- California Healthline Original Stories 6
- California Faces Major Reversal If Trump, Congress Scrap Health Law
- California's Torn Reaction To Obamacare's Potential Demise
- Repealing The Affordable Care Act Could Be More Complicated Than It Looks
- Obamacare ‘Replacement’ Might Look Familiar
- California Lends Its Weight To Wider Marijuana Acceptance
- How To Spend Your Final Months At Home, Sweet Home
- Covered California & The Health Law 2
- What Trump's Presidency Will Mean To A State That Embraced The Health Law
- Trump Likely To Target Vulnerable Pillars Of Health Law, But Portions May Be Here To Stay
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
California Faces Major Reversal If Trump, Congress Scrap Health Law
Uninsured Californians could more than double to 7.5 million if Affordable Care Act is repealed. (Chad Terhune, )
California's Torn Reaction To Obamacare's Potential Demise
Interviews around the state yield varied responses to the prospect that a Trump Administration will dismantle Obamacare. Many people are stunned and scared; others welcome repeal. (Anna Gorman and Ana B. Ibarra, )
Repealing The Affordable Care Act Could Be More Complicated Than It Looks
Republicans will likely chip away at the ACA piecemeal and say they will try to provide a soft exit. (Julie Rovner, )
Obamacare ‘Replacement’ Might Look Familiar
Republicans want to jettison the health law, but some features are already hardwired into the system. (Jay Hancock and Shefali Luthra, )
California Lends Its Weight To Wider Marijuana Acceptance
The number of states with laws permitting marijuana use underscores a national cultural shift toward wider acceptance of the drug, despite the federal ban and limited evidence on the public health impacts of legalization. (Anna Gorman, )
How To Spend Your Final Months At Home, Sweet Home
Older adults who hope to spend the end of their lives at home need to take key steps to make that possible. (Judith Graham, )
More News From Across The State
Covered California & The Health Law
What Trump's Presidency Will Mean To A State That Embraced The Health Law
Millions of Californians' health care is in jeopardy if Donald Trump and congressional Republicans roll back the health law that is currently shaping California's health system.
East Bay Times:
What Does Donald Trump Have In Store For California?
Vanessa Williamson, a fellow with the Washington, D.C.-based Brookings Institution, said Trump might struggle to get some of his campaign pledges, such as a major infrastructure bill, through a Congress filled with deficit hawks. But, she said, GOP lawmakers will likely be in lockstep when it comes to trillions of dollars in tax cuts that will mostly help the rich as well as the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. That would not only jeopardize the health coverage of most of the 1.4 million Californians who receive subsidized insurance plans. It could also blow a multibillion-dollar hole in California’s budget. Here’s why: California was one of the first states to expand Medicaid (called Medi-Cal in California) to low-income adults without children, a provision allowed under Obamacare. About 3.8 million low-income Californians have enrolled in the expanded program, with the feds now picking up the tab to the tune of $15 billion a year. (Artz, 11/9)
Sacramento Bee:
Will Donald Trump Abolish Obamacare? The Presidential Election Raises Questions About The Future Of The Affordable Care Act And Its Impact On Consumers
Is Obamacare over? On his first day in office, President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly vowed, he will abolish the Affordable Care Act, the contentious health care law that has been both applauded and hated across the country.But whether that will happen – or what it will mean for consumers – is one of the big question marks in the aftermath of Tuesday’s election. (Buck, 11/10)
San Diego Union-Tribune:
What Does Trump's Vow To Kill Obamacare Mean For Open Enrollment?
