Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
New Round of Medicare Readmission Penalties Hits 2,583 Hospitals
Starting today, Medicare is keeping half a billion dollars in payments from 83% of general hospitals for having too many patients come back. As in the past, California hospitals were penalized less frequently and less severely than the national average. (Jordan Rau, )
Look Up Your California Hospital: Is It Being Penalized by Medicare?
Each year, Medicare punishes hospitals that have high rates of readmissions and high rates of infections and patient injuries. Check out which hospitals have been penalized. (Jordan Rau, )
Good morning! House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's drug pricing bill is scrutinized. The Trump administration redistributes family planning funds. And the great red meat debate fires up again. More on that below, but first here are your top California health news stories of the day.
FDA Tried To Ban Kid-Friendly, Flavored Vaping Fluids Years Ago. What Stopped It? The Los Angeles Times reports that as the regulation was being considered as part of an Obama administration tobacco control rule, tobacco industry lobbyists and small business advocates applied a full court press on the White House. Now, with so much attention on the vaping disease outbreak, some congressional Republicans are being pulled between free market principles and efforts to regulate e-cigarette and vaping products. Read the full story from Emily Baumgaertner of the Los Angeles Times.
Juul Ceases Support For San Francisco E-Cigarette Ballot Measure: As health concerns over vaping continue to rise, Juul says that it will no longer financially back Proposition C, a ballot initiative that aims to overturn a San Francisco ordinance suspending the sale of e-cigarettes in the city. The measure will still appear on Nov. 5 ballots. Read more on this story from Catherine Ho at the San Francisco Chronicle and from The Associated Press.
Alignment Health To Expand Medicare Advantage Sales In California: The insurance company announced today that it is “doubling its California footprint with expansion into eight greater Sacramento and Bay Area counties, where more than 862,000 Medicare recipients live.” Read the full story from Bruce Japsen at Forbes.
Below, check out the full round-up of California Healthline original stories, state coverage and the best of the rest of the national news for the day.
More News From Across The State
San Francisco Chronicle:
Supervisors Unveil Revised Vision For Mental Health Care Overhaul
San Francisco Supervisors Hillary Ronen and Matt Haney will unveil a series of modifications Tuesday to their plan to overhaul the city’s mental health care system. The changes don’t move the measure — dubbed Mental Health SF — away from its ambitious central goal of providing free, efficient and round-the-clock access to psychiatrists and pharmacists for any San Franciscan 18 and older. To do that, the supervisors crafted the measure, which they hope to place on the March 2020 ballot, to compel city health officials to fix the city’s fragmented and often ineffective systems of care. (Fracassa, 10/1)
KQED:
Climate Change Despair Is Real. This Is How You Fight It.
Environmental activists like Jornsay-Silverberg are not the only ones feeling overwhelmed with despair as the climate changes. While "eco-anxiety" is most commonly used to describe these feelings, therapists and others have bandied about different labels, too: climate anxiety, climate despair, eco-despair and eco-grief. (Klivans, 10/1)
Capital Public Radio:
Burlesque Dancers With Health Issues Find Support In Sacramento Troupe
Burlesque is closely tied to body positivity — a movement that challenges social negativity around body image. Many of the Moxies say the art form helps them build confidence. Dancers choreograph their own routines, which is key for some performers with physical limitations, as well as those who use striptease to tell stories about difficult life experiences, including domestic violence and sexual abuse. (Caiola, 9/30)
San Jose Mercury News:
How Bay Area Cities Are Cracking Down On Vaping
The burgeoning push to put the brakes on e-cigarette sales started, as these vanguard movements often do, in San Francisco when the Board of Supervisors approved in June a ban on e-cigarette sales, just as health concerns over the practice were starting to ramp up. Since then, reports showing an alarming rise in vaping and e-cigarette use among teenagers have prompted a national debate — and increasingly panicked public health warnings, amid reports that hundreds of people have been sickened by mysterious lung illnesses suspected of being related to vaping. At least four states have now issued all-out bans on electronic cigarettes. (May, 9/30)
San Diego Union-Times:
Supervisors To Consider Temporary Ban On Vaping Supplies In Unincorporated Areas
Pointing to a dozen deaths and more than 800 cases recorded nationwide, two San Diego County supervisors said Monday they will ask their colleagues to support a temporary ban on vaping devices and flavored tobacco products. Proposed by Supervisors Dianne Jacob and Nathan Fletcher, the proposed ban, which is scheduled for a public hearing on Oct. 15, would pertain only to the “unincorporated” parts of San Diego County where about 500,000 people live. Individual city councils would have to adopt similar restrictions independently of any county action. (Sisson, 9/30)
The New York Times:
Police Crack Down On Vaping, Surfacing Stockpiles Of Illicit Cartridges
As health officials grapple with a public health crisis they are struggling to understand, police departments are in the midst of a swift crackdown on vaping products containing THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. In the Phoenix area, the authorities recently raided three homes over eight days, seizing hundreds of THC cartridges at each. In Wisconsin, detectives arrested two young brothers accused of running a large-scale THC cartridge assembly operation inside a condo. And in Nebraska, sheriff’s deputies found a stash of cartridges in a car parked at a truck stop. (Bosman and Smith, 10/1)
Modesto Bee:
New Shelter Readies For Modesto Homeless As MOES Closes. But Dogs May Be Left Behind
Officials are on track to close the Modesto Outdoor Emergency Shelter — the temporary tent city that is home for about 400 people — by the end of the year as projects that provide more shelter and services for homeless people come online. A big one is the 182-bed shelter Stanislaus County is building inside The Salvation Army’s Berberian Center. The shelter is low barrier, meaning unlike a traditional shelter it takes partners, pets and possessions, and is expected to open in mid November. (Valine, 9/30)
Orange County Register:
Coastal Commission Says San Clemente Homeless Site May Violate Coastal Act
San Clemente city officials say they are “confused and vexed” by a discussion at a California Coastal Commission meeting regarding the likely need for a coastal development permit for the homeless campsite at the city-owned maintenance yard. Prompted by a group from Santa Ana’s Elder Law and Disability Rights Center, speaking at the commission’s Sept. 11 meeting in Newport Beach, the discussion included a request for punitive action against the city. (Ritchie, 9/30)
Sacramento Bee:
Yolo Responds After Video Of Deputies Dumping Homeless Man
A video published by Public Safety News shows the deputies dropping the man off Sept. 25 next to the McDonald’s on Richards Boulevard in Sacramento’s River District, an industrial neighborhood along Interstate 5 north of the downtown railyard. ...Public Safety News wrote on its website that an employee “observed two Yolo County Sheriff’s units roll quickly into the south end of the parking lot and stop crosswise across the parking spaces against the building.” (Sullivan and Yoon-Hendricks, 9/30)
Sacramento Bee:
CA Child Care Workers Gain Union Rights To Bargain For Pay
Tens of thousands of California child care providers gained new rights to bargain for better wages and health benefits under a new law Gov. Gavin Newsom signed on Monday, the labor unions sponsoring the bill announced. The new law will apply to more than 40,000 workers who care for families that receive child care cost assistance from the state. It will allow them to negotiate with the California Human Resources department over wages and health care benefits. (Bollag, 9/30)
Orange County Register:
Vietnamese Elderly Continue To Struggle With Language And Culture In Health Care
The hurdle of providing comfort and care when language is a barrier is not new in health care and is an issue being address across the nation. It is especially pertinent in communities such as Orange County’s Little Saigon, home to the largest concentration of Vietnamese outside of Southeast Asia. Almost 200,000 residents who can only speak Vietnamese are seeking care from area hospitals and health care providers. (Truong, 9/30)
KQED:
Paradise Residents Still Can't Drink The Water
Since last November, when the Camp Fire almost completely destroyed the town of Paradise, the cancer-causing chemical benzene has tainted the town’s water, leaving it undrinkable. Now an independent team of scientists will begin testing for the carcinogen and other pollutants inside the houses that the fire left standing. “The main goal is to really understand what’s going on, basically, and to address any issues that come up,” environmental health investigator Dr. Gina Solomon told residents at a recent Paradise Irrigation District meeting. (Peterson, 9/30)
Stat:
Pelosi Drug Pricing Plan Could Wipe Out Key Funds For Low-Income Hospitals
A 60-word provision tucked into Nancy Pelosi’s signature drug pricing plan could wreak havoc on hospitals that serve low-income populations. (Florko, 9/30)
The Hill:
House Progressive Circulates Letter Seeking Changes To Pelosi Drug Pricing Bill
A progressive leader among House Democrats on lowering drug prices is circulating a letter calling for “necessary improvements” to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) signature legislation on the topic. The letter from Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas), obtained by The Hill, outlines changes that he says need to be made to the legislation Pelosi unveiled earlier this month, which is one of House Democrats’ top legislative priorities. (Sullivan, 9/30)
The Hill:
Trump Admin Shifts Family Planning Funds From Planned Parenthood To Other Providers
The Trump administration says it has reallocated $34 million in federal funds given up by Planned Parenthood and other providers that did not want to comply with new abortion restrictions on a federal family planning program. The money will instead go to 50 grantees that decided to remain in the Title X family planning grant program, which funds birth control and other reproductive health services for millions of low-income women and men. (Hellmann, 9/30)
The Associated Press:
Trump Officials Shuffle Funds To Cover Family Planning Gaps
Diane Foley, director of the Health and Human Services office that oversees the so-called Title X family planning program said Monday the goal is to serve about the same number of women , or more, avoiding disruptions. ... About 930 clinics serving an estimated 900,000 clients have been affected by grantees leaving the program.
The money returned to the government has been divided up among organizations that remained, said Foley, among them state and local health departments. However, five states will no longer be served by the federal program. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 9/30)
The Wall Street Journal:
Supreme Court Is Key After Trump’s String Of Losses In Lower Courts
Donald Trump’s presidency has faced considerable setbacks in the courts, with judges blocking administration actions on immigration, the environment and health care. But the president’s fortunes have begun to improve with help from the Supreme Court, and a crucial set of proceedings lies ahead. This year, the country’s highest court granted interim victories to the Trump administration on several hot-button issues after the Justice Department filed emergency appeals challenging lower-court injunctions that had impeded White House plans. The decisions allowed the administration to implement its plans while litigation continues, which in some cases could run through the 2020 presidential election. (Kendall, 9/30)
Politico:
Republican Rep. