The New York Times: G.O.P. Health Bill Would Leave 23 Million More Uninsured In A Decade, C.B.O. Says
A bill to dismantle the Affordable Care Act that narrowly passed the House this month would leave 14 million more people uninsured next year than under President Barack Obama’s health law — and 23 million more in 2026, the Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday. Some of the nation’s sickest would pay much more for health care. (Pear, 5/24)

The Associated Press: GOP Health Bill: 23M More Uninsured; Sick Risk Higher Costs
The Congressional Budget Office report, issued Wednesday, also found that average premiums would fall compared with President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, a chief goal of many Republicans. But that would be partly because policies would typically provide fewer benefits and sicker people would be priced out, it concluded. (Fram and Alonso-Zaldivar, 5/25)

McClatchy: Republicans' Obamacare Repeal Gets New CBO Score On Cost, Insurance Losses 
The legislation would reduce the federal budget deficit by $119 billion over 10 years. That’s $32 billion less than the estimated savings for the previous version of the bill. (Pugh and Clark, 5/24)

The New York Times: New C.B.O. Score: G.O.P. Health Bill Would Save Government Billions But Leave Millions Uninsured
The largest savings would come from cutting Medicaid and reducing tax credits for middle-income insurance buyers. (Park and Quealy, 5/24)

The Washington Post: How The CBO Thinks The Republican Health-Care Bill Will Affect Your Pocketbook
But what does that mean to most Americans? The CBO helpfully broke down how much insurance premiums would cost for people at two income levels — $26,500 and $68,200 annually — at three ages. The upshot is that people making $68,200 a year who are in the two younger ages (21 and 40) will pay less in premiums annually because they will get a tax credit not available to people at their income level under Obamacare. But for older and poorer Americans, the effect will mostly be worse. (Bump, 5/24)

Politico: 10 Key Points From The CBO Report On Obamacare Repeal
Here are some key facts and figures from the new CBO report on the American Health Care Act, the House-passed bill to repeal and replace Obamacare. CBO stressed the uncertainty of its estimates, given that it's hard to know which states would take up the chance to opt out of certain key parts of Obamacare. All figures are for the decade spanning 2017-2026 unless otherwise specified. (Kenen, 5/24)

KQED: Your CBO Cheat Sheet: 5 Takeaways From GOP Health Bill
An estimated 23 million additional Americans will become uninsured over the next decade if the current version of the Republican health care bill goes into effect, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis released Wednesday. This is only slightly lower than the 24 million predicted in March, before Republicans tweaked the bill to pull in critical votes from both moderate and hard-right Republicans. (Feibel, 5/24)

The New York Times: Read The C.B.O. Report On The House Health Care Bill
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released their findings on the health care bill passed by the House of Representatives. The Senate has already vowed to rework the bill. (5/24)

The Washington Post: Senate Republicans Have All The Evidence They Need To Reject The House-Passed Health-Care Overhaul
For a week now, some congressional insiders had been whispering that the critical “score” from the Congressional Budget Office, on the legislation that narrowly passed the House earlier this month, might not provide any real deficit savings. Such a finding would have violated the Senate’s more arcane rules for considering budgetary items under fast-track rules — and it might have forced House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) to redraw the legislation and hold another vote. So there were a few sighs of relief late Wednesday afternoon when the CBO declared the legislation would find $119 billion in savings over 10 years, more than enough to allow it to pass muster under the Senate’s so-called reconciliation rules, which allow a simple majority for passage rather than the usual 60-vote majority. That’s an important feat for Senate Republicans, who control just 52 seats. (Kane, 5/25)

The Wall Street Journal: House GOP Health Bill Would Add 23 Million Uninsured, Cut $119 Billion In Deficit Through 2026, CBO Says
The findings provide ammunition for the two competing factions that Senate Republican leaders need to pull together to pass a bill. Centrist Republicans, concerned about the number of uninsured, hope to make the House bill less far-reaching, while conservatives want to double down on measures the CBO suggests will lower premiums on average. (Armour and Peterson, 5/25)

The Wall Street Journal: CBO Report On Health Bill: What It Is And Why It Matters
Under budget rules, the health bill must cut the federal deficit (the House’s first version did that to the tune of $337 billion), so that is an important number. It is also important to look at how much of the budget savings would come from reduced Medicaid spending, because steep cuts mean more people without insurance. That is another key figure: the increase in the uninsured compared with leaving the ACA in place. The more uninsured, the harder it may be for Republicans to sell their plan to the public. And effects on premiums matter, since Senate GOP lawmakers have said their main goal is to bring down premium costs. (Armour, 5/24)

