Sacramento Business Journal: Obamacare Repeal Could Cost Sacramento 7,000 Jobs, UC Berkeley Research Finds 
A new report forecasts that around 209,000 jobs could be lost statewide if President-elect Donald Trump makes good on his promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act. (Patton, 12/21)

The Desert Sun: If Obamacare Dies, 4.1 Million More Californians Would Be Uninsured
People in the Coachella Valley who have benefited from the Affordable Care Act said the coverage may not be ideal, but they are glad to have the option. They said they will have to wait for details on a Republican alternative before deciding if it will leave them better off than where they are now, but some were skeptical. ... Covered California saw 67,000 enroll in coverage over four days leading up to the deadline. The volume prompted the exchange to extend the deadline four days for coverage starting New Year's Day. Open enrollment continues through the end of January. (Newkirk, 12/21)

The New York Times: Health Exchange Enrollment Jumps, Even As G.O.P. Pledges Repeal
About 6.4 million people have signed up for health insurance next year under the Affordable Care Act, the Obama administration said Wednesday, as people rushed to purchase plans regardless of Republican promises that the law will be repealed within months. The new sign-ups — an increase of 400,000 over a similar point last year — mean the health care coverage of millions of consumers could be imperiled by one of the first legislative actions of Donald J. Trump’s presidency. (Pear, 12/21)

The Associated Press: Democratic Governors Warn Congress On Health Care Repeal
Democratic governors Wednesday warned top Republicans in Congress that repealing the Obama health care law would stick states with billions of dollars in costs for providing medical care to residents made newly uninsured. The Democratic Governors Association wrote to House Speaker Paul Ryan and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Governors estimated that states could face nearly $69 billion in costs for uncompensated care over the next 10 years if the health law is repealed. States traditionally shouldered a hefty share of such costs. (12/21)

In other national health care news —

The Associated Press: Health Stocks Skid, And The Dow Finishes Shy Of 20,000
Stocks finished slightly lower Wednesday as healthcare companies continued to struggle. Energy companies rose as the price of natural gas surged on the first day of winter. Some traders aren't sticking around to see if the Dow Jones industrial average reaches the 20,000-point milestone: Trading volume has fallen sharply this week as the year-end holidays draw near. (12/21)

Stat: One-On-One With Trump's Doctor: Hecklers, House Calls, And Why Obamacare Must Be Shut Down
On a frigid December afternoon, Dr. Harold Bornstein was talking about his most famous patient, President-elect Donald Trump. He hadn’t spoken with Trump since the election, and had no idea whether he would be asked to move his medical practice to Washington. But he also didn’t seem particularly worried about what the stress of the job might mean for the nation’s oldest president — a distinction he hadn’t considered until this reporter pointed it out. (Swetlitz, 12/21)

Los Angeles Times: How 4 Drug Companies Rapidly Raised Prices On Life-Saving Drugs
U.S. Senate committee detailed in an investigative report Wednesday how drug companies were exploiting the market by acquiring decades-old crucial medicines and suddenly raising their prices astronomically. “We must work to stop the bad actors who are driving up the prices of drugs that they did nothing to develop at the expense of patients just because, as one executive essentially said, ‘because I can,’ ” said Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, who chairs the Senate Aging Committee. (Petersen, 12/21)

Stat: Senate Report Suggests Ways To Blunt Impact Of Drug Prices
In the wake of mounting anger over prescription drug costs, a new report by a Senate committee recommends several steps — such as accelerating regulatory review for generics and temporarily allowing imports — to blunt the financial impact that sudden price hikes are having on Americans. The report from the Senate Special Committee on Aging follows a year-long probe into several well-publicized instances in which drug makers — notably, Valeant Pharmaceuticals and Turing Pharmaceuticals, which was run by Martin Shkreli — used controversial tactics to acquire older brand-name medicines and undermine competition after jacking up the prices to sky-high levels. (12/21)

Modern Healthcare: Dignity Health Considers Joint Venture With San Francisco Teaching Hospital 
San Francisco-based Dignity Health has begun negotiations with an academic medical center in the Bay Area, even as it proceeds with merger talks with Catholic Health Initiatives. During a call with analysts about its latest financial results, Dignity Chief Financial Officer Daniel Morissette said the system is pursuing a possible joint venture with an as-yet unnamed academic medical center because it would benefit Dignity's four hospitals in the Bay Area by having a teaching hospital behind them. Morissette cautioned that talks were very preliminary and confidentiality provisions in a nonbinding letter-of-intent prohibited him from naming the prospect. (Barkholz, 12/21)

Los Angeles Times: 17% Of Women With Early-Stage Breast Cancer Have Unnecessary Mastectomies, And Doctors Want To Know Why
What happens when doctors encourage patients to decide for themselves what kind of cancer treatment they should receive — and then the patients make the wrong choice? That is the dilemma facing a growing number of surgeons who care for women with early-stage breast cancer, new research suggests. (Kaplan, 12/21)

In other news from across the state —

KPBS Public Media: Regulation Of Stem Cell Treatments Uncertain In Era Of Political Change
With a new year and a new White House administration just around the corner, some experts in the field of stem cell science say it's unclear whether proposed regulations of unproven and expensive stem cell treatments will move forward. The growing stem cell treatment industry, including a number of San Diego firms, has faced criticism from scientists over its lack of published data to support therapies that often cost patients thousands, and even tens of thousands of dollars. (Wagner, 12/21)

KBAK: Health Officials Work Combat STD Crisis In Kern County
According to the Centers for Disease Control, California is currently ranked number one for having the most cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and congenital syphilis. Kern County Health Department said that sexually transmitted diseases are a national problem right now, and locally in Kern County it is a crisis. Health officials said they have been working on this issue all year, so they hope to see an improvement in numbers for 2016. The work is also continuous, so with the new year right around the corner they hope to take big steps towards decreasing STD's. (Powers, 12/22)

In other news from across the state —

Fresno Bee: Fresno County Health, Education Leaders Meet To Fight Teen Suicide
Faced with a big jump in suicides by young people this year in Fresno County, local school districts, hospitals, government agencies and law enforcement met Wednesday to begin addressing how to best handle mental health issues and ensure each agency has the ability to help those in need – especially children. “There’s stigma and discrimination against issues related to mental health that make people reluctant to seek help,” said Dawan Utecht, director of Fresno County’s behavioral health department. “You go to the doctor when you get a cold – take insulin when you have diabetes. It should be the same with mental health. Sometimes you just need to talk to someone.” (Appleton, 12/21)

Modesto Bee: Shigella Cases Are Way Up In Stanislaus County And Health Officials Can’t Explain It 
Stanislaus County health officials have no specific explanation for a spike in intestinal illness this year that now threatens to ruin the holidays for some folks. The county’s public health staff has confirmed 123 cases of Shigella infection this year. That is more than six times the 19 confirmed cases of Shigellosis here in 2015. (Carlson, 12/20)

Ventura County Star: 'Miracle' Return Of Somis Woman Turns To Practical Efforts
Dan Wurtz considers it nothing short of a miracle that two farmworkers came across his missing wife in late November about three days after she walked away from her home in Somis. Judy Wurtz, 76, has early dementia, her husband said recently. After she was found in an orchard along Old Balcom Canyon Road on Nov. 30, she was taken to Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center in Thousand Oaks. Aside from a few scratches and bruises, she was in good shape, Dan Wurtz said, despite spending three nights out in the cold. "I cried half the time and prayed the other half," he said of the 72 or so hours his wife was missing. (Scheibe, 12/21)