CalMatters: Elderly, Disabled With $2,000 In Assets Could Lose Medi-Cal
Cynde Soto, a quadriplegic who requires around-the-clock care, has been on Medi-Cal for most of her life. Recently, she came into a modest inheritance, about $8,000, that has helped cover her daily expenses. But it also means that she would lose her state health insurance under a proposal from Gov. Gavin Newsom. Newsom has proposed restoring a $2,000 limit on an individual’s assets — including savings accounts and property other than a home and a car — and $3,000 for couples to qualify for Medi-Cal. Anyone 65 and older or disabled who exceeds that limit would be ineligible. Newsom also is proposing a cap on how much home care Medi-Cal enrollees like Soto could receive. (Hwang, 5/29)

The Hill: Josh Hawley Stakes Ground As Chief GOP Defender Of Medicaid
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) is staking out his spot as a populist defender of Medicaid in opposition to the steep cuts contained in the House-passed megabill to fund President Trump’s domestic agenda. The senior senator from Missouri — who as the state’s attorney general once signed on to a lawsuit seeking to overturn the Affordable Care Act — has made his position clear: He will not support a bill that cuts Medicaid benefits. Hawley has long warned his party against Medicaid cuts; the $800 billion question is whether other senators will join him. (Weixel, 5/28)

California Healthline: A Medicaid Patient Had A Heart Attack While Traveling. He Owed Almost $78,000. 
Federal law says Medicaid must cover out-of-state emergency care. But a Florida man got a five-figure bill after a South Dakota hospital declined to charge his state’s Medicaid program. (Zionts, 5/29)

Los Angeles Times: Justice Department Investigates California Over Allowing Transgender Athletes In Girls’ Sports
The U.S. Justice Department has launched an investigation into whether California, its interscholastic sports federation and the Jurupa Unified School District are violating the civil rights of cisgender girls by allowing transgender students to compete in school sports, federal officials announced Wednesday. The Justice Department is also throwing its support behind a pending lawsuit alleging similar violations of girls’ rights in the Riverside Unified School District, said U.S. Atty. Bill Essayli, who oversees much of the Los Angeles region, and Assistant Atty. Gen. Harmeet Dhillon, who heads the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. (Rector, Mejia and Blume, 5/28)

Los Angeles Times: California, Democratic States Sues To Stop Trump Cuts To Science Research
California on Wednesday joined 15 other states filing suit against the National Science Foundation and its acting director, alleging the agency has illegally terminated millions of dollars in grants and imposed new fees that have ended or crippled research vital to health, the economy and the advancement of knowledge. The Trump administration has defended its actions as both legal and necessary to align the NSF with the president’s priorities. (Blume, Miller and Kaleem, 5/28)

The Hill: CMS Demands Hospital Data About Gender-Affirming Care For Minors
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) sent letters Wednesday to hospitals that provide transgender care services to children, demanding data on their quality standards and finances. CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz sent letters to “select hospitals,” giving them 30 days to provide specific information on “medical interventions for gender dysphoria in children.” (Choi, 5/28)

Associated Press: Trump Revokes Permission For 4-Year-Old Mexican Girl Receiving Lifesaving Care In California, Attorney Says 
The Trump administration has revoked permission for a 4-year-old Mexican girl who receives lifesaving medical care at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles to stay in the country, attorneys for the family said on Wednesday. (Taxin, 5/29)

California Healthline: Feds Chop Enforcement Staff And Halt Rules Meant To Curb Black Lung In Coal Miners
The Trump administration has paused implementation of a rule limiting miners’ exposure to airborne silica dust days after a federal court agreed to put it on hold to hear an industry challenge. The protections are meant to head off a surge in cases of black lung disease. Meanwhile, any enforcement of new standards might be meager due to workforce cuts. (Sisk, 5/29)

NPR: How Safe Is The Food Supply After Federal Cutbacks? Experts Are Worried
Paula Soldner inspected meat and poultry plants around southern Wisconsin for 38 years: "I'm talking brats, hot dogs, summer sausage, pizza." Her Department of Agriculture job required daily check-ups on factories to ensure slicers were cleaned on schedule, for example. Her signoff allowed plants to put red-white-and-blue "USDA inspected" stickers on grocery-store packages. Last month, Soldner took the Trump administration up on its offer of early retirement, joining an exodus from the Food Safety and Inspection Service that began under President Biden's reorganization of the agency last year. (Noguchi, 5/29)

CNN: HHS Cancels $590 Million Contract With Moderna For Bird Flu Vaccine 
The US Department of Health and Human Services is terminating a contract with drugmaker Moderna to develop a vaccine to protect against bird flu amid the agency’s broader efforts to reevaluate therapies that use mRNA technology. (Dillinger, 5/28)

San Francisco Chronicle: Can I Still Get A COVID Vaccine? What To Know About Federal Changes
While the full impact of recent federal changes to COVID vaccine recommendations won’t be known for months, many who want to get the shots are likely to face new hurdles, health experts say. The federal government no longer recommends the COVID vaccine for healthy children or pregnant women, U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — a longtime vaccine skeptic — announced Tuesday. (Ho, 5/28)

CBS News: Health Experts Fear Potential Public Health Impacts From RFK Jr. Halting COVID Vaccine Recommendations For Kids, Pregnant Women
Health experts are raising concerns about the potential public health impacts after Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy announced the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is rolling back COVID-19 vaccination recommendations for kids and pregnant women. ... Kennedy called the latest move "common sense and good science", but some health experts said the restrictions could have some significant public health impacts. Chicago-area doctors call this change unscientific and "incorrect." (Price and Rezaei, 5/28)

Becker's Hospital Review: COVID-19 Shot Guidance Change Draws Industry Scrutiny
The CDC’s decision to remove COVID-19 vaccines from its recommended immunization schedule for healthy children and pregnant women has sparked significant concern from healthcare industry groups. While some groups, like the American Hospital Association, took a more neutral stance, others scrutinized the move for bypassing the CDC’s expert advisory group and potentially threatening vaccine access and public health. (Bean, 5/28)

NBC News: FDA Chief Says Pregnant Women Should Decide On Covid Vaccine With Doctors
The Food and Drug Administration commissioner, Dr. Marty Makary, said Wednesday that the decision of whether a pregnant woman should get a Covid vaccine should come down to a conversation with her doctor — not a recommendation by the federal government. Makary took part in Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s announcement Tuesday revoking the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s recommendation that Covid shots should be offered to pregnant women and healthy children. (Lovelace Jr., Tsirkin and Sonnier, 5/28)

Los Angeles Times: Some At L.A. City Hall Want To End The Mayor's Homeless Emergency
It was the first and possibly the most dramatic act by Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass after she took office: declaring a city emergency on homelessness. That move, backed by the City Council, gave Bass the power to award no-bid contracts to nonprofit groups and to rent hotels and motels for interim homeless housing. It also allowed Bass to waive regulations limiting the size and scale of certain types of affordable housing. Now, two and a half years into Bass’ tenure, some on the council are looking to reassert their authority, by rescinding the homelessness emergency declaration. (Zahniser, 5/29)

Berkeleyside: Berkeley Encampment Sweeps Face New Legal Obstacles
A temporary restraining order barring Berkeley from closing the longstanding homeless encampment around Eighth and Harrison streets ran out Friday, clearing a major legal obstacle for the city, which has been trying to close the camp all year. Meanwhile, as it warned two weeks ago, the city is planning to sweep an encampment across town at Ohlone Park. ... But homeless advocates are fighting in the courts to prevent both closures, and have fired new salvos on both fronts over the last week. (Gecan, 5/28)

Oaklandside: MACRO Isn’t Working The Way It Should, Oakland Residents Say
MACRO, Oakland’s non-police response program that addresses quality of life issues and helps people experiencing homelessness and some behavioral health issues, is in dire need of reform, according to a range of people, including some who have supported the program as well as critics. Launched in April 2022 and housed in the Oakland Fire Department, the Mobile Assistance Community Responders of Oakland program diverts non-emergency calls from the Oakland Police Department to unarmed civilians. (Romero, 5/28)

Times Of San Diego: Amid HUD Cuts, California Gets Money For Foster Youth Housing
Even as drastic budget cuts hit across the agency, the Department of Housing and Urban Development is boosting investment in one area: housing assistance for former foster youth. What’s uncertain is how much that new funding could be offset by the broader cuts. HUD this month announced a $1.8 million investment in its Foster Youth to Independence Program, an initiative that gives housing vouchers to people transitioning out of foster care. (Benavides-Colón, 5/28)

Los Angeles Times: Alongside Buys San Diego ABA, Expands SoCal Autism Care
Fullerton-headquartered Alongside, a leading provider of Applied Behavior Analysis services for children with autism across Southern California, has announced the acquisition of San Diego ABA, a respected provider of autism services in the San Diego region. This strategic acquisition strengthens Alongside’s ability to serve families throughout Southern California by expanding access to high-quality, personalized ABA services in homes, schools and clinics. It represents a continued commitment to clinical excellence, compassionate care and building inclusive communities where children with autism can thrive. (Williams, 5/28)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Sonoma County’s Largest Ambulance Provider Wants A Nearly 25% Rate Increase. Here’s A Closer Look At Its Proposal
The Sonoma County Fire District is seeking a 24.25% rate increase for ambulance services delivered in the county’s central core, citing significant, unexpected operating costs less than two years into taking over the contract. (Murphy and Espinoza, 5/27)

Bay Area News Group: Richmond Fire Department To Begin Emergency Response Care Upgrade 
Two decades after Richmond firefighters first started pushing for the city to upgrade its emergency response capabilities, councilmembers signaled their support for establishing a paramedics program that will enable the department to provide advanced emergency life-saving care. (Lopez, 5/29)

Oaklandside: Santa Rita Jail Health Care Provider Should Be Dumped, Activists Urge
Several groups advocating on behalf of people incarcerated at Santa Rita Jail are calling on the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office to end its contract with Wellpath, the private company that provides health care services in the jail. In October 2022, the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office entered into a $252 million, five-year contract with Wellpath, one of the nation’s largest for-profit healthcare providers for incarcerated people. (Romero, 5/28)

MedPage Today: Wait Times For Physician Appointments Surged In Recent Years
The average wait time for a physician appointment has dramatically increased in recent years, according to a new survey. Across six medical specialties in 15 large U.S. metropolitan areas, the average wait time for an appointment was 31 days, up 19% since the last survey in 2022 and up 48% since the first survey in 2004, according to AMN Healthcare's 2025 Survey of Physician Appointment Wait Times and Medicare and Medicaid Acceptance Rates. (Henderson, 5/28)

Stat: AI For Breast Cancer Detection Growing Faster Than Trust In The Results
Radiologists interpret more than 40 million mammograms in the United States every year. In 2025, AI tools to help detect or diagnose possible cancer will be applied to millions of them. As the Food and Drug Administration has cleared several AI algorithms to analyze mammograms, some imaging centers are adopting them en masse. (Palmer, 5/29)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Author Of 'pH Miracle' Books Sentenced To Prison In Medical Treatments Case. 'A Fraud And A Charlatan.'
The author of the bestselling “The pH Miracle” book series was sentenced in Vista on Wednesday to five years and eight months in prison for charges including practicing medicine without a license and willful abuse of an elderly woman for trying to treat her liver and thyroid conditions. (Figueroa, 5/28)