Los Angeles Times: Health Groups Launch California Ballot Initiative To Raise Taxes On Tobacco, Including E-Cigarettes
Months after California's Legislature failed to act, a coalition of health experts and the state’s schools chief on Wednesday launched a petition drive to qualify an initiative for the November ballot that would raise the cigarette tax by $2 per pack. The measure would reduce smoking and raise money to expand treatment services for Medi-Cal patients, support anti-smoking campaigns and boost medical research, said Tom Steyer, co-chairman of the Save Lives Coalition. (McGreevy, 1/20)

Payers & Providers: Exchange Releases Treatment Data
Californians who obtained coverage from the state health insurance exchange are receiving needed healthcare services. That's according to Covered California, which released a report on Wednesday detailing services its enrollees have obtained at more than 100 of the state's hospitals during the first 18 months insurance purchased from the exchange was in effect. (1/21)

The San Francisco Business Times: Some Problems Persist With Kaiser Permanente's Website For Its 10.2M Enrollees
For much of Wednesday, major problems persisted with Oakland-based Kaiser Permanente's "My Health Manager," the patient portal for more than 10 million enrollees nationwide, which has been experiencing lengthy outages since Tuesday morning, so far with minimal explanation from the health care giant. As of about 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, however, the patient portal appeared to be up and running, although Kaiser told me that some lingering, but undisclosed issues have yet to be resolved. (1/20)

Reuters: Intuitive Surgical Stock Run Leads Health Care Group As Fourth Quarter Report Nears
In a beaten-up stock market, Intuitive Surgical Inc stands out as the best-performing large-cap U.S. healthcare stock that is not an acquisition target. Shares of Intuitive, which boasts a dominant position in surgical robotic systems, have climbed 13 percent over six months. Over the same period, the Standard & Poor's healthcare sector index .SPXHC has slid 13 percent, and the only stock in the index to top Intuitive's performance was Baxalta Inc (BXLT.N), which recently agreed to be acquired for $32 billion by Shire Plc. (Krauskopf, 1/20)

The San Francisco Business Times: Practice Fusion Reportedly Signs JPMorgan To Explore 2017 IPO
Practice Fusion, an electronic medical records company in San Francisco that has talked up an IPO previously, has reportedly hired JPMorgan Chase to look into a possible 2017 offering. According to a New York Times story citing anonymous sources and documents, such an offering could attract between $1.1 billion and $1.5 billion, depending in part of the size of Practice Fusion's revenues next year, but "the discussions are now in flux because of market volatility." (Rauber, 1/20)

The Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Health Care Providers Vying To Operate Petaluma Valley Hospital
Two bidders are vying for the right to operate Petaluma Valley Hospital, following a series of public meetings to gather input on four proposals, the Petaluma Health Care District announced this week. St. Joseph Health, which is the current hospital operator, and Prime Healthcare Services, a for-profit hospital management company with headquarters in Ontario in San Bernardino County, both move on to the next stage of review. The district currently is engaged in a 60- to 90-day evaluation of potential bidders. (Espinoza, 1/20)

The San Bernardino Sun: Giant Health Care Complex To Open In July In Downtown San Bernardino
The downtown campus of Loma Linda University Health is expected to open in July with dental, primary and specialty care, a school for training in several entry-level health fields, a pharmacy and vegetarian restaurant, officials said Tuesday. The 150,000-square-foot, $68 million facility, officially called Loma Linda University Health — San Bernardino, will house San Manuel Gateway College, funded in part with a $10 million gift from the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, and an expansion of the Social Action Community Health System, located at 1455 E. Third St. in San Bernardino. SACHS has become the largest provider of heath services in San Bernardino and the second-largest teaching health center in the nation, officials say. (Steinberg, 1/19)

The Desert Sun: Indio Becomes Second Desert City To Ban Medical Marijuana
Indio has become the second city in the Coachella Valley – behind Indian Wells – to completely ban medical marijuana-related businesses and cultivation within its borders. Indio previously rejected a proposal that would have allowed medical marijuana dispensaries to operate within the city, as well as a request to allow medical marijuana delivery services within city limits. (Rumer, 1/20)

KQED: Why Vaccination Rates Are Up Across California
Vaccination rates are up in all but a handful of counties in California, according to data released Tuesday by state health officials. (Aliferis, 1/20)

The San Diego Tribune: What You Should Know About Zika Virus
A mosquito-borne virus suspected of causing brain damage in newborn babies is drawing growing concern from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has issued a travel alert for the regions where the Zika virus is spreading. The CDC says women who are pregnant should postpone travel to 14 Latin American and Caribbean countries where Zika infections are on the rise, including Mexico. Women who are considering getting pregnant should talk to their doctors before visiting the countries covered by the alert. (Robins, 1/20)

The San Diego Tribune: County Gonorrhea Spike Outstrips National Trend
The rate of gonorrhea cases in the San Diego metro area has increased significantly since 2010, according to recently released federal data on sexually transmitted diseases. When the county’s health department publicized the new data earlier this month, it portrayed the spike as part of a broader trend. (Schroeder, 1/18)

Sinclair Broadcast Group: Lawsuit: Chipotle Covered Up Evidence Of Norovirus In Tainted Food
A class action lawsuit was filed against Chipotle Tuesday, claiming a California store waited to inform health officials about an employee who worked while sick with Norovirus, exposing more than 200 people to it. The August 2015 incident took place at a Simi Valley location. (McKernan, 1/20)

The San Diego Tribune: 'Wizard Of pHraud' Or Victim Of A Witch Hunt?
For Robert O. Young, “The pH Miracle” was a life-changer, the first in a series of books he authored espousing an alkaline diet as a way to improve health. First published in 2002, and later translated into more than 18 languages, it has sold millions. To the North County jury that will be tasked with deciding Young’s fate, the book is exhibit No. 13. (Figueroa, 1/20)

Payers & Providers: CT Scan Usage Zooms At Hospital ERs
Hospital emergency rooms in California are performing increasingly more CT scans on patients with minor injuries, part of a nationwide trend that has some medical experts worried about the potential long-term health impact. The analysis of more than 8.5 million patient records by UC San Francisco and Stanford University researchers was eye-opening: Hospital ERs were more than twice as likely to perform at least one CT scan on a patient with minor trauma in 2013 than in 2005, less than a decade ago. (Shinkman, 1/21)

Reuters: Lack Of Resilience As A Teen Tied To Higher Diabetes Risk As Adult
Men who have low resistance to psychological stress at age 18 may face considerably higher risk for type 2 diabetes in adulthood compared to those better able to handle stress, according to new research. “Other studies have found that stressful life experiences in mid-adulthood are linked with a higher risk of developing diabetes,” said lead author Dr. Casey Crump of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York. (Doyle, 1/20)

Payers & Providers: CMA Issues End-Of-Life Guidelines
The California Medical Association issued guidelines this week to its physician members on how to administer drugs to terminally ill patients who wish to end their life. The guidelines stem from the recent passage of the End of Life Option Act, which went into effect on Jan. 1. It made California the fifth state in the U.S. to sanction physician-assisted suicide of terminally ill patients. (1/20)

The Sacramento Business Journal: Researchers Study Long-Term Effectiveness Of Treating Dementia With Music
Researchers with the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis will investigate ways of using music to improve dementia care at skilled nursing facilities. As part of a three-year study, the California Association of Health Facilities will see if listening to a personalized list of favorite songs reduces dementia patients' need for medication. Researchers from the University of California Davis will crunch data from that study to see if it works, how it works and how the technique can best be implemented. (Anderson, 1/20)

The Associated Press: Gas Leak Pollution Monitoring Took Months To Put In Place
A massive natural gas leak that has driven thousands of Los Angeles residents from their homes had been out of control for more than a month when the county's acting health director said in November that long-term impacts of the cancer-causing chemical benzene should be measured. It took many more weeks to implement the testing announced Wednesday, and one public health official said he wished it had begun when the leak was spewing peak volumes of methane and other chemicals above the Porter Ranch neighborhood. (Melley, 1/20)

