CalMatters: California Has A New Legislature — While Votes Are Still Being Counted
On Monday, a newly-elected class of state lawmakers was sworn into office — before their election results are certified. And in one competitive Assembly district, a leading candidate took office even though her race is still not called. This is the reality under California’s notoriously slow ballot counting process — a process that one state lawmaker is vowing to change. (Yu, 12/2)

Becker's Hospital Review: California System Posts $165M Annual Operating Loss, -18.5% Margin
Escondido-based Palomar Health, a two-hospital system, reported a $165.1 million operating loss (-18.5% margin) for the fiscal year ending June 30, a notable slump from the $29.5 million loss (-3% margin) posted in the previous fiscal year. Revenue for the system decreased 9.8% year over year to $890 million while expenses grew by 3.8% to $1.06 billion, according to financial results published Nov. 27. (Condon, 12/2)

The Oaklandside: 2 Walgreens In East Oakland Will Close In January
Last June, Walgreens announced it would be closing “unprofitable locations” as a costing-saving measure for the struggling company. A Walgreens corporate spokesperson confirmed to the Oaklandside today that its stores located at 3434 High Street and 5809 Foothill Boulevard are on the closure list. The High Street location will close by Jan. 22, 2025, and the Foothill one by Jan. 30, 2025. (Rasilla, 12/2)

Bloomberg: CVS Weighs Selling Bonds, Offers To Buy Back As Much As $3 Billion Of Its Notes
CVS Health Corp. is talking to investors about possibly selling as much as $2.5 billion of bonds, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The health care company asked Barclays Plc, Citigroup Inc., and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. to arrange investor calls on Monday, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. (Joshua and Mutua, 12/2)

Modern Healthcare: Outpatient Construction Grows Amid Hospital Inpatient Redesigns
Health systems are boosting investment in outpatient expansion as some convert acute care hospitals to meet the growing demand for mental health, long-term care and other ambulatory services. Health systems are pumping billions of dollars into outpatient construction, which executives say their organizations will need as the population ages and as patients spend less time in the hospital. At the same time, some health systems are downsizing their acute care network to make space for an increasing number of patients managing anxiety, depression and other mental health issues and recovering from major procedures. (Kacik, 12/2)

The Wall Street Journal: The Number Of Male Nurses Has Tripled Since The Early 2000s. Here’s Why. 
The number of men in the U.S. with the job of registered nurse has nearly tripled since the early 2000s. Many come to the field after working in the military or in jobs, such as paramedics or firefighters, that exposed them to the work of nurses. “What I hear a lot from female students is, ‘I’ve always wanted to be a nurse, I like helping people,’ where the men tend to look more at job security and job stability,” said Jason Mott, president of the American Association for Men in Nursing. (Torry, 11/30)

MedPage Today: Study: Patients Better Be Very Literate To Understand These Handouts 
Patient education materials (PEMs) in rheumatology and general medicine demanded greater literacy than is typically recommended, researchers found. Handouts from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and the JAMA Network group required a 10th-grade reading level on average by one metric, and a college-sophomore level by another, according to Yazmin Rustomji, MD, and colleagues at Rush University in Chicago. Those from JAMA were particularly difficult, with means of 121 "complex words" per piece and 21 words per sentence, the group reported in Arthritis Care & Research. (Gever, 12/2)

San Francisco Chronicle: ‘A Very Low Moment’: Court To Weigh Gender-Affirming Care For Minors
In 2020, the Supreme Court — led by Justice Neil Gorsuch, a Donald Trump appointee — ruled that a federal law against sex discrimination also banned discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. This week, the court will consider whether the same standard applies to state laws banning gender-affirming care for minors. And some opponents of those laws are not optimistic. “This is a very low moment for transgender rights. The Supreme Court will find it difficult not to be swayed by politics,” said Jessica Clarke, a University of Southern California law professor who filed arguments with the court on behalf of other professors and the National Women’s Law Center. (Egelko, 12/3)