Now that Trump has won the election, that promise takes on a more direct meaning for more than 10 million Americans currently receiving their health coverage from a plan they purchased through a state or federal health insurance exchange. More than 1.3 million Californians — an estimated 123,910 of them in San Diego County — have until Jan. 31, 2017 to decide if they want to stick with their current plans or fine a different options that suit them better. Already anxiety-producing because some plans have posted double-digit premium increases for 2017, Obamacare’s fourth open enrollment suddenly has a new dimension: Current enrollees must decide how to interpret Trump’s vow to undo the Affordable Care Act. (Sisson, 11/9)
California Healthline:
California Faces Major Reversal If Trump, Congress Scrap Health Law
California has a lot to lose if President-elect Donald Trump and the Republican-led Congress fulfill their campaign pledge to repeal Obamacare. The Golden State fully embraced the Affordable Care Act by expanding Medicaid coverage for the poor and creating its own health insurance exchange for about 1.4 million enrollees. Supporters held California up as proof the health law could work as intended. (Terhune, 11/9)
Trump Likely To Target Vulnerable Pillars Of Health Law, But Portions May Be Here To Stay
Republican leaders say they are going to "hit the ground running" to start dismantling what they can of the Affordable Care Act. But after six years, there are aspects of the law now baked into the industry that won't be easy to upend.
The New York Times:
Obama Calls For Unity, But Signature Acts Remain In Jeopardy
The White House acknowledged that Mr. Obama’s signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act, was in genuine jeopardy. Mr. Trump has vowed to repeal it as one of his first acts in office, and a Republican-controlled Congress will prod him to do so. Josh Earnest, the White House press secretary, said Mr. Obama would lobby Mr. Trump to keep it in place — an effort that suggests Mr. Obama believes that Mr. Trump can be persuaded on certain issues. (Landler and Davis, 11/9)
Kaiser Health News:
Obamacare ‘Replacement’ Might Look Familiar
The Affordable Care Act transformed the medical system, expanding coverage to millions, injecting billions in tax revenue, changing insurance rules and launching ambitious experiments in quality and efficiency. Less of that might disappear under President-elect Donald Trump’s pledge to “repeal and replace Obamacare” than many believe, say policy analysts. Republicans promising change might not quickly admit it, but in some respects Obamacare’s replacement may look something like the original. (Hancock and Luthra, 11/9)
The Wall Street Journal:
Donald Trump’s Pledge To Repeal Health Law Carries Risks
After six years, the health overhaul is largely implemented. The fourth open-enrollment period is currently under way and due to conclude Jan. 31. Many conservative health policy experts haven’t hid their disdain for Mr. Trump’s campaign, leaving open the question of who would provide the technical support for a dismantling effort. In particular, Mr. Trump’s repeal could face opposition from Republicans in states that expanded Medicaid, the federal-state health coverage for low-income people, and industry groups that heavily profit from the law. (Armour and Radnofsky, 11/9)
The Wall Street Journal:
Donald Trump And GOP Lawmakers Turn To Health-Law Overhaul
Without 60 votes in the Senate to get around procedural hurdles, Republicans couldn’t repeal the whole law in one shot but could take out pillars of it using a budget maneuver that requires only a simple majority. One target would be subsidies that blunt the cost of premiums for people who get coverage on the health law’s exchanges, said Timothy Jost, a professor at Washington and Lee University School of Law. Without a transition plan, 85% of exchange consumers who get subsidies would face the full cost of their premiums, prompting a major drop-off in participation. The employer mandate that requires many companies with 50 or more full-time workers to provide health insurance also would likely go. (Armour and Radnofsky, 11/9)
Politico:
Obamacare Defenders Vow 'Total War'
Shell-shocked Democrats on Capitol Hill are preparing to make a fight for Obamacare their top priority in the opening days of the Trump administration, with leading advocacy groups ready to wage “total war” to defend President Barack Obama’s universal health care program and his domestic policy legacy. "We've got the battle of our lifetime ahead of us,” Ron Pollack, executive director of advocacy group Families USA, said the day after Donald Trump was elected on a pledge to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which now the law that covers 22 million people. “We're going to have a huge number of organizations from all across the country that will participate in this effort." (Haberkorn and Demko, 11/10)
