Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
California Attempts To Revive Compassionate Cannabis Programs
After the state legalized recreational marijuana in 2016, new taxes and regulations decimated an ad hoc network that had donated cannabis for medical purposes to patients who could not afford it. A recent law seeks to revive the network, but hurdles remain. (Mark Kreidler, )
Good morning! In a long-awaited decision on the health law, federal appeals court judges ruled that the individual mandate is unconstitutional. But the judges kicked the case, which is being led by California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, back to the lower courts for more review about the severability of the provision. Read more on the below, but first here are you top California health stories of the day.
Newsom Takes Little Step Toward Single-Payer System With Committee To Study Its Feasibility For State: Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the formation of the Healthy California For All Commission, a 17-person body that will begin meeting in January to look into ways to expand health coverage, including, but not limited to, a single-payer model. Members include the head of the Department of Health Care Services, which administers Medi-Cal, the chairmen of health committees in the state Senate and Assembly, the executive director of the health insurance exchange Covered California, as well as academics and health advocates. Newsom said the commission will look into national health insurance programs in other countries, including Canada and Germany, and consider what might work in California. Read more from Catherine Ho of The San Francisco Chronicle.
Bucking National Trend, Covered California Sees Sizable Jump In Enrollments From Last Year: As of Monday, about 230,000 people had newly enrolled in coverage through Covered California, the state’s insurance marketplace, a roughly 16 percent increase from this time last year. To encourage more sign-ups, this year’s state budget created new subsidies for people making up to 600 percent of the poverty level, about $75,000 for an individual or $154,500 for a family of four, who buy insurance on the marketplace. Enrolling more healthy people in coverage to offset costs to care for sick people has resulted in a healthier pool in Covered California compared to the federal insurance marketplace, Covered California Director Peter Lee said. Read more from Sophia Bollag of the Sacramento Bee.
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.
More News From Across The State
The New York Times:
Obamacare Insurance Mandate Is Struck Down By Federal Appeals Court
A federal appeals court on Wednesday struck down a central provision of the Affordable Care Act, ruling that the requirement that people have health insurance was unconstitutional. But the appeals panel did not invalidate the rest of the law, instead sending the case back to a federal district judge in Texas to “conduct a more searching inquiry” into which of the law’s many parts could survive without the mandate. (Goodnough, 12/18)
Los Angeles Times:
Appeals Court Rules Affordable Care Act Insurance Mandate Unconstitutional, But Delays The Impact
The ruling by two GOP-appointed judges on the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals came in a case that had threatened to strip health protections and insurance coverage from tens of millions of Americans. For now, however, the case will return to a federal district judge in Texas for further proceedings while the law remains fully in effect. That likely means a final ruling in the case will not come until well after next year’s presidential election. Republican state attorneys general from Texas and 17 other conservative-leaning states brought the latest court challenge to the healthcare law, and the Trump administration joined in. California and a group of Democratic states stepped in to defend the law. (Levey and Savage, 12/18)
CalMatters:
Mental Health Care Outcry Targets Kaiser — And State Regulators
The state is facing mounting pressure to enforce parity laws that are supposed to guarantee equal care for physical and mental health issues — with a spotlight this week on mental health care problems at health giant Kaiser Permanente. This week, Kaiser mental health clinicians are on a five-day strike, protesting long patient wait times and strenuous working conditions for providers. They say children and adults with serious mental health needs, including schizophrenia, anxiety and severe depression, are often waiting 6 to 8 weeks — sometimes longer — to see a therapist. And they contend that Kaiser’s behavioral health services have in many ways worsened in recent years, despite being under a corrective plan overseen by the state Department of Managed Health Care. (Wiener, 12/18)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Kaiser Permanente’s Mental Health Workers Stage One-Day Strike In Santa Rosa
Kaiser mental health workers in Sonoma County held a one-day strike Wednesday and called on the health care giant to hire more therapists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses and other staff. Workers picketed in the rain in front of Kaiser Permanente Santa Rosa Medical Center, holding red and white signs that said, “Kaiser, don’t deny my patients mental health care.” The walkout, which was the result of simmering labor talks with the company over several months, was part of a statewide series of strikes this week by the National Union of Healthcare Workers. The union, which represents more than 90 mental health care professionals in Santa Rosa, continues to negotiate with the company on a new contract to replace the labor pact that expired last year. (Espinoza, 12/18)
Fresno Bee:
These CA Laws, From Wages To Rent Caps, Take Effect In 2020.