Reuters: Back To School For Children Displaced By Los Angeles-Area Gas Leak
In the latest disruption from the biggest methane gas leak in California history, nearly 2,000 Los Angeles children returning to class this week after winter break have been reassigned to schools outside the affected area over health concerns. The Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation's second-largest public school system, announced the plan after students described headaches, bloody noses, nausea and breathing irritations. (Dobuzinskis, 1/20)

The Associated Press: Sanders Plan Would Be More Generous Than Medicare
Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders says his plan for a government-run health care system from cradle to grave is like Medicare for all. But with full coverage for long-term care, most dental care included, no deductibles and zero copays, the Sanders plan is considerably more generous. Think of it as Medicare on growth hormones. Setting aside ideological issues, the scope of Sanders' plan and its lack of detail have raised questions about its seriousness. Some health care experts see it mainly as a political document to distinguish Sanders' revolutionary ideas from Hillary Clinton's incremental approach. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 1/21)

The New York Times: Bill Clinton Warns Of ‘Gridlock’ Under Bernie Sanders’s Health Care Plan
Bill Clinton acknowledged he was in Senator Bernie Sanders’s backyard as he took the stage Wednesday in New Hampshire. “I know we’re running against one of your neighbors,” Mr. Clinton told the crowd at a campaign rally in Concord. So, as he laid out the differences between Mr. Sanders and Hillary Clinton, he did so with compliments before dwelling on the contrasts. ... But on health care, he took a more direct criticism of Mr. Sanders’s plan: “I don’t want to talk about the merits, I want to talk about the practical reality here.” ... "It’s a recipe for gridlock.” (Corasaniti, 1/20)

The Associated Press: GOP Candidate Kasich Addresses NH House Ahead of Primary
Ohio Gov. John Kasich praised the New Hampshire Legislature on Wednesday for expanding Medicaid under the president's health care overhaul law — a rare move for GOP presidential contender — saying that the decision saved lives. "I took $14 billion dollars over the next two years back to Ohio from Washington to meet our challenges, and you did it here. I want to compliment you for it," Kasich told the 400-member body. "Lives have been saved; people have some hope." (1/20)

The Boston Globe: Presidential Candidates Relate Tales Of Addiction, But Are Short On Answers
On the stump, Jeb Bush and Carly Fiorina regularly recount struggles within their own families over drug addiction. A viral video of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie speaking about the overdose death of a close friend gave his campaign a boost in the Granite State. But even as they strike powerful emotional chords about the toll of drug abuse, a review of candidates’ statements and policy outlines shows that few offer concrete proposals to combat the national scourge of opiate addiction. (Jan, 1/20)

The New York Times: Congress Calls Martin Shkreli To Testify On Rapid Rises In Drug Pricing

The Associated Press: Price-Hiking Pharma Exec Martin Shkreli Gets House Subpoena

Reuters: U.S. Congressional Committee Subpoenas Ex-Drug CEO Shkreli

The Wall Street Journal: Valeant Pharmaceutical Interim CEO To Testify Before Congress Next Week

The New York Times: To Fight ‘Superbugs,’ Drug Makers Call For Incentives To Develop Antibiotics
More than 80 pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies from around the world are calling for new economic models to spur development of badly needed new antibiotics and to fight the rising global threat of drug-resistant “superbugs.” In a declaration that is being released on Thursday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the companies say that governments must work with companies to fight the problem of antimicrobial resistance. (Pollack, 1/20)

The Associated Press: New Flare-Ups Over The Racial Demographics Of Abortion
Abortion and race, two of America’s most volatile topics, have intersected in recent flare-ups related to the disproportionately high rate of abortion among black women. In Congress, Rep. Sean Duffy, a white Republican from rural Wisconsin, lambasted black members of Congress for failing to decry these high abortion numbers. The next day, Rep. Gwen Moore, a black Democrat from Milwaukee, fired back — accusing Duffy and his GOP colleagues of caring about black children only before they are born. In Missouri, a white GOP state legislator, Rep. Mike Moon, introduced a “personhood” bill that would effectively outlaw all abortions, and titled it the All Lives Matter Act. (Crary, 1/20)