CNN: Appeals Court Allows California Law To Go Into Effect, Restricting Concealed Carry In Public Places
A US appeals court Saturday paved the way for a California law banning the concealed carry of firearms in “sensitive places” to go into effect January 1, despite a federal judge’s ruling that it is “repugnant to the Second Amendment.” (Rose, 1/1)

Los Angeles Times: California Court Battle Over Gun Magazines Shows U.S. Divide 
Late last month, a coalition of 19 U.S. states and the District of Columbia came together to support California’s ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines. In a brief filed in the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, where a challenge to California’s law is being considered, the coalition argued that California’s ban is “wholly consistent” with the 2nd Amendment and should be upheld as lawful. Late Thursday, 25 other states responded with their own brief arguing just the opposite. They said California’s ammunition ban was a threat to the 2nd Amendment and to individual gun owners’ right to self-defense, and should be overturned as unconstitutional. (Rector, 12/31)

CalMatters: New California Law Bans Surprise Ambulance Bills In 2024
The COVID-19 pandemic took a brutal toll on Danielle Miele’s family, but after two exorbitant ambulance bills she’s afraid to call 911.Her teenage son attempted suicide in 2022, Miele said. His mental health deteriorated during the pandemic, and he needed an ambulance transfer from the Roseville emergency room where Miele took him to a treatment center in San Mateo. The ambulance company hit Miele with a $9,000 out-of-network charge, which was sent to collections “almost immediately,” she said. The virus also left Miele with seizures that mimic the symptoms of a heart attack, she said. Miele called 911 the first time a seizure happened. The 15-minute ride to the hospital cost $4,000 without help from insurance. (Hwang, 12/27)

San Francisco Chronicle: Former UCSF Fertility Doctor Accused Of Impregnating Patient
A Seattle fertility doctor has surrendered his medical license after facing an accusation that he used his own sperm to artificially inseminate a California woman while he was treating her as a fellow at UCSF 14 years ago. The allegation, made public in December, prompted UCSF to send letters to women treated by the doctor advising them of the situation and offering genetic testing for their own families. (Allday, 1/1)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Meet UCSD Health's First Chief AI Officer
UC San Diego Health is importing a sharp mind to help guide its efforts in artificial intelligence. (Sisson, 1/2)

KQED: These New California Housing Laws Are Going Into Effect In 2024 
The past legislative session saw 56 housing bills signed into law, but whether the momentum can be sustained in 2024 is still an open question as the state faces a tough budget year and challenging home building environment. (Baldassari, 1/2)

Los Angeles Times: New Law Has Californians With Criminal Records 'Quite Hopeful' They'll Finally Find Housing 
In 2021, four years after finishing her last jail term and living in transitional housing in Riverside County, Erica Smith was ready for a permanent home. She’d saved enough to cover a security deposit and the first and last month’s rent for an apartment for her and her daughter. But after three months of searching, Smith ran out of money, having burned through $10,000 on stays in motel rooms. She’d never found a place to live. Smith had a series of drug-related and theft convictions on her record. Numerous cities within Riverside had adopted laws called crime-free housing that aimed to prohibit landlords from renting to tenants with criminal histories. (Dillon and Poston, 12/27)

Bay Area News Group: Despite Billions Spent, New Data Shows Almost A Third Of The Nation's Homeless Now Live In California
California’s homeless population grew 6% this year to more than 181,000 people — by far the largest estimate of any state, accounting for nearly three in 10 unhoused people nationwide, according to new federal data. (Varian, 12/28)

San Diego Union-Tribune: When A Housing Voucher Runs Out, Tough Choices Remain For People On The Verge Of Homelessness 
As the region’s homelessness crisis grows, vouchers that help cover rent have emerged as a key tool for keeping people off the street. But the rising cost of housing, a lack of affordable homes and finite resources often leave leaders with limited options concerning who to aid. (Nelson, 1/1)

Bay Area News Group: Medi-Cal Reform Causing Worry In Santa Clara County As Program Shutters
David Mineta chokes up when talking about the roughly 1,500 individuals Momentum for Health — the nonprofit he runs — won’t be able to help this coming year. Momentum is one of the largest nonprofit behavioral health service providers in Santa Clara County, serving more than 4,000 adults and children annually. But because of ripple effects from CalAIM — a multi-year plan to overhaul California’s Medi-Cal system — the nonprofit said it closed six of its programs and laid off 85 staff members at the end of December. “It just breaks me,” said Mineta, the president and CEO of Momentum. (Hase, 1/1)

San Diego Union-Tribune: 'Without Citizen Enforcement, It’s Clear Nothing Will Change:' San Diego Groups To Sue Feds Over Cross-Border Sewage 
Two San Diego nonprofits announced that they plan to file a lawsuit to compel the federal government to stop the overflow of Tijuana sewage that is wreaking havoc on local communities. (Murga, 12/29)

Reuters: California County Conducts Surprise Inspection At PBF's Martinez Refinery
Health authorities in California's Contra Costa County said on Tuesday they had launched an unannounced inspection at PBF Energy's 156,400 barrel per day refinery in Martinez. The inspection was aimed at requesting records and observing its operation with a focus on safety programs, reliability of equipment, and to follow up regarding several recent accidents, Contra Costa Health said. (12/27)

CBS News: Public Health Officials Reinstate Mask Mandate At LA County Health Care Facilities
Los Angeles County has reinstated a mask-wearing requirement for staff and visitors at all licensed health care facilities in light of an upswing in coronavirus metrics, officials said Saturday. The county recently entered the "medium" level of COVID-19 hospital admissions, as defined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (12/30)

Los Angeles Times: Suffering From COVID And The Flu: Double Infections Hit California Hard
California’s hospitals are getting busier with more COVID-19 and flu patients, some of whom are suffering from both viruses at the same time. The simultaneous sickness is another wrinkle in an already hectic respiratory virus season. Although hospitals are not nearly as crowded as during the emergency phase of the pandemic, they are becoming increasingly so — with Los Angeles County recently entering the “medium” COVID-19 hospitalization category outlined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the first time this winter. (Lin II, 1/2)

ABC7 San Francisco: Bay Area Wastewater Levels High With COVID, RSV And Flu After Holiday Season, Data Shows 
It's not quite "here we go again," according to infectious diseases experts, but the big three -- RSV, flu and COVID -- are on the rise again. Wastewater data is showing higher-than-normal levels of all three viruses across the Bay Area. (Dorsey, 1/1)

CIDRAP: Studies: More US Adults Roll Up Sleeves For Flu Than COVID, RSV Vaccines 
A trio of new studies provide a snapshot of US adult vaccine uptake and views, with two showing the highest coverage for flu, followed by COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and one confirming greater willingness to get a flu shot than a COVID-19 shot. (Van Beusekom, 12/27)

The Washington Post: Four Years On, Long Covid Still Confounds Us. Here’s What We Now Know
Many people now view covid-19 as an almost routine inconvenience, much like flu, RSV and other seasonal infections. But four years after reports surfaced of a new respiratory illness, prompting a massive response among researchers, the disease’s aftereffects — commonly called long covid — continue to confound doctors and patients alike. “We know a lot about this particular coronavirus,” said Francesca Beaudoin, chair of the department of epidemiology at Brown University. “That does not translate into an understanding of the long-term consequences of infection.” (Sellers, 12/31)

Reuters: Exclusive: Drugmakers Set To Raise US Prices On At Least 500 Drugs In January
Drugmakers including Pfizer, Sanofi and Takeda Pharmaceutical plan to raise prices in the United States on more than 500 drugs in early January, according to data analyzed by healthcare research firm 3 Axis Advisors. Excluding different doses and formulations, more than 140 brands of drugs will have their prices raised next month, the data showed. The expected price hikes come as the pharmaceutical industry gears up for the Biden Administration to publish significantly discounted prices for 10 high-cost drugs in September, and continues to contend with higher inflation and manufacturing costs. (Erman and Wingrove, 12/29)