The new year is coming, and 2020 is bringing with it a plethora of new laws that will touch on the lives of many Californians. From a minimum wage increase to crackdown on vaccine exemptions, a major shake-up of California’s employment laws to a cap on rent hikes, here’s a rundown of some of the laws which could affect your life in the coming year. (Sheeler, 12/19)
Modesto Bee:
California Psych Techs Gain Raises In Newsom Contract
The union representing California state mental health nurses has reached a new contract agreement that includes an 8.25 percent raise over three years, the union announced Wednesday. The California Association of Psychiatric Technicians struck the deal with negotiators from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration about 3:00 a.m. Friday, following six months of bargaining, according to a news release from the union. (Venteicher, 12/18)
Sacramento Bee:
Former Sacramento CEO Given Prison For Veterans Affairs Fraud
A former Sacramento-area CEO was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday in connection with a Veterans Affairs health care fraud scheme. In a news release, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of California said Peter Wong, 61, the founder of Sunrise Shoes and Pedorthic Service, a longtime specialized orthopedic shoe and prosthetic store, was found guilty in May of health care fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. (Moleski, 12/18)
Sacramento Bee:
Judge Backs California Prison Psychiatrist Whistleblower
In a sternly worded order, a federal judge has found California’s top prison officials intentionally filed misleading data to the court on how frequently mentally ill inmates receive psychiatric care, and she signaled that court oversight of mental health care inside prisons will continue until the state meets its constitutional obligations to prisoners. (Stanton, 12/18)
Los Angeles Times:
Homeless Man Found Dead Outside L.A. City Hall, Official Says
A man, who by at least one city official’s account was homeless, was found dead outside Los Angeles City Hall on Wednesday. The Los Angeles Police Department received a call about a deceased man and responded at 7:40 a.m. to 200 N. Main St. in Los Angeles, said LAPD Officer Lizeth Lomeli. She had no other information about the man. However, Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer told reporters at an unrelated event Wednesday morning that the man was homeless. (Smith, 12/18)
The Associated Press:
Denver, Los Angeles Airport Measles Cases Connected
U.S. health officials have confirmed that three children recently hospitalized with measles in Colorado traveled from New Zealand to Los Angeles International Airport before arriving in Denver. The Denver Post reported Tuesday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued warnings at airports in Denver and Los Angeles involving the same airline passengers. (12/18)
San Jose Mercury News:
Facebook, Instagram Ban Branded Content Of Vaping And Guns
Facebook has promised it will crack down even harder on the promotion of vaping and tobacco products and guns on its social media platform, announcing Wednesday that so-called “influencers” on both Facebook and Instagram will no longer be allowed to run branded content that promotes vaping, or e-cigarettes, any kind of tobacco product, or firearms. (Crum, 12/18)
Sacramento Bee:
Feinstein To CDC: Check Climate Change-Early Childbirth Study
A longtime California senator is urging the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to consider how climate change could affect childbirths. A University of California, Los Angeles study has prompted Sen. Dianne Feinstein, warning of a future health crisis if leaders fail to act, to call on the national health agency to consider the effects of how unseasonably hot weather is tied to early deliveries. (Smith, 12/18)
Capital Public Radio:
UC Davis Infectious Disease Expert Dr. Dean Blumberg Talks About Flu Season
A conversation about flu season and flu shots is typical at this time of year. Various strains of flu circulate around the world. Flu can be deadly and, though it doesn’t hit the western United States in full force until the new year, people start getting flu shots in August and September. (Ruyak, 12/18)
San Jose Mercury News:
Two Marin Residents Die Of Flu As Season Gets Off To Early Start
Two Marin residents have died due to complications from influenza, Marin health officials said Wednesday. The first death occurred in the last week of November; the second fatality happened in the first week of December. Previously, the last influenza-related death in Marin was reported in January 2018 and prior to that there hadn’t been a death due to flu in Marin since the 2013-14 flu season. (Halstead, 12/19)
The Bakersfield Californian:
Local Dignity Health Hospitals Provide $365,318 In Funding Grants To Bakersfield Nonprofits
Mercy and Memorial Hospitals handed out more than $365,000 in funding to eight local nonprofits Wednesday in a continuing effort to expand the reach and mission of the local healthcare centers. "It's about taking the work we do beyond the walls of the hospitals and into the community," said Donna Winkley, regional director, special needs & community outreach, for Mercy and Memorial Hospitals Bakersfield. The eight organizations were presented with grant checks Wednesday by members of the Dignity Health Community Grants Program review committee. Members traveled all over Bakersfield, visiting the recipient organizations to present the checks, which ranged from $25,000 to $75,000. (Mayer, 12/18)
The Associated Press:
6 Big Questions Ahead Of Democrats' Final Debate Of 2019
Just seven Democrats will take the stage for the sixth and final round of presidential debates in 2019. That's down from 20 candidates six months ago. The field may be winnowing, but the primary contest remains deeply unsettled. The tug-of-war between the progressive and moderate wings of the party is deadlocked. There are essentially four front-runners, each with his or her own glaring flaws. ... It was a litmus issue for ambitious Democrats a year ago. But now, only one of the seven Democrats on the debate stage is promising to fight for Medicare for All immediately after taking office. That would be the bill's author, Bernie Sanders, who is nothing if not consistent. (12/19)
The New York Times:
What Are Independent Voters’ Burning Issues?
Readers wanted to know what was important to independents, defined for the purpose of this study as people who leaned neither Democratic nor Republican (leaners were included in our previous article). Impeachment was the highest priority for them among topics we asked about, which included those related to health care, abortion, taxes, foreign policy, immigration and the environment. (Vavreck, Sides and Tausanovitch, 12/19)
Politico:
4 Reasons Why Trump’s Drug Importation Bill Won’t Work
President Donald Trump has promised that the plan his administration rolled out Wednesday to bring in cheaper prescription drugs from Canada will immediately lower medication costs. Experts say the plan won’t work — and many write it off as a political stunt. Under the proposal, importers would need the cooperation of the Canadian government and the drug industry, both of which oppose it. Importers would have to take many expensive and complicated steps to prove to the FDA that importation wouldn’t harm Americans, and to weave through complex regulations and the intricacies of the U.S. health delivery system. (Karlin-Smith and Owermohle, 12/18)
The Hill:
Health Industry Racks Up Wins In Year-End Spending Deal
Congress started the year with heady talk of bipartisan action to lower drug prices and protect patients from surprise medical bills. It ended the year with a massive government funding deal that did little to address those issues but did cut taxes on the health care industry by $373 billion. The result is a year-end government funding package that was a win for the health care industry and highlighted just how hard it is for lawmakers to overcome powerful industry groups. (Sullivan, 12/19)
Reuters:
Special Report: FDA Targets E-Cigs That Hook Teens But Don't Help Smokers Quit
E-cigarette makers face an existential threat. By May, they must submit applications to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration proving that their products provide a net benefit to public health. If a company fails to make its case, the FDA has the power to order its products off the market. The agency will judge that benefit with a two-part test: Are e-cigarettes effective in getting smokers to quit? (12/18)
The Associated Press:
Study Estimates That Half Of US Adults Will Be Obese By 2030
There's no way to sugarcoat this news: Nearly half of American adults will be obese within a decade and one-quarter will be severely so, a new report predicts. It corrects for a weakness in previous estimates that may have made the problem seem not as big as it really is. Those estimates often relied on national health surveys and people tend to understate their weight in those. (12/18)