8/1)
The Washington Post:
Trump Administration Widens Availability Of Skimpy, Short-Term Health Plans
The short-term plans “may not be the right choice for everybody,” Azar said at an afternoon news briefing. But, he said, “we believe strongly in giving people options here.” Azar and other federal health officials predicted short-term, limited-duration plans will appeal mainly to middle-class people who do not qualify for government subsidies for ACA health plans — especially people who are young or healthy. With the law still in place despite Trump’s and congressional Republicans’ hostility toward it, “we are looking to do everything we can to take incremental steps that will make insurance coverage more affordable,” said Jim Parker, director of HHS’s Office of Health Reform. (Goldstein, 8/1)
The Associated Press:
Consumers Getting More Options For Short-Term Health Plans
Democrats immediately branded Trump’s approach as “junk insurance,” and a major insurer group warned that consumers could potentially be harmed. Other insurers were more neutral, and companies marketing the plans hailed the development. It’s unclear how much mass-market appeal such limited plans will ultimately have. State insurance regulators also have jurisdiction, and many states may move to impose their own restrictions. Federal officials said they anticipate a slow take-up, not sweeping changes. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 8/1)
The New York Times:
What To Know Before You Buy Short-Term Health Insurance
The Trump administration has just completed rules that will allow people to shop for a new kind of health insurance. So-called short-term plans will be offered for relatively long periods — just under a year at a time, with renewals for up to 36 months — and they will be marketed extensively in most states. They will tend to have substantially lower prices than the insurance people can buy in Obamacare markets, and for some people they may look like a better option. But the plans are cheaper for a reason: They tend to cover fewer medical services than comprehensive insurance, and they will charge higher prices to people with pre-existing health problems, if they’ll cover them at all. (Sanger-Katz, 8/1)
NPR:
Trump Administration Allows Scaled-Down Health Insurance Plans
The Congressional Budget Office, the nonpartisan research office that estimates the budget effects of policy proposals, gave a larger figure, estimating that about 2 million mostly healthy people will buy short-term plans. This could have the effect of driving premiums slightly higher on the ACA exchanges, because healthier people will leave the market, according to the CBO. (Kodjak, 8/1)
California Healthline:
Expansion Of Short-Term Health Plans A Non-Starter In California
The planned expansion of short-term health plans under a new Trump administration rule unveiled this week is on a crash course with a brick wall in California. The Golden State’s Democrat-dominated legislature is close to banning such plans, which offer consumers lower premiums in exchange for skimpier benefits that do not meet the Affordable Care Act’s coverage requirements for other policies sold in the individual marketplace. (Appleyby and Matthews, 8/1)
Politico:
Trump’s Losing Fight Against Obamacare
President Donald Trump can’t kill Obamacare, no matter how hard he tries. His administration’s latest threat to the law, unveiled Wednesday, expands the availability of short-term health plans that critics deride as “junk” insurance. However, despite the administration’s unrelenting efforts to sideline Obamacare, more insurers are signing up to sell 2019 coverage, and premium increases will be the lowest in years. (Demko and Cancryn, 8/1)
Medicare currently isn't allowed to negotiate drug prices, but analysts looked at agencies that can -- like the Department of Veterans Affairs -- and crunched some numbers. As drug prices continue to rise, officials scramble to find ways to curb the cost hikes. Meanwhile, Medicare beneficiaries will pay lower premiums on their prescription drug plans next year.
Stat:
Medicare Could Save $2.8 Billion In A Single Year If Prices Could Be Negotiated
By allowing the federal government to negotiate with drug makers, Medicare and its beneficiaries could save an estimated $2.8 billion in a single year for the top 20 most commonly prescribed medicines, according to a new analysis by Democrats on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. In crunching the numbers, the committee staff found that other government agencies that are permitted to negotiate with drug companies — such as the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense — were able to secure pricing that rose at “significantly lower rates” than wholesale prices for the most widely prescribed brand-name drugs in Medicare Part D. (Silverman, 8/1)
In other national health care news —
Bloomberg:
Facing Wave Of Opioid Lawsuits, Drug Companies Sprinkle Charity On Hard-Hit Areas
The drug industry is dishing out millions in grants and donations to organizations in cities, counties and states that have sued the companies over the deadly U.S. opioid epidemic. The efforts could help makers and distributors of prescription painkillers, who face hundreds of lawsuits by communities across the country, reduce their tax bills and build goodwill ahead of a potential multibillion-dollar settlement over their role in a crisis that kills more than 100 Americans a day. (Hopkins, 8/2)
Stat:
Hundreds Claim Abilify Triggered Uncontrollable Urges To Gamble
[Denise] Miley, 41, filed a lawsuit in January 2016 against the drug makers Bristol-Myers Squibb and Otsuka, alleging the drug — one of the best-selling in the world — caused compulsive behavior. The suit contends that the companies knew or should have known it could create such urges, and didn’t adequately warn the thousands of people in the U.S. who use the medication each year. Hundreds more people have since sued the companies, claiming that the drug caused them to gamble, eat, or have sex compulsively. And the Food and Drug Administration signaled its own concern in a 2016 safety warning, saying that uncontrollable urges to gamble, binge eat, shop, and have sex had been reported with use of the antipsychotic. (Thielking, 8/2)
The Washington Post:
Childhood Cancer Survivors Face ‘Financial Toxicity’
Kristi Lowery was 13 when physicians found a grapefruit-size tumor in her back — a rare cancer called Ewing sarcoma — and treated her with an aggressive regimen of radiation and chemotherapy. Years later, she developed breast and thyroid cancer, as well as heart and lung problems, probably as a result of the radiation. Today, Lowery undergoes a daunting number of regular cancer screenings to detect additional “late effects” — secondary cancers and other health problems caused by the powerful but toxic earlier treatment. (McGinley, 8/1)
USA Today:
3D-Printed Guns: Are They Are A Serious Threat To U.S. Communities?
If gun rights activist Cody Wilson gets his way in his legal battle, soon anybody – including convicted felons and the mentally ill – with a few raw materials and access to an industrial 3D printer could build a plastic firearm, gun control advocates say. But will people, particularly a criminal or someone else intent on carrying out violence, bother to make the effort? Tech experts and stakeholders in the gun control debate are divided on whether the emergence of 3D-printed plastic guns presents an immediate safety threat to U.S communities. (Madhani and Wolfson, 8/1)
Los Angeles Times:
When Hong Kong Commuters Take The Subway, Their Microbes Mix – And Spread
Humans aren’t the only commuters making use of the metro. A new study that examined the microbiome of the Hong Kong subway system found distinct bacterial “fingerprints” in each line during the morning – distinctions that blurred over the course of the afternoon. The findings, published in the journal Cell Reports, are part of a growing body of work that could have implications for a host of efforts, from managing the spread of disease to designing city infrastructure. (Khan, 8/1)