CalMatters: DOJ Suit Claims Inland Empire Health Plan Committed Medi-Cal Fraud
The Inland Empire Health Plan kept $320 million that it should have given back to the federal government, a federal lawsuit claims. IEHP is responsible for providing Medi-Cal to 1.6 million people throughout the Inland Empire—35% of Riverside and San Bernardino Counties’ combined population. The complaint claims that IEHP committed fraud by putting money for the medical care of new Medi-Cal patients towards non-medical expenses or the care of existing patients. (McGloin, 9/24)

Becker's Hospital Review: 'A Huge Loss': Hospital-At-Home Leaders Prepare For CMS Waiver Expiration
The coming expiration of CMS’ hospital-at-home waiver is sowing confusion and uncertainty among health system executives who oversee the programs. Some leaders told Becker’s that if the CMS waiver expires Sept. 30 without an extension, they would have to end their programs and send home-based patients back to the hospital. The care model allows patients to receive hospital-level care via in-home technology and medical equipment and in-person and virtual visits with clinicians. (Bruce, 9/24)

Becker's Hospital Review: UC San Diego Health Cuts Readmissions By 26% With Virtual Clinic
UC San Diego Health reduced hospital readmissions by 26% through its virtual transition of care clinic, according to a Sept. 23 study published in JMIR Medical Informatics. ... Among more than 25,000 patients included in the study, the 30-day readmission rate was 14.9% for those seen in the virtual clinic, compared to 20.1% in a benchmark group. (Gregerson, 9/24)

Times of San Diego: Opponents Of SB 79 Warn The Bill Will Not Solve Housing Needs
Local opponents of SB 79 are nervous about the potential passage of a statewide bill allowing for more dense housing development, including taller buildings near transit hubs. ... SB 79, officially known as the Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act, aims to allow for more dense housing development near transit hubs statewide. If passed, this bill would override local zoning laws that restrict such development, allowing for taller buildings near transit to help lower housing costs, reduce traffic congestion, and support public transit agencies. (Schwab, 9/24)

Los Angeles Blade: New Direct Cash Program Aims To Prevent Youth Homelessness In Los Angeles County
A new pilot program called CASH LA has launched in Los Angeles County, offering direct financial assistance to young people at imminent risk of homelessness. The initiative is a partnership between Point Source Youth, LA Emissary, and AMAAD Institute, with support from Cedars-Sinai and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. Unlike traditional homelessness prevention programs that often focus on eviction cases or families, CASH LA takes a youth-centered approach designed specifically for people ages 18 to 30 who are on the verge of losing housing but are not yet unhoused. Participants create a personalized housing action plan with a trained provider and receive direct cash assistance to carry it out. (Montoya, 9/24)

Times of San Diego: Local Foundations Fund $70 Million For Housing, Food, Healthcare As Cuts Loom
Three of San Diego’s leading foundations are expected to announce Thursday $70 million in funding to ensure local families have access to food, housing and healthcare amid “unprecedented cuts to critical programs and services.” The “United for San Diego” plan is a joint effort by the Prebys Foundation, Price Philanthropies and the San Diego Foundation that was described as “one of the largest collaborative philanthropic efforts in San Diego history.” (Jennewein, 9/25)

Los Angeles Times: California Case Suggests Tamiflu May Save Cats Infected With H5N1 Bird Flu
Since the avian flu arrived en force in California’s dairy industry in 2024, not only has it sickened cows, it has killed hundreds of domestic cats. Some pet cats that live on dairy farms were infected with the H5N1 virus by drinking raw milk. Both pets and feral barn cats got sick after eating raw pet food that harbored the virus. Still others got it by eating infected wild birds, rats or mice, or from contact with dairy workers’ contaminated clothes or boots. But a new published case suggests that death may be averted if infected cats are treated early with antiviral medications, such as Tamiflu, or oseltamivir. Once treated, these animals may carry antibodies to the virus that makes them resistant to reinfection, at least temporarily. (Rust, 9/25)

Bloomberg: Gates Foundation Accelerates Rollout Of Cheaper HIV Drug Lenacapavir Injection
A twice-yearly injection described as the most promising HIV prevention tool in decades is poised to reach millions more people, with new generic versions priced at about $40 per patient per year. The Gates Foundation and Indian drugmaker Hetero Labs Ltd. are among the groups moving to produce the medication, lenacapavir, which Gilead Sciences Inc. sells in the US for a list price of more than $28,000 annually under the brand name Yeztugo. (Kew and Furlong, 9/24)

