- California Healthline Original Stories 2
- California Doctors Again Press For More Money To Treat Poor Patients
- Senators Demand Answers About Possible Probe Of HHS Secretary Price
- Covered California & The Health Law 1
- Officials, Advocates Look Ahead On Health Care While 'Catching Our Breath And Starting To Regroup'
- Public Health and Education 1
- Program Ramps Up Efforts To Fix Disparity In Oral Health For Children Of Color
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
California Doctors Again Press For More Money To Treat Poor Patients
They want the state’s new tobacco tax to help pay for a raise in Medicaid rates, but so far Gov. Jerry Brown has other plans for that money. (Barbara Feder Ostrov, )
Senators Demand Answers About Possible Probe Of HHS Secretary Price
Democratic senators want the Justice Department to reveal what it knows about ProPublica’s recent report that HHS Secretary Tom Price’s stock trades were under investigation by former U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara before the Trump administration fired him. (Emily Kopp and Rachel Bluth, )
More News From Across The State
Covered California & The Health Law
Officials, Advocates Look Ahead On Health Care While 'Catching Our Breath And Starting To Regroup'
The two biggest questions that state officials and industry executives are pressing federal lawmakers and the administration to address are the individual mandate and subsidies.
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Officials, Insurers: Health Care ‘An Ongoing Battle'
Buoyed by Congress’ failed attempt last week to replace the Affordable Care Act, California officials, health advocates and insurance executives are pressing forward on a new phase of resistance against GOP efforts to weaken the health care law. California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones sent a letter Wednesday to the White House and Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, urging the administration to enforce the law. (Ho, 3/29)
In other news —
Sacramento Bee:
Women’s Health Under Trump Subject Of Senate Forum
California, which aggressively embraced the Affordable Care Act, may have dodged a bullet when a Republican bid to “repeal and replace” the law failed last week. About 5 million residents in the state receive health insurance coverage through expanded eligibility for Medi-Cal or subsidies for private plans available through Obamacare. But the future of health care under the Trump administration nevertheless remains a murky picture, especially for women. Worried about access to birth control after the election, some Californians rushed to get IUDs, which can be effective contraceptives for up to a decade. (Koseff, 3/30)
KQED:
Reality Check: Trump’s Claim That A Health Care Deal With Dems Is ‘Easy’
The fallout from Friday’s Republican health care bill collapse is still trying to be understood. Right after the bill was pulled, President Trump teased that he wanted to work with Democrats and believed a bipartisan bill would be possible. But it wasn’t clear if that was just talk. On Tuesday night, he may have taken the first step to trying to reach across the aisle. (Montanaro, 3/29)
Medicare-For-All Supporter Tosses Hat In Ring For Lieutenant Governorship
Asif Mahmood describes himself on his website as a "triple threat" because he's a “Muslim immigrant from this great blue state of CA.” Senate President Kevin de León also has filed an intention to run.
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. Doctor Jumps Into The Race For California's Lieutenant Governor
Los Angeles physician Asif Mahmood, a Democrat and supporter of a “Medicare for all” national healthcare plan, has announced he'll run for California lieutenant governor. Mahmood, who was raised in a small rural town in Pakistan before coming to the U.S., plans to officially declare his candidacy Wednesday and joins a 2018 race that includes at least one formidable Democrat, West Covina state Sen. Ed Hernandez. (Willon, 3/29)
Program Ramps Up Efforts To Fix Disparity In Oral Health For Children Of Color
“There should not be 25-20 percent of kids of a particular ethnicity having decay, whereas five percent of another group have decay," says Margaret Fisher, a dental hygienist with San Francisco’s Department of Public Health.
KQED:
Fighting Children’s Cavities In Chinatown: It Takes A Coalition
Sixteen years ago, city and school officials in San Francisco came together with dentists to figure out how to improve oral health in students. The program screens all San Francisco public school kindergartners for tooth decay.A new report shows it’s working. (Klivans, 2/39)
In other news from across the state —
San Jose Mercury News:
Controversial New Sex Ed Curriculum Denied By Board
More than 150 parents came out to a Tuesday night school board meeting to oppose a controversial new sexual health education curriculum that many said was “too graphic” and “not age appropriate” for their Cupertino Union School District seventh-graders. At the March 28 meeting, the school board voted 2-2, with Phyllis Vogel and Anjali Kausar in favor, Liang Chao and Kristen Lyn voting against and Soma McCandless recusing herself. (Myllenbeck, 3/29)
First Baby Born With Zika-Related Defects In San Diego A Reminder To Be Vigilant
Mosquitoes are dormant in San Diego, but public health officials caution that that's no reason to become complacent to potential infection.
Los Angeles Times:
First Southern California Child Born With Defect Caused By Zika Virus
A baby born recently in San Diego County is the first in the region to suffer birth defects after the infant’s mother contracted the Zika virus while traveling abroad. Public health officials said the case, announced Tuesday by the county government, is a reminder that the risk of Zika infection continues in warmer climates even though mosquitoes are dormant in San Diego. (Sisson, 3/29)
In other public health news —
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Sonoma County Ranks Among Top 5 Healthiest In California
For years, local politicians, county health officials and health care professionals have been talking about making Sonoma County the healthiest county in the state by 2020, a goal that is at the heart of numerous local health, education and socio-economic initiatives. In 2011, Sonoma County ranked 12th among 56 California counties surveyed in the first County Health Rankings by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. It took three years for the county to break into the top 10, reaching eighth. (Espinoza, 3/29)
HHS Secretary Tight-Lipped On Health Law Changes, But Says 'We Have To Fix The Problem'
HHS Secretary Tom Price faced scrutiny from House appropriators over any changes the administration is considering for the Affordable Care Act.
The Wall Street Journal:
Republicans Fuel Uncertainty Over Health Law’s Fate
Republicans, struggling to figure out their next steps after their health-care bill’s collapse, delivered mixed signals on Wednesday about how they will contend with the 2010 law, with a Trump administration official promising to uphold the law and others saying they will continue working on its repeal. Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said on Wednesday he is obligated to uphold the Affordable Care Act as long it is in place, but he didn’t commit to specific actions, including implementing the requirement that most Americans pay a penalty if they don’t have health coverage. (Armour, Peterson and Radnofsky, 3/29)
The Washington Post:
Trump Administration Still Plans To Undo Parts Of The ACA, Tom Price Testifies
Time and time again, Price invoked the pledge he has made repeatedly to lawmakers since President Trump selected him for his post. “What we’re committed to is making sure the American people have access to affordable coverage,” he told Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro (Conn.), the top Democrat on the Appropriations subcommittee on labor, health and human services, education, and related agencies. But under intense questioning from Democrats, Price outlined how his department could make insurance plans cheaper by scaling back several federal mandates, including what the ACA currently defines as “essential benefits” in coverage. And he refused to say whether the administration will keep providing cost-sharing subsidies for insurers participating in the federal marketplace. The multibillion-dollar infusion is critical to maintaining the system’s stability, insurers say. (Eilperin and DeBonis, 3/29)
The Associated Press:
Poll: Americans Dislike GOP's, Trump's Plan On Health Care
Note to President Donald Trump and House Republicans: People really don't like your approach to overhauling America's health care. If you're hoping to revive the effort, you may want to try something different. Sixty-two percent of Americans turned thumbs down on Trump's handling of health care during the initial weeks of his presidency, according to a poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research released Wednesday. It was his worst rating among seven issues the poll tested, including the economy, foreign policy and immigration. (Fram and Swanson, 3/30)
Bloomberg:
House GOP Weighing Another Try On Obamacare Vote Next Week
House Republicans are considering making another run next week at passing the health-care bill they abruptly pulled from the floor in an embarrassing setback to their efforts to repeal Obamacare. Two Republican lawmakers say that leaders are discussing holding a vote, even staying into the weekend if necessary, but it’s unclear what changes would be made to the GOP’s health bill. They described the discussions on condition of anonymity. (House and Kapur, 3/29)
NPR:
6 Changes The Trump Administration Can Still Make To Obamacare Without Congress
After seven years of trying, Republicans failed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act last week. That doesn't mean the health care drama is over, though. House Speaker Paul Ryan this week told donors that the party is "going to keep getting at this thing," according to The Washington Post. But whatever Ryan and his colleagues manage to do, plenty could still change in the Affordable Care Act. Last week's failed bill, after all, was only one part of the GOP's plan. (Kurtzleben, 3/29)
In other news —
Stat:
Tom Price Defends Proposed Cuts At NIH, Citing 'Indirect' Expenses
Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price on Wednesday defended the Trump administration’s proposed cuts to medical research, saying that the National Institutes of Health budget is plagued by unnecessary expenses. ... Price also noted that given across-the-board HHS spending cuts, the NIH next year will continue to receive roughly one-third of total department funding. The remarks came a day after reports that the administration had proposed an additional $1.2 billion cut to the NIH for the current fiscal year, on top of a suggested $5.8 billion cut for 2018. The NIH’s 2016 budget totaled $32.3 billion. (Facher, 3/29)
The Associated Press:
Trump, Christie Pledge To Combat Nation's Opioid Addiction
President Donald Trump is vowing to step up efforts to combat the nation's opioid addiction crisis, and he's tapped New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to lead the fight. Trump convened an emotional roundtable Wednesday with Christie, members of his Cabinet, law enforcement chiefs, recovering addicts and advocates. It was the first public event tied to the launch of a new addiction commission that Christie, a longtime Trump friend and formal rival, will chair. (3/29)
The Washington Post:
Climate Change Can Take A Toll On Mental Health, New Report Says
Climate change is not only harmful to our physical health — it can be debilitating for our mental health as well, according to a report published Wednesday. Severe weather events and natural disasters linked to climate change have the most dramatic impact on mental health, according to the report by the American Psychological Association and EcoAmerica: Natural disasters cause intense negative emotions in people who are exposed to them, primarily fear and grief. Anxiety, depression and unhealthy behavior are also common responses. (Naqvi, 3/29)