- KFF Health News Original Stories 3
- Has California Hit The Brakes In Regulating Breath-Robbing Big Rigs?
- 5 Ways The Senate GOP Health Bill Could Change Your Health Plan Options
- Postcard From Capitol Hill: When Health Care Takes a Breather
Latest From California Healthline:
KFF Health News Original Stories
Has California Hit The Brakes In Regulating Breath-Robbing Big Rigs?
The state has made a huge dent in diesel pollution from freight trucks. But critics fear exemptions in a new law will stall progress, especially endangering the health of children and seniors near ports. (Ngoc Nguyen and Heidi de Marco, 7/17)
5 Ways The Senate GOP Health Bill Could Change Your Health Plan Options
A key bill provision would likely lower premiums, but coverage would be skimpier with consumers left to figure out the trade-offs. (Julie Appleby, 7/18)
Postcard From Capitol Hill: When Health Care Takes a Breather
Sen. John McCain’s surgery deflated Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s ambition to push health care bill forward this week. (Rachel Bluth, 7/17)
More News From Across The State
UCSF Sued In One Of State's First Cases Related To New Aid-In-Dying Law
The lawsuit alleges that Judy Dale “repeatedly requested” the reassurance of UCSF doctors and social workers that they would participate in the end-of-life law, “which they gave her over and over.’’
The Mercury News:
End Of Life: Family Sues UCSF For Refusing To Help Woman Die
In what may be the first-of-its-kind lawsuit related to California’s End of Life Option Act, the family of a San Francisco terminally ill cancer patient is suing the UC San Francisco Medical Center alleging that her physician and the system misrepresented that they would help the dying woman use California’s right-to-die law when her time came. Instead, according to the July 7 civil lawsuit filed in San Francisco Superior Court, Judy Dale’s wish for a peaceful death was denied to her by the defendants’ “conscious choice to suppress and conceal’’ their decision that they would not participate in the law, despite Dale’s repeated indications to doctors and social workers that she intended to use its provisions. (Seipel, 7/17)
Medical Board Doesn't Need Warrant To Look At Patients' Records, State Supreme Court Rules
The court said that the government’s need to protect public safety outweighed any intrusion into privacy.
Los Angeles Times:
California Supreme Court: Medical Board Can Examine Prescription Records
California’s medical board may obtain patient prescription records without a warrant or subpoena, the California Supreme Court decided unanimously Monday. Dr. Alwin Carl Lewis, a Burbank internist, brought the case after the state placed him on probation for three years following a review of his prescription records. (Dolan, 7/17)
Hearing, Speech Changes Can Be Early Warning Signs For Dementia
The speech pattern of those in the study with a condition that usually progresses into Alzheimer's used shorter, simpler sentences, and their delivery was more halting.
Los Angeles Times:
Worried About Dementia? Hearing And Language Problems Could Be Forerunners Of Cognitive Decline
Scientists have traced the roots of dementia back to midlife, a time when hearing loss and changes in speech patterns may signal the onset of cognitive decline. In research presented Monday at the Alzheimer’s Assn.’s annual international conference in London, investigators also reported that for people in their 80s, those who were admitted to a hospital for an urgent or emergency medical problem subsequently suffered more dramatic decline in mental functioning than their peers who checked into a hospital for an elective procedure or avoided the hospital altogether. (Healy, 7/17)
In other public health news —
The Mercury News:
UC Berkeley's Window To The Brain
UC Berkeley has been awarded $21.6 million to help federal scientists develop an implantable system to provide precision communication between the brain and the digital world. This system, as envisioned by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, would convert the electrochemical signaling used by neurons in the brain into the “ones” and “zeros” that are the language of information technology — advancing our understanding of the neural underpinnings of vision, hearing, and speech. (Krieger, 7/17)
The Press-Enterprise:
Study: Big Breakfast, Skimpy Dinner Help Weight Loss
Using information gained from the more than 50,000 participants, researchers found that timing and frequency of meals plays a large role in predicting weight loss or gain. Dr. Hana Kahleova, one of the study’s authors, said that the findings confirm the validity of the saying: “Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper.” (Steinberg, 7/15)
Sonoma Welcomes Marijuana Industry With Open Arms
With the green rush, the county sees the potential for jobs, tourism and taxes.
San Francisco Chronicle:
Sonoma County Challenges For Pot Supremacy As Others Turn Away
Craft cannabis is becoming a cousin to craft beer in Sonoma County, and the venture by the founder of the San Francisco Patient and Resource Center, or SPARC, is among several operations awaiting permits to grow and manufacture medical marijuana — and, presumably, recreational pot in the future. Around the state, the mainstreaming and legalization of marijuana is prompting many cities, even liberal ones, to fear trouble and shun the exploding industry. (Fimrite, 7/17)
With No Votes To Spare, Two More Republican Defections Effectively Kill Senate Health Bill
Sens. Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) say they can't vote for the legislation. “We should not put our stamp of approval on bad policy,” Moran wrote on Twitter. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says the next steps are to vote on the House bill with an amendment to fully repeal the Affordable Care Act.