Los Angeles Times: Is The Supreme Court About To Let Red States Ban Hormone Treatment For Transgender Teens? 
The conservative Supreme Court is poised to leap into another culture-war battle between red states and blue states, this time involving medical rights of transgender teens and their parents. Two years after the conservative majority overturned national abortion rights, the justices will hear arguments Wednesday over whether states may ban hormone treatment and puberty blockers for adolescents suffering from gender dysphoria. (Savage, 12/2)

The Guardian: Trans People Scramble To Stockpile Medication Ahead Of Trump Presidency 
Many transgender people in the US are scrambling to shore up their treatments out of fear the incoming Trump administration will follow through on threats to restrict their healthcare. A popular underground hormone manufacturer stopped taking new orders in order to get through a backlog. “[We] didn’t expect to be hit as hard as we did after the election,” the manufacturer wrote on Reddit. The provider, Plume Health, which focuses on gender-affirming care, also noticed “a bump” in inquiries after the election, said Jerrica Kirkley, the co-founder and chief medical officer of the virtual clinic. (Nowell, 12/2)

The 19th: The Future Of Trans Health Care Under Trump 
The World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) sets global standards for doctors and nurses providing health care to transgender patients, especially for gender-affirming care. As that care has become increasingly politicized and banned across the United States, the organization’s work has become more fraught. Updating medical standards is slow and winding work, in which gaps in research are par for the course. But in the current political environment, far-right figures and opponents of gender-affirming care are ready to seize on any perceived misstep or discrepancy as reason to ban the care entirely. (Rummler, 12/2)

The Washington Post: What To Know About Transgender Health Care For Minors 
Frequently asked questions about gender transition care for minors, including what are puberty blockers and whether cross-sex hormones impact fertility. (Parks, 12/3)

Los Angeles Times: Supreme Court Weighs FDA's Authority To Regulate Vaping Products
The Supreme Court on Monday did not sound ready to sharply limit the power of the Food and Drug Administration to prohibit the sale of new candy-colored vaping products aimed at teenagers. Instead, the justices, both conservative and liberal, said Congress in 2009 gave the agency the power to stop the sale of new tobacco products, and it has used this authority in recent years to reject new vaping flavors with names such as “Rainbow Road” and “Peachy Strawberry.” (Savage, 12/2)

CalMatters: As CA Birth Centers Shut Down, Lawmaker Writes Plan To Help Them
Many California families want to bring their babies into the world outside of a hospital, but the state isn’t making it easy for them. Half of the state’s birth centers have closed since 2020, leaving only four licensed facilities open. Birth centers don’t need a state license to operate, but the expensive and onerous process of obtaining one is one of the primary reasons why birth centers are failing. Most insurers and Medi-Cal, the state’s public health insurance program for low-income residents, will only work with licensed facilities. (Hwang, 12/2)

KQED: Where To Find Financial Aid For Abortion In California
Experts and advocates are concerned that the return of President-elect Donald Trump to the White House in January 2025 will bring a wave of policies that will further restrict reproductive care. Meanwhile, abortion is still legal in California — and many of the state’s top officials have pledged to fight any federal attempts to restrict abortion care ahead of a second Trump administration. (Khan, 12/3)

The Hill: Cervical Cancer Is Preventable. So Why Are Rates Increasing Among Women In Their 30s And 40s? 
Overall, cervical cancer rates have been dropping in the United States since the early 1990s thanks to more widespread screening and the release of the first HPV vaccine in 2006.   Those vaccinations and routine screenings, coupled with follow-up treatment when needed, can prevent “nearly all” cervical cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI).   But not all women take those precautionary steps — or are able to. Health experts theorize cervical cancer cases are climbing among 30- and 40-something women due to two things: low HPV vaccination rates among women over 30 and decreasing cervical cancer screening in the United States.  (O'Connell-Domenech, 12/2)

San Francisco Chronicle: They Went To Rehab In SF To Kick Drugs. Instead, They Died
Faye Mitchell felt an unfamiliar sense of hope in late 2023 that her son, Geno, would finally get the treatment he needed. After nearly a decade of false starts, Geno Sargent, 24, was optimistic, too. He was living at Walden House, a San Francisco residential treatment program for people experiencing addiction and mental illness. By the time he landed there, he was homeless, struggling to manage his bipolar disorder and snorting cocaine just to get up in the morning. But he told an intake worker that he felt the program would give him “the best chance of staying sober.” (Angst and Lurie, 12/3)