Politico: Peril For Republicans If They Push Forward With Obamacare Repeal
Obamacare repeal is in trouble in the Senate, and a nonpartisan analysis of the House’s repeal legislation issued Wednesday only reinforced that reality. Within minutes of the release of the report showing 23 million fewer Americans would be insured over a decade, two Senate Republicans blasted the estimate and the House bill, underscoring just how much the legislation will have to change to get through the upper chamber. (Demko and Haberkorn, 5/24)

The Hill: New CBO Score Triggers Backlash
In a flurry of statements, Senate Republicans stressed that they are starting fresh on the healthcare bill and that it will be changed significantly — and scored again by the CBO — before it becomes law. “While I am in favor of repealing ObamaCare, I am opposed to the American Health Care Act (AHCA) in its current form,” Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.), who faces a close reelection race next year, said in a statement. “This bill does not do enough to address Nevada’s Medicaid population or protect Nevadans with pre-existing conditions.” (Sullivan 5/24)

The Hill: GOP Senators Distance Themselves From House ObamaCare Repeal Bill 
Republican senators quickly distanced themselves from a House-passed ObamaCare repeal and replacement bill after a new analysis of the legislation was released on Wednesday. The American Health Care Act (AHCA) would result in 23 million more uninsured Americans over a decade, according to the Congressional Budget Office analysis. The CBO also found that in states that would let insurers charge sick people more, some could be priced out of being able to afford insurance. (Carney, 5/24)

Bloomberg: GOP Obamacare Repeal Effort Hits Latest Obstacle With CBO Score 
Senator Bill Cassidy, a Louisiana Republican, said the House bill failed to meet what he called the “Jimmy Kimmel Test,” a reference to the late-night talk-show host’s infant son, who was born with a heart defect, and the idea that any new health law should provide generous-enough insurance to cover critical medical needs. “Congress’s focus must be to lower premiums with coverage which passes the Jimmy Kimmel Test. The AHCA does not,” he said in a statement. His Republican colleague, Senator Susan Collins of Maine, likewise said that the GOP bill would “disproportionately affect older, low-income Americans.” (Edney, Tracer and Litvan, 5/25)

Reuters: McConnell Frets About Healthcare, Hopeful On Tax Overhaul
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Wednesday he does not yet know how Republicans will amass the votes needed to pass legislation now being crafted to dismantle Obamacare, but expressed some optimism on another top priority, overhauling the tax code. In an exclusive interview with Reuters, McConnell said healthcare and taxes still top the Republican legislative agenda, and he added that he will not reach out to the minority Democrats on either one because differences between the two parties are too stark. (Cornwell and Abutaleb, 5/24)

Politico: Senate Dems Seize On CBO To Slam GOP
Senate Democrats on Wednesday seized on a new projection that 23 million more Americans would be uninsured under the House GOP’s Obamacare repeal to hammer the Republican senators now crafting their own plan. Led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Democrats staged a fiery press conference less than 45 minutes after the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office released its report on the House-passed Obamacare repeal. Schumer argued that Senate Republicans are making a mistake similar to their House counterparts’ hasty passage of a bill before its CBO score emerged. (Schor, 5/24)

The Hill: Schumer: Republicans Should Throw Their Health Bill 'In The Trash' 
Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) on Wednesday denounced the House-passed healthcare reform bill after an analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) showed it would cause millions of Americans to lose health coverage. "Republicans in Washington and the president should read this report cover to cover, throw their bill in the trash can and begin working with Democrats on a real plan to lower costs for the American people,” Schumer said at a press conference held shortly after the CBO released its report. (Bolton, 5/24)

San Francisco Chronicle: CBO: House GOP Health Bill Would Leave 23 Million More Without Coverage
But Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., called the bill “nothing short of a disaster,” and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-San Francisco, took aim at provisions in the bill that the CBO said repeal $664 billion in taxes on high-income earners and insurers. “Trumpcare is a billionaire’s tax cut disguised as a health care bill: one of the largest transfers of wealth from working families to the rich in our history,” Pelosi said. (Lochhead, 5/24)

California Healthline: Citing CBO Report, Critics Decry GOP Bill’s Potential Fallout In California
Though the budget analysis released Wednesday on the GOP health care bill didn’t address California specifically, both the state’s Medicaid program and its individual market could be seriously harmed if the legislation passes, according to legislators, consumer advocates and other critics. “I feel like I am in a bad dream,” said Sen. Ed Hernandez, the West Covina Democrat who chairs the state Senate Health Committee. (Gorman, 5/25)

Meanwhile —

The San Diego Union-Tribune: Are Dialysis Centers Unsafe, Profit-Hungry Facilities That Need Stricter Regulation? 
Is it true that dialysis centers in California are unsanitary, poorly staffed facilities that pack in patients to maximize profits? That’s the question at the heart of a controversy involving a measure in the Legislature. ... Backed most strongly by the Service Employees Union International and other labor organizations, bill has been controversial since it was introduced in February by state Senator Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens. Proponents, who have come together in a group called More than Numbers, said staffing levels are the only way to address what they said are significant problems in the state’s dialysis industry — which is estimated to care for more than 60,000 Californians per year suffering from kidney failure. (Sisson, 5/24)

In other news —

Los Angeles Times: Following The Example Of Voters, Legislatures Are Trying To Legalize Marijuana — With Mixed Results 
A Pew Research Center survey from October indicated 57% of Americans support legalized marijuana, compared with 37% who want it to remain illegal. A similar Pew survey in 2006 showed almost the opposite — 60% believed it should be illegal, compared with 32% who supported legalization. This trend also is reflected in many state-level polls, emboldening lawmakers enticed by, among other things, possible tax revenue to move forward with legalization efforts. (Lee, 5/24)

Oakland Tribune: Former St. Rose Hospital CEO To Head Eden Health District
After tossing the idea around for the past two years, Eden Health District CEO Dev Mahadevan will step down in July, to be replaced by former St. Rose Hospital CEO Michael Mahoney. The decision, unanimously approved at the Eden Health District board’s May 17 meeting, ended a long delayed plan by Mahadevan to retire. Before leaving, he fended off an attempt to dissolve the district, mapped out the future of the district’s Dublin Gateway Medical Center and tied up issues around the $20 million legal judgement that the district is paying to Sutter Health over San Leandro Hospital. (Moriki, 5/25)

East Bay Times: Second Botulism Death Unrelated To ‘Extremely Rare’ Nacho Cheese Botulism 
The country’s foremost researchers on botulism in dairy products are calling the recent outbreak at a gas station in Walnut Grove a “perfect storm” of circumstances that left one dead and nine sickened... Although extremely rare, Northern California has seen two deaths from foodborne botulism in the last few months. Within the last month, Napa County has had one death from botulism related to canned goods, according to county health officials. (Davis, 5/24)

In other public health news —

KPBS: San Diego Lab Takes 'Open Science' Approach To Tracking Zika'S Arrival In US 
San Diego scientists are out with a new study that traces the spread of Zika into the United States. Their research, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, shows that the virus arrived in Florida multiple times, likely through busy travel routes connecting Miami with popular destinations in the Caribbean. But the thing is, this new study is not actually all that new. (Wagner, 5/24)

Capital Public Radio: Dead Bird In Sacramento Tests Positive For West Nile Virus 
A dead bird found in Sacramento's Rosemont area has tested positive for West Nile virus. That word's Wednesday from the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District. Luz Maria Robles is with the district. (Milne, 5/24)

The Desert Sun: Possible Indio Surgical Center Dangerously Close To Airport, Critics Say
A possible new Indio surgical center is pitting the city against pilots statewide who claim the city is ignoring California land use standards and possibly putting future patients in harm's way in case of a plane crash. The Joint Replacement Hospitals of America is proposed as a specialty surgical center including three operating rooms and 12 inpatient beds that would be part of a network of surgical centers all over California. The entire facility would be part of the planned 81-acre Northgate Crossing development at Indio Boulevard and Jefferson Street, and would be situated on five acres of land south of Indio Boulevard and west of Burr Street. (Rumer, 5/24)

In other news from across the state —

Modesto Bee: Senior Living Facilities Taking Shape In North Modesto
Two projects in north Modesto will provide more housing options for residents with memory problems and seniors who want to stay independent for as long as possible. El Rio Memory Care Community off Dale Road, east of the Kaiser hospital, is on schedule to open in mid-September with rooms for 72 residents who suffer from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. (Carlson, 5/24)

The Mercury News: Medical Board Asks Court To Suspend Santa Cruz Neurosurgeon's License Amid Child-Sex Case
Accused child molester and Santa Cruz brain surgeon James Kohut is in jail but has the legal right to practice medicine if released, according to court documents filed by the Medical Board of California. The board, which issues, suspends and revokes medical licenses in California, fears the 57 year old could pose a “danger to the public health, safety and welfare if allowed to continue to practice medicine,” wrote Emily Brinkman, the deputy attorney general of the Medical Board of California. (Todd, 5/24)

The Mercury News: Homeless Encampment Crisis, Oakland Officials Under Fire To Find Solutions
According to Operation Dignity outreach workers, there are about 200 homeless encampments in Oakland of varying size, the majority concentrated downtown and in West Oakland... As the camps have increased, so have tensions with nearby neighbors who have been bombarding Oakland and county officials with complaints about garbage, sewage, violence, aggressive panhandling and other concerns. (Drummond, 5/25)