The New York Times:
Health Care Overhaul Collapses As Two Republican Senators Defect
Two more Republican senators declared on Monday night that they would oppose the Senate Republican bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, killing, for now, a seven-year-old promise to overturn President Barack Obama’s signature domestic achievement. (Kaplan, 7/17)
The Washington Post:
Two More Senate Republicans Oppose Health-Care Bill, Leaving It Without Enough Votes To Pass
Sens. Mike Lee (Utah) and Jerry Moran (Kan.) issued statements declaring that they would not vote for the revamped measure. The sudden breaks by Lee, a staunch conservative, and Moran, an ally of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), rocked the GOP leadership and effectively closed what already had been an increasingly narrow path to passage for the bill. They joined Sens. Rand Paul (Ky.) and Susan Collins (Maine), who also oppose it. With just 52 seats, Republicans can afford to lose only two votes to pass their proposed rewrite of the Affordable Care Act. All 46 Democrats and two independents are expected to vote against it. (Sullivan and Bernstein, 7/18)
The Wall Street Journal:
Two More GOP Senators Oppose Health-Care Bill
“In addition to not repealing all of the Obamacare taxes, it doesn’t go far enough in lowering premiums for middle-class families; nor does it create enough free space from the most costly Obamacare regulations,” Mr. Lee, one of the Senate’s most conservative Republicans, said in a statement Monday night. (Peterson and Armour, 7/17)
USA Today:
Senate To Take Up Bill To Repeal Obamacare Without Replacement Plan
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced late Monday that the Senate will give up on its bill to replace Obamacare and vote instead on legislation to repeal the law within two years. (Singer, 7/17)
The Associated Press:
Trump Blasts Congress Over Failure Of GOP Health Care Bill
President Donald Trump blasted congressional Democrats and “a few Republicans” Tuesday over the failure of the GOP effort to rewrite the Obama health care law, and warned, “we will return.” Trump’s early morning tweet unleashed a barrage of criticism at Congress over the collapse of the GOP’s flagship legislative priority. For seven years, the party has pledged to repeal President Barack Obama’s law. “Most Republicans were loyal, terrific & worked really hard,” Trump tweeted Tuesday morning, but said, “We were let down by all of the Democrats and a few Republicans.” (Fram and Werner, 7/17)
Los Angeles Times:
Two More Republican Senators Announce Opposition To Healthcare Bill, Dooming Latest GOP Plan
In a tweet Monday, President Trump voiced support for repeal only: “Republicans should just REPEAL failing ObamaCare now & work on a new Healthcare Plan that will start from a clean slate. Dems will join in!” (Mascaro, 7/17)
Politico:
Trump Blindsided By Implosion Of GOP Health Care Bill
President Trump convened a strategy session over steak and succotash at the White House with senators Monday night, trying to plot an uphill path to repealing Obamacare and replacing it with a GOP alternative. ...
Meanwhile, two senators – neither invited to the dinner – were simultaneously drafting statements saying how they couldn’t support the current bill, which they released just after Trump’s White House meal concluded. (Dawsey, 7/18)
The Washington Post:
What Mitch McConnell Is Doing Next On Health Care, Explained
For Mitch McConnell, Monday night was as embarrassing a blow as they come for a Senate majority leader. Two more Republican senators came out against his bill to overhaul the Affordable Care Act, effectively dooming the latest version. That forced the Kentucky Republican to confront a difficult question with no good options: What now? (Sullivan, 7/18)
The New York Times:
Old Truth Trips Up G.O.P. On Health Law: A Benefit Is Hard To Retract
In the end, Republicans relearned a lesson that has bedeviled them since the New Deal: An American entitlement, once established, can almost never be retracted. Since the day the Affordable Care Act passed Congress, Republicans have vowed to overturn it. In the beginning, many voters were with them, handing the Republican Party some of the tools: a sweeping rejection of House Democrats in 2010 — a rejection of government reach — followed by the Senate in 2014. (Steinhauer, 7/17)
When It Comes To Path Forward, Intra-Party Discord Isn't Limited To GOP
There's a strong push from the left-wing of the Democratic Party for a single-payer system, but others aren't convinced that's the way to go.
McClatchy:
Obamacare Repeal: Democrats Divided On Single Payer Health Care
Democrats showed uncommon unity in fighting Republican efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, and it appeared to be working Monday as two more GOP senators said they can’t support the latest version. But Democrats’ discipline masks a deep and fundamental divide within the party that could complicate efforts to gain ground in the 2018 election and beyond. (Clark, 7/17)