Bay Area News Group: California Health Officials Say Trump’s Claims Linking Tylenol And Autism Are False And Harmful
California health officials warned Tuesday that President Donald Trump’s recent claims linking Tylenol to autism are not rooted in scientific evidence, as medical associations reaffirmed that the common painkiller is safe and beneficial for pregnant women. (Stringer, 9/25)

San Francisco Chronicle: Tylenol In Pregnancy: Experts Debunk Trump's Autism Link Claims
Dr. David Amaral, head of autism research at UC Davis for nearly 30 years, knew before Monday’s federal announcement about the so-called cause of autism that President Trump and his health secretary were going to target acetaminophen. The health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., had said earlier this year that he was going to find the source of an “unprecedented” rise in autism in the U.S., and rumors had begun to circulate that he had landed on acetaminophen, commonly sold as Tylenol, as a main culprit. The drug had been studied for years as one of dozens of potential causes of autism. (Allday, 9/24)

The Hill: Dr. Mehmet Oz Softens Trump's Tylenol Warning For Pregnant Women
Dr. Mehmet Oz on Tuesday softened President Trump’s warnings that pregnant women should not take Tylenol due to a largely unproven link to autism. In an interview with TMZ, Oz, who leads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said pregnant women should consult with a physician and use the medication if they have a high fever. (Weixel, 9/24)

NBC News: Vance Says Pregnant Women Should 'Follow Your Doctor' When It Comes To Tylenol
Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that pregnant women should follow their physicians’ advice in deciding whether or not to take Tylenol, striking a different tone after President Donald Trump strongly discouraged its use. “What I took from the president’s announcement and also the CDC’s recommendations here is we just have to be careful," Vance said in a NewsNation interview. "We know that some of these medications have side effects. We know that even despite those side effects, sometimes they’re necessary. So my guidance to pregnant women would be very simple, which is: Follow your doctor." (Richards, 9/24)

Politico: Thune Breaks With Trump Admin Over Tylenol, Government Role In Free Speech
Senate Majority Leader John Thune broke slightly with the Trump administration Wednesday, splitting from the GOP on government regulation of free speech and recent warnings linking Tylenol to autism. In an interview with CNN’s “Inside Politics,” Thune condemned the “coercive use of government” in regulating TV programming and said such decisions “ought to be made by the companies” after ABC temporarily pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from the airwaves last week. (Wardwell, 9/24)

Politico: ‘Violence Against The Truth’: Obama Denounces Trump's Tylenol Claims 
Barack Obama has accused President Donald Trump of “violence against the truth” for linking autism to the use of Tylenol by pregnant women. The former president made a direct attack on his successor that was as rare for its forcefulness as for its setting — an arena stage on foreign soil in London on Wednesday — as he warned that the Trump administration’s claims undermine public health. (Bloom, 9/24)

Bloomberg: HHS Reposts Old Tylenol Tweet Warning On Use During Pregnancy
US Health and Human Services resurfaced an old social media post from an account that appeared to be Tylenol’s that cautioned against its use by pregnant women after the Trump administration linked the over-the-counter medication to autism. “We actually don’t recommend using any of our products while pregnant,” said the 2017 post from what appeared to be Tylenol’s account on the site then called Twitter. This post looked to be in response to a consumer question. (Nix and Brown, 9/24)

AP: Trump Leucovorin-For-Autism Announcement Surprises Doctor Who Proposed It
When President Donald Trump’s administration announced it would repurpose an old, generic drug as a new treatment for autism, it came as a surprise to many experts — including the physician who suggested the idea to the nation’s top health officials. Dr. Richard Frye told The Associated Press that he’d been talking with federal regulators about developing his own customized version of the drug for children with autism, assuming more research would be required. (Perrone, 9/24)

The Wall Street Journal: RFK Jr.’s Team Wanted To Tout An Autism Therapy. He Went After Tylenol Instead.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s team had decided by the beginning of September to tell Americans that acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, was a possible cause of autism. But officials were divided over how much emphasis to put on the painkiller and were planning to discuss it as one of many possible causes, people familiar with the matter said. Doctors that Kennedy had selected to lead key agencies under him—Jay Bhattacharya, Mehmet Oz and Marty Makary—suggested the big story should be leucovorin, a little-known generic drug in which they saw promise for alleviating autism symptoms. (Essley Whyte, 9/24)

Bloomberg: Trump Taps Ben Carson To Help Push MAHA Nutrition Agenda At USDA
Former Republican presidential candidate and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson will take on a temporary role as a senior nutrition and housing adviser at the US Agriculture Department. Beginning Wednesday, Carson will serve as a point person at USDA to help advance Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda to “Make America Healthy Again,” an agency spokesperson said. USDA manages many key federal nutrition programs including SNAP benefits for low-income families and the national school meals program. (Peterson, 9/24)

Politico: White House To Agencies: Prepare Mass Firing Plans For A Potential Shutdown 
The White House budget office is instructing federal agencies to prepare reduction-in-force plans for mass firings during a possible government shutdown, specifically targeting employees who work for programs that are not legally required to continue. The Office of Management and Budget move to permanently reduce the government workforce if there is a shutdown, outlined in a memo shared with POLITICO ahead of release to agencies tonight, escalates the stakes of a potential shutdown next week. (Cai, 9/24)

The Washington Post: Trump Administration Eyes USAID Money To Advance America First Goals 
The Trump administration, in its latest challenge to Congress’s authority over federal spending, intends to shift almost $2 billion in U.S. foreign aid toward a slate of priorities aimed largely at advancing the president’s “America First” agenda. The plan, which has not been reported previously, was outlined for lawmakers in a document the State Department sent to Capitol Hill on Sept. 12 and later reviewed by The Washington Post. It represents a dramatic rebranding of Washington’s approach to foreign assistance after the Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) this year. (Robertson, 9/24)

The Washington Post: Air Pollution Could Be Worsening Children’s Vision, Study Says
It’s well established that air pollution causes a wide variety of harms to the human body, raising the risk of heart disease, respiratory diseases and strokes. But new research has highlighted yet another damaging impact: to our vision. The research found that extended exposure to air pollutants, specifically nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter, could be contributing to high rates of myopia, also known as short- or nearsightedness, in schoolchildren in China. (Ajasa, 9/24)

The Guardian: Fossil Fuel Burning Poses Threat To Health Of 1.6B People, Data Shows
A new interactive map from Climate Trace, a coalition of academics and analysts that tracks pollution and greenhouse gases, shows that PM2.5 and other toxins are being poured into the air near the homes of about 1.6 billion people. Of these, about 900 million are in the path of “super-emitting” industrial facilities – including power plants, refineries, ports and mines – that deliver outsize doses of toxic air. (Harvey, 9/24)

News-Medical.net: Study Shows Dementia Patients Exposed To Pollution Had Longer Telomeres
Associations between air pollution and subsequent risk of dementia are growing clinical concerns, but remain understudied. The biological underpinnings of these associations are especially unclear. In a recent study published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers explored one hypothesized pathway involving telomeres (that shorten with age) by analyzing data from 473 older adults from Northern Sweden who had complete information on air pollution exposure, telomere length, and covariates. Study findings did not reveal an overall association between exposure to air pollution and telomere length. However, study analyses highlight a slight, statistically nonsignificant trend suggesting that individuals who later developed dementia had longer telomeres, despite higher exposure to pollution, a counterintuitive finding that warrants further investigation. (de Souza, 9/24)

AP: Al Gore's Climate TRACE Uses AI And Satellites To Track Soot Pollution
Soon people will be able to use satellite technology and artificial intelligence to track dangerous soot pollution in their neighborhoods — and where it comes from — in a way not so different from monitoring approaching storms under plans by a nonprofit coalition led by former Vice President Al Gore. Gore, who co-founded Climate TRACE, which uses satellites to monitor the location of heat-trapping methane sources, on Wednesday expanded his system to track the source and plume of pollution from tiny particles, often referred to as soot, on a neighborhood basis for 2,500 cities across the world. (Borenstein, 9/24)

The Guardian: World’s Oceans Fail Key Health Check As Acidity Crosses Critical Threshold For Marine Life
The world’s oceans have failed a key planetary health check for the first time, primarily due to the burning of fossil fuels, a report has shown. In its latest annual assessment, the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research said ocean acidity had crossed a critical threshold for marine life. This makes it the seventh of nine planetary boundaries to be transgressed, prompting scientists to call for a renewed global effort to curb fossil fuels, deforestation and other human-driven pressures that are tilting the Earth out of a habitable equilibrium. (Watts, 9/24)

Inside Climate News: Pesticides In Your Produce? Probably. 
If you eat a daily serving of fruits and vegetables, critical components of a healthy diet, you’re likely ingesting a hefty dose of pesticides too, new peer-reviewed research shows. People who ate strawberries, spinach, kale and other produce with high levels of pesticide residues, even after washing them, had significantly higher amounts of pesticides in their urine than those who ate less-contaminated produce, scientists with the Environmental Working Group reported Wednesday in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health. (Gross, 9/24)