Stat: Pharmacies Brace For PBM Fee Cash Crunch After Jan. 1
The Biden administration seemed to be giving pharmacies a win when they forced pharmacy benefit managers to be more up-front about the behind-the-scenes fees they charge. But now pharmacies are afraid the transition to the new system on Jan. 1 will lead to a cash flow crunch. (Cohrs, 1/2)

Stat: Ahead Of JPM, Here's Who's Profiting Most In Health Care
For all the flack they get, the country’s four biggest pharmacy benefit managers reported a surprisingly tame average profit margin in the first three quarters of 2023: 4.5%, less than a third of their drugmaker peers. But don’t take their numbers as gospel, experts warned. (Bannow and Trang, 1/2)

The Washington Post: Sidney Wolfe, Fierce Adversary Of Drug Companies And FDA, Dies At 86 
Sidney M. Wolfe, a doctor turned consumer activist who battled drug companies, lobbyists and regulators during a nearly five-decade crusade against ineffective, risky and overpriced medications that made him a hero to patient advocacy groups and an implacable foe to anyone who opposed him, died Jan. 1 at his home in Washington. He was 86.The cause was a brain tumor, said his wife, Suzanne Goldberg. Dr. Wolfe did not practice medicine for long and instead spent most of his career with the Health Research Group, part of the Washington-based Public Citizen organization founded by consumer activist Ralph Nader. (Rosenwald, 1/1)

The Washington Post: Apple Wins Temporary Reprieve From The Ban On Apple Watch Sales
One day after a ban on the import and sale of its two newest Apple Watches became official, Apple managed to buy itself some time. Shortly after the office of U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai confirmed on Tuesday that the United States would not overturn the International Trade Commission ruling calling for the ban, Apple appealed the decision and submitted an emergency filing to the D.C.-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, seeking a short pause on the ban’s enforcement. The court on Wednesday granted Apple that temporary reprieve. That means Apple is allowed to resume selling Apple Watch models with blood oxygen tracking features — the Watch Ultra 2 and the Watch Series 9 — direct to consumers. The company confirmed both devices would be available for sale in Apple retail stores Wednesday, and on its website by Thursday at 12 p.m. Pacific time. (Velazco, 12/27)

CapRadio: UC Davis Launches Mobile Clinic To Help Students With Stress And Basic Needs
A new 24/7 mobile team at UC Davis is working to prevent crises before they happen, answering calls every day from students experiencing overwhelming stress and food and housing insecurity. The Health 34 program, named after UC Davis’ fire station 34, launched in September and pairs an EMT with a health education specialist to help address student needs and connect them to other resources on campus. The team’s services are free, and all members are trained in peer-based emotional support and guidance. (Wolffe, 1/2)

San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area Engineer Invented A ‘People Picker-Upper' For Aging Parents
Steve Powell had a problem — one common to many people with older relatives. His mother and father kept falling down. His divorced parents, who both wanted to age at home, lived separately near Powell’s Livermore home. They’d call him, and he’d go over and get them back on their feet. Once he wasn’t available. His mom had to call 911 and felt humiliated in her nightgown in front of four burly firefighters. (Said, 1/2)

Los Angeles Times: Wrightwood Youth Connect In New Ways With Elderly Neighbors 
Wrightwood Elementary in San Bernardino County created a program to better support its older neighbors by connecting young families with senior citizens. (Toohey, 1/1)

San Diego Union-Tribune: $3 Million Spent, $3 Million To Go: Here's How County Funds Are Being Used On Migrant Services 
The South Bay nonprofit contracted by the county to spearhead migrant services will continue to run a temporary welcome center in central San Diego through the end of March, despite ongoing calls from other local aid groups for increased transparency and accountability from the organization. (Alvarenga and Fox, 1/1)