- California Healthline Original Stories 1
- 4 New Ways You Can Avoid Fines For Not Having Health Insurance
- Elections 1
- California Must Move Toward Single Payer To Avoid Fiscal Emergency, Gubernatorial Candidate Says
- Health Care Personnel 1
- Nurses Ratify New 5-Year Contract With Kaiser Permanente That Includes Annual Wage Increases
- Hospital Roundup 1
- San Diego's Sharp Hospital Receives Fourth-Straight 'A' From Safety Report As Others' Scores Falter
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
4 New Ways You Can Avoid Fines For Not Having Health Insurance
Among changes by the Trump administration, new rules protect consumers living in areas with only one marketplace plan as well as those who oppose abortion and can’t find a plan that doesn’t cover the procedure. These rules will resonate in California, where most health plans are required to cover abortion and six counties have only one insurer selling through the ACA exchange. (Michelle Andrews, )
More News From Across The State
California Must Move Toward Single Payer To Avoid Fiscal Emergency, Gubernatorial Candidate Says
The issue of whether California should move toward a single-payer health system is proving to be a litmus test for candidates in the gubernatorial race. While some support it despite what they say are its flaws, others blast it as costly and unrealistic.
Sacramento Bee:
CA Gubernatorial Candidates Debate Single-Payer Health Care
Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom, the frontrunner for California governor says he "doesn't see an alternative" to a taxpayer-financed single-payer health care system run by state government. If California doesn't drastically reshape the way health care is financed and delivered, he said, soaring health care costs will create a fiscal emergency that could bankrupt the nation's wealthiest and most populous state. (Hart, 4/24)
Sacramento Bee:
Newsom, Eastin Back Single-Payer Health Care
As the state contemplates major changes as to how health care will be financed and delivered, California gubernatorial candidates have outlined their positions. Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and former state schools chief Delaine Eastin, both liberal Democrats, are the only two to unequivocally voice support for creation of a single-payer health care system financed by California taxpayers and run by the government. (Hart, 4/24)
Nurses Ratify New 5-Year Contract With Kaiser Permanente That Includes Annual Wage Increases
Kaiser also agreed to hire 150 registered nurses to ensure proper staffing as the company integrates a new computerized patient classification system.
Sacramento Bee:
Kaiser Nurses In Sacramento Gain Double-Digit Raises Over 5 Years
Roughly 19,000 nurses and nurse practitioners from around Northern and Central California ratified a new five-year contract with Kaiser Permanente that includes wage increases of 2-3 percent annually, their union announced Monday. ... Under the new contract, Kaiser also agreed to hire 150 new registered nurses to ensure proper staffing as the company integrates a new computerized patient classification system. (Anderson, 4/23)
San Diego's Sharp Hospital Receives Fourth-Straight 'A' From Safety Report As Others' Scores Falter
UC San Diego Health’s Hillcrest and La Jolla hospitals both got Cs after receiving As just one year ago. The safety grades for Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla and Scripps Green Hospital in Torrey Pines both fell from A to B.
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Two Sharp Hospitals Nab Only As In Latest Quality Report Card
Two Sharp hospitals are the only facilities in the region to earn A grades as a handful of high-profile facilities saw their scores erode in the latest safety report from the Leapfrog Group, a well-known nonprofit that specializes in health care accountability. Published Tuesday, the report judges thousands of hospitals nationwide across 27 quality categories, ranging from infection prevention to surgical death rates, issuing letter grades from A through F. (Sisson, 4/24)
Familiar Double Helix DNA Strands Aren't The Only Ones That Show Up In Human Cells
Scientists have found DNA structures that more resemble a tangled knot -- and they seem like they may be fairly common in cells.