The Washington Post:
Obamacare’s Future In Critical Condition After Trump’s Victory
“The clock is ticking, because Republicans appear to be saying health care is going to be the first item on their list with repeal of the ACA being the banner for that,” said Ron Pollack, Families USA’s executive director for three decades. “This will be the most intense fight I remember. . . . One should never underestimate an extraordinary backlash that occurs when people have something that they really value and it is taken away.” (Goldstein, 11/9)
Big Pharma's $109M War Chest Secured Win In Battle Over High Drug Prices
Voters rejected an initiative to bar the state from spending more on a prescription drug than the lowest price paid by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
The Washington Post:
Drug Companies Just Scored A Big Election Victory
California voters rejected a closely watched ballot initiative aimed at capping how much most state-funded health insurance programs pay for prescription drugs, a possible bellwether of the lack of political appetite for more widespread policies to tackle high drug prices. State agencies would have been barred from paying more than the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs does for prescription drugs. VA gets at least a 24 percent discount off the average manufacturer's price of a drug and is insulated against price hikes larger than inflation. (Johnson, 11/9)
The Sacramento Bee:
Drug Companies Win Campaign Over Prop. 61 Price Cap
Pharmaceutical companies have won California’s most expensive ballot measure battle, beating back Proposition 61’s effort to cap drug prices. Proposition 61 was trailing 54 percent to 46 percent on Wednesday, and advocates acknowledged they had lost. (Cadelago, 11/9)
The Wall Street Journal:
Pharma Stocks Benefit From U.S. Election Result, But Relief May Be Fleeting
Shares of drugmakers rallied Wednesday on expectations that Mr. Trump’s election and Republican control of Congress would lessen the chances of government restrictions on drug prices—a prospect that seemed on the rise in response to a public backlash against escalating prescription costs over the past few years. Mr. Trump did speak out against high drug prices at times during his campaign—including supporting allowing the Medicare agency to directly negotiate lower drug prices with manufacturers—but he didn’t propose as many specific measures against prices as Mrs. Clinton did. (Loftus and Roland, 11/9)
Insurance Industry Reeling, Bracing For Total Upheaval After Election Surprise
Every part of the insurance industry could be affected by the policies Donald Trump, in support of congressional Republicans, has promised to enact.
Modern Healthcare:
Trump, GOP Sweep May Disrupt Every Corner Of Health Insurance Market
Republican Donald Trump's presidency is primed to upend every corner of the health insurance industry that has spent the past six years acclimating to the rules of the Affordable Care Act. That shift will spill over to Americans with practically any type of health coverage—Medicare, Medicaid, employer-based or individual—which is creating anxiety for many in the industry and consumers alike. Among the most immediately affected were Medicaid-centric insurers, such as Centene Corp., Molina Healthcare and WellCare Health Plans, which took a beating in the stock markets Wednesday presuming the flood of Medicaid enrollees will come to a screeching halt. (Herman, 11/9)
The Washington Post:
Winners And Losers In The Health-Care Industry Under President Trump
With much about President-elect Donald Trump's health-care agenda still unclear, the health-care industry's initial response to his election has been scattered. Hospital stocks were down. Health insurers' stock prices were mixed. Pharmaceutical and biotech stocks, on the other hand, got a big bump. Trump's clearest policy position in health care has been his commitment to repealing the Affordable Care Act and replacing it with another policy. But the responses to his election varied in large part because the details of exactly what would replace the Affordable Care Act and how that transition would occur have been vague. (Johnson, 11/9)
'Sweeping Success' Of Bay Area Soda Tax Initiatives May Set National Precedent
Despite the industry spending millions to try to defeat the measures, they were approved by more than 60 percent of the voters.