LAist: Do You Know What’s In Your Drugs? LA County Libraries Can Help You Find Out
L.A. County libraries are doing more to prevent fatal drug overdoses. The county system has already had a weekly naloxone clinic at 13 select libraries, but now they’re adding free fentanyl test strips to be given out during that time. Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid drug used for pain relief — but it’s about 100 times more potent than morphine and often gets laced into street drug supplies. Test strips give people who use drugs more information before deciding if they’ll go ahead. Early data indicates California overdose deaths may be dropping, but with the crisis far from over, experts say these tests can help prevent more deaths. (Hernández, 12/2)

San Francisco Chronicle: Church Or Ballet Could Count As Treatment For S.F. Welfare Recipients
When San Francisco voters earlier this year mandated that welfare recipients struggling with addiction take part in treatment, they may have envisioned a residential program or structured outpatient counseling sessions. But the nonprofit tapped to run the new city program says that treatment could also include more unorthodox approaches such as going to church or practicing ballet .Cedric Akbar, executive director of Positive Directions Equals Changes — the nonprofit that will run the new city program — told the Chronicle that treatment isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. (Angst, 12/2)

MedPage Today: Drug Prices Negotiated By Medicare Still Higher Than Other Countries' 
Prices for the first 10 drugs negotiated by Medicare fell from their initial net prices, but all drugs except one remained more expensive in the U.S. than in peer countries, researchers said. Compared with their net prices prior to negotiation, negotiated prices for the 10 drugs ranged from 8% lower for dapagliflozin (Farxiga) to 42% lower for sitagliptin (Januvia), reported Olivier J. Wouters, PhD, of the London School of Economics and Political Science, and co-authors. (Firth, 12/2)

Modern Healthcare: Centene, UnitedHealth Medicare Advantage Ratings Boosted For 2025
UnitedHealthcare and Centene have received higher Medicare Advantage star ratings for the 2025 plan year after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services revised their scores. On Monday, CMS published updated Medicare Advantage Star Ratings program data that reveal the agency increased the quality ratings for 12 UnitedHealthcare contracts and seven Centene contracts, each of which comprise multiple Medicare Advantage plans. CMS issued 2025 star ratings for all Medicare Advantage insurers in October. (Tepper and Broderick, 12/2)

Fortune Well: Medicare Agents Might Not Recommend The Best Plans This Year As Profits Take Priority 
Because some agents aren’t getting paid to sell certain Medicare Advantage policies, they may not recommend those plans even when they’re the best choices. (Eisenberg, 12/2)

Stat: Medicare Advantage Set To Benefit Under Trump
Medicare Advantage insurers thrived under the first Trump administration, and it’s expected to happen again now that Trump is returning to the White House and Republicans are taking control of Congress. The Medicare Advantage program is expected to cost taxpayers and beneficiaries more than $500 billion this year. For the past decade, it has been the insurance industry’s golden goose of profitability. But insurance companies have lamented recent regulations, worrying their margins will take a hit. (Herman, 12/3)

The Washington Post: Conflicts Of Interest May Haunt Dr. Oz’s Confirmation To Run Medicare, Medicaid 
Dr. Oz has extolled Ozempic’s promise for weight-loss. Now Medicare, which Trump wants Oz to oversee, may cover it. (Butler, Weber and Gilbert, 12/2)

The Wall Street Journal: Insurers Collected Billions From Medicare For Veterans Who Cost Them Almost Nothing 
Bruce Kitt is one of the Medicare Advantage industry’s most lucrative customers. The federal government pays his private Medicare Advantage insurer thousands of dollars a year to cover the cost of doctor visits, hospitalizations and other medical care that the 74-year-old retired aircraft mechanic might need. But Kitt, an Air Force veteran who served in Thailand during the Vietnam War, gets almost all of his healthcare outside the Medicare system, through the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. The taxpayer-funded Department of Veterans Affairs health system provides low-cost or free care to Kitt and about nine million other qualifying veterans. (Maremont, Weaver and McGinty, 12/2)

Los Angeles Times: Dolores Madrigal Dead: Lead Plaintiff In Sterilization Case Was 90
On a fall morning in East L.A. in 1974, Dolores Madrigal and her husband, Orencio, ate breakfast while listening to ranchera radio station KWKW when a news segment aired that would change her life. The couple heard about how 100 people had protested in front of Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center to decry the hospital’s years-long practice of sterilizing low-income women without their consent. The rally came in the wake of a lawsuit filed against the Boyle Heights hospital by three Mexican American women who alleged they were victims. (Arellano, 12/2)

Voice of OC: Is Orange County’s Flagship Mental Health Program Finished?
Orange County leaders are now wrapped up in a lawsuit with Mind OC, the nonprofit they partnered with to help launch the county’s Be Well program that was supposed to be the cornerstone of the county’s mental health outreach system. Now, county Health Care Agency staff have canceled the county’s biggest contracts with Mind OC and announced plans to take over managing all treatment at both the Irvine and Orange sites after letting the nonprofit run things. (Biesiada, 12/2)

Victorville Daily Press: 'Tis The Season For Flu And Covid-19 Vaccines, California Health Officials Say
With all the traveling and gatherings that accompany the holiday season, California public health officials are reminding the public to make time to get flu and COVID-19 shots. The reminder issued Monday by the California Department of Public Health coincided with the start of National Influenza Vaccination Week. (Day, 12/2)

CNN: Belly Fat Linked To Brain Decay And Early Signs Of Alzheimer’s, Study Finds
Belly fat, also known as visceral fat, may contribute to brain atrophy and early markers of Alzheimer’s disease, new research found. (LaMotte, 12/2)

ProPublica: Formaldehyde Causes More Cancer Than Any Other Toxic Air Pollutant. Little Is Being Done to Curb the Risk.
In a world flush with hazardous air pollutants, there is one that causes far more cancer than any other, one that is so widespread that nobody in the United States is safe from it.It is a chemical so pervasive that a new analysis by ProPublica found it exposes everyone to elevated risks of developing cancer no matter where they live. And perhaps most worrisome, it often poses the greatest risk in the one place people feel safest: inside their homes. (Lerner and Shaw, 12/3)

ProPublica: Formaldehyde Cancer Risk In Your Neighborhood
In most of the country, formaldehyde contributes more to outdoor cancer risk than any other toxic air pollutant. Look up your address to see risks from the chemical on your block and where it comes from. (Shaw and Lerner, 12/3)

Los Angeles Times: Button Batteries That Power Household Items Can Be Deadly
The round batteries, small as buttons and shiny as coins, are prized for the energy they pack at their size. In households, they have become commonplace, powering remote controls, hearing aids, toys, electric tea lights, wristwatches, greeting cards that play music and other familiar items. But doctors warn that such “button batteries” can maim and kill. Pop one into your mouth and swallow — as thousands of children do annually — and they can quickly cause devastating injuries. (Alpert Reyes, 11/29)

CNN: House Covid-19 Panel Releases Final Report Criticizing Public Health Response To The Pandemic 
A Republican-led House committee investigating broad aspects of the Covid-19 pandemic and its effects in the US released a final report Monday summarizing its two-year effort, saying it hoped the work would “serve as a road map for Congress, the Executive Branch, and the private sector to prepare for and respond to future pandemics.” In the 520-page report, the House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic concludes that the coronavirus “most likely emerged from a laboratory in Wuhan, China,” citing factors like biological characteristics of the virus and illnesses among researchers at the Wuhan Institute of Virology in fall 2019. (Dillinger, 12/2)

The Hill: Read House Oversight Committee's COVID-19 Report On Origins, Response
Read the full report here. (12/2)

Politico: Trump’s Health Nominees Want Covid Vindication. Here's How Their Critique Has Aged. 
The Covid wars are still raging in 2024, and now the Covid contrarians are in charge. President-elect Donald Trump has rounded out his roster of health agency nominees by picking Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford University physician and economist who criticized lockdowns, school closures and health agency leadership during the pandemic, to lead the National Institutes of Health. (Schumaker, Perez Jr., Cirruzzo and Leonard, 12/2)