Los Angeles Times:
In Human Cells, Scientists Find DNA That Looks Like A Twisted Knot Instead Of A Double Helix
Biology textbooks may be due for a rewrite.For the first time, scientists have detected a DNA structure inside living human cells that looks more like a four-stranded knot than the elegant double helix we learned about in school. The tangled shape, known as an i-motif, had been seen before in the lab, but few researchers expected it to occur in human cells. The new work shows not only that i-motifs do indeed exist in human cells, but that they may be quite common. (Netburn, 4/23)
In other public health news —
San Jose Mercury News:
Study: Mothers' Weight Linked To Daughters' Early Puberty
We all remember going through puberty, though some of us might like to forget. Now imagine starting that formative transition — developing breasts or pubic hair — at 6 years old, just as you’re starting first grade. Now new research has found a likely cause: The heavier the mom-to-be, the more likely her daughter will bloom early, according to a study by the Kaiser Permanente Department of Research. (Lanese, 4/23)
Capital Public Radio:
E. Coli Cases In Alaskan Prison May Lead To Source Of Contaminated Lettuce
Federal investigators are looking for the exact source of an E. coli outbreak stemming from romaine lettuce, and an Alaskan prison may provide a clue to the origin. Food safety lawyer Bill Marler represents 28 people infected in the E. coli outbreak, including cases related to chopped romaine lettuce served at a Panera Bread restaurant in New Jersey (Marler says he's representing one person with E. coli in Sacramento). (Mitric, 4/23)
Public Health Campaign In Sacramento Focuses On Police Shootings And Violence
The California Endowment funded a billboard that calls attention to issues facing communities of color. Leaders at the foundation said that the fact people of certain demographics are more likely to face and be victims of violence is a public health issue.
Capital Public Radio:
Police Shooting Billboard Marks Shift In Public Health Conversation
The billboard is part of an ongoing public health campaign that zooms in on violence, police shootings and other issues facing communities of color. Some of the group’s prior ads faced pushback for being too political, but leaders behind the movement say their message is about health. (Caiola, 4/23)
In other news from across the state —
Los Angeles Times:
With Money Tied Up In Court, California Lawmakers Try Again With New Plan To Spend $2 Billion On Homeless Housing
A measure to spend $2 billion on housing homeless Californians could be on the November statewide ballot. State Sen. Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) is pushing the idea to deal with what he said was a “burgeoning humanitarian crisis whose epicenter is here in California.” De León’s new measure is a do-over for a 2016 plan passed by the Legislature to redirect $2 billion toward building homeless housing from a voter-approved 1% income tax surcharge on millionaires that funds mental health services. (Dillon, 4/24)
VA Nominee's Hearing Postponed As Senators Look Into Allegations Of Misconduct
Senate Democrats huddled privately Monday to discuss the allegations related to improper conduct in various stages of his career. "There are reasons, as there are with every presidential appointee, for very close scrutiny and vetting. We need to know if allegations raised by others may have some factual basis. That's the process of vetting that has to occur," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.).
The New York Times:
Ronny Jackson, Trump’s V.A. Nominee, Faces Claims Of Overprescription And Hostile Work Environment
The Senate Veterans Affairs Committee is examining allegations that President Trump’s nominee to lead the Veterans Affairs Department oversaw a hostile work environment as the White House physician and allowed the overprescribing of drugs, according to congressional officials briefed on the committee’s work. They have also received claims that Dr. Ronny L. Jackson drank too much on the job. (Fandos, 4/24)
The Washington Post:
Senate To Postpone Confirmation Hearing For Ronny Jackson To Head Veterans Affairs, White House Officials Told
Senate lawmakers have postponed the confirmation hearing for Ronny L. Jackson, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs, after top Republicans and Democrats raised concerns about his qualifications and oversight of the White House medical staff, White House and other administration officials were told Monday. The development came just two days before Jackson, the White House physician, was scheduled to testify before the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs and threw what was looking to be a difficult confirmation process into further jeopardy. (Kim, Rein and Dawsey, 4/23)
The Washington Post:
White House Stands By Embattled Nominee To Lead Veterans Affairs
The White House said Tuesday that it is standing by Ronny L. Jackson to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs after the confirmation hearing for President Trump’s nominee was postponed this week amid concerns from top Republican and Democratic lawmakers. “Admiral Jackson’s record of strong, decisive leadership is exactly what’s needed at VA to ensure our veterans receive the benefits they deserve,” White House spokesman Hogan Gidley said in a statement. (Wagner and Kim, 4/24)
Politico:
White House Scrambling As Ronny Jackson's VA Nomination Hits The Skids
The White House is scrambling to save the nomination of Rear Adm. Ronny Jackson to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs amid growing concern on Capitol Hill about Jackson’s past. President Donald Trump named the White House physician as his pick to lead the sprawling bureaucracy after firing David Shulkin. The move raised eyebrows in Congress and among veterans groups because Jackson, who was also former President Barack Obama’s physician, has never led a large organization. (Restuccia and Nussbaum, 4/24)
Short-Term Insurance Plans Will Siphon Off Healthier Patients And Split Marketplace, Opponents Warn
Insurer lobbying group AHIP spoke out against the Trump administration's proposal to allow people to buy short-term health insurance for up to 12 months. But supporters of the plans say fears are overblown and argue that the expanded options are needed for people who are uninsured. Meanwhile, is health care really the "No. 1 issue in America?" The Washington Post fact checks that claim.