Bay Area News Group:
Big Wins In San Francisco, Oakland, Albany Could Be First In Stream Of New Soda Taxes
The American Beverage Association had a perfect record — an estimated 40-0 — in defeating soda tax measures until it met the left-leaning voters of Berkeley in 2014. Now, Bay Area voters have put a bigger dent in “Big Soda’s” record, as a one-penny per ounce sugar-sweetened beverage tax resoundingly passed Tuesday in San Francisco, Oakland and Albany. Voters in Boulder, Colo. passed a two-cent per ounce measure. (DeBolt, 11/9)
The San Francisco Chronicle:
All Bay Area Soda Tax Measures Pass
The fledgling movement to tax sodas and other sugary drinks scored major wins Tuesday in four cities, including San Francisco and Oakland, and supporters say they’re working to spread the tax to other municipalities around the country and even the world. (Knight, 11/9)
Ballot Wins Help Galvanize Movement To Legalize Marijuana
California was one of four states to approve recreational marijuana Tuesday.
California Healthline:
California Lends Its Weight To Wider Marijuana Acceptance
Twenty years ago, California became the first state in the nation to approve the use of marijuana for medical purposes. On Tuesday, Californians voted to legalize it for recreational use — a move expected to reduce drug arrests, raise up to $1 billion in new tax dollars for the state and regulate a growing industry that has largely gone unchecked. (Gorman, 11/9)
The Orange County Register:
Marijuana Movement In California Faces Questions After Prop. 64, Trump Wins
California’s 103-year-old prohibition on recreational marijuana is officially at an end, with final results showing Proposition 64 passed with 56 percent of the vote. (Edwards Staggs and Houston, 11/19)
Bay Area News Group:
Prop. 64: Bay Area Voters Back California Pot Measure By Big Margin
Strong backing from the Bay Area — in money and votes — helped propel the measure to legalize recreational marijuana to victory in California, ending the ban on a long-illicit drug in a state with the world’s sixth largest economy. (Krieger, 11/9)
The Sacramento Bee:
What’s Pot Worth To Your Town? California Communities Look To Cash In Locally On Cannabis
The potential impact of Proposition 64 and legalized recreational marijuana in California was driven home by more than 50 city and county measures that set rules for taxing, regulating and governing the pot trade at a community level. (Hecht, 11/9)
Industry Worries New Tax On E-Cigarettes Could Discourage Cessation Attempts
With the passage of Prop. 56, e-cigarette and vaping liquids will now be taxed, but the exact rate has yet to be calculated.
Orange County Register:
Smokers And Shops Prepare For New Tobacco Tax After Passage Of Prop. 56
For the first time, Californians who vape will be subject to tobacco taxes, with the passage of Prop. 56. While traditional cigarette smokers will go from paying a tax of 87 cents per pack to $2.87 starting April 1, an equivalent taxation structure for e-cigarettes and vaping liquids still must be calculated. ... Public health advocates cheered the passage as a way to reduce tobacco usage, while the vaping industry said the tax could deter smokers from using e-cigs as a tool to quit. (Perkes, 11/10)
Water Ban Lifted For Dental Clinic At Heart Of Infection Outbreak
More than 50 children had to be hospitalized after undergoing root canal procedures at the clinic.
The Orange County Register:
Anaheim Dental Clinic Allowed To Use Water Again After Being Shut Down Following Infection Outbreak
Orange County public health officials on Tuesday lifted a ban on water use for dental procedures at Children’s Dental Group of Anaheim after the clinic replaced the contaminated water system that sickened more than 50 young patients. (Perkes, 11/8)
In other news from across the state —
San Francisco Business Times:
Why $12.5 Million Is Being Spent On A 1914 Building Downtown
More than 70,000 square feet of office space is becoming available in downtown Sacramento over the next few months, in a familiar but updated shell. Historic features are being restored while other new features are added for 428 J, a mixed-use retail and office building at 428 J St. John Brennan said the total investment in the building from 1914 is $12.5 million. Brennan is a partner with BTV Development, which is overseeing the project on behalf of its owners, the Friedman family from the Bay Area. The building was originally the seven-story Travelers Hotel until about the 1950s, when it was converted into apartments for a few decades. In the 1980s, Brennan said, the upper floors became office space, and crews added an eighth floor. The Friedman family acquired it in 2006. (van der Meer, 8/11)