The Washington Post:
Trump Proposal Could Mean Healthy People Save On Insurance While Others Get Priced Out
The Trump administration’s proposal to build up short-term health insurance plans as a "lifeline" for people who can’t afford Affordable Care Act coverage could split the insurance market in two, siphoning young, healthy people into cheaper, more minimal plans — while those who remain in ACA plans face premiums that spiral upward even faster. The comment period ends Monday on a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposal to extend short-term plans to 364 days, from the current three-month limit. (Johnson, 4/23)
The Hill:
Insurer Group Issues Warning On Trump Administration's Short-Term Health Plan Proposal
The nation's largest trade group for health insurance companies is sounding the alarm on a proposal from the Trump administration that would expand the sale of plans that cover fewer services. America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) says the proposal could lead to more people being uninsured or underinsured and result in higher health-care costs in the long run. (Hellmann, 4/23)
The Washington Post Fact Checker:
Is Health Care The ‘Number One Issue In America’?
Politicians are often eager to cite polling as a reason for action. In an article that highlighted a proposal by [Sen. Chris] Murphy and Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) to allow individuals and large employers to purchase health insurance coverage through Medicare, Murphy described health care as the “number one issue” in America. Does polling back up that assertion? (Kessler, 4/24)
In other national health care news —
The New York Times:
Trump Administration Pushes Abstinence In Teen Pregnancy Programs
The Trump administration has issued new rules for funding programs to prevent teenage pregnancy, favoring those that promote abstinence and not requiring as rigorous evidence of effectiveness. While the funding announcement, issued Friday by the Department of Health and Human Services, does not exclude programs that provide information about contraception and protected sex, it explicitly encouraged programs that emphasize abstinence or “sexual risk avoidance.” (Belluck, 4/23)
The Associated Press:
CDC Chief Makes $375K, Far Exceeding His Predecessors’ Pay
The new head of the nation’s top public health agency is getting paid nearly twice what his predecessor made and far more than other past directors, government officials confirmed. Dr. Robert Redfield Jr., 66, has long career as a top HIV researcher, but he had no experience working in public health or managing a public health agency. The U.S. government is paying him $375,000 a year to run the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.That’s nearly twice the annual compensation given to Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald, who had the job for six months before resigning in January. Her annual pay rate was $197,300. (Stobbe, 4/23)
The New York Times:
‘Whole Again’: A Vet Maimed By An I.E.D. Receives A Transplanted Penis
In a 14-hour operation, a young military veteran whose genitals were blown off by a bomb received an extraordinary transplant: a penis, scrotum and portion of the abdominal wall, taken from a deceased organ donor. The surgery, performed last month at Johns Hopkins Hospital, was the most complex and extensive penis transplant to date, and the first performed on a combat veteran maimed by a blast. (Grady, 4/23)
Stat:
Weight Loss Drugs Were Commercial Flops. Can They Be Used For Addiction?
If dependence on cocaine or cigarettes is the result of addiction, is obesity in essence an addiction to food? Some scientists certain think so, which is why several weight loss drugs are being studied as potential addiction therapies. There are plenty to choose from: A wave of prescription weight loss drugs hit the market in recent years, and they were initially expected to perform well. But medications including Qsymia, Belviq, and Contrave have all flailed on the market — doctors and patients alike have been reticent to take them. (Keshavan, 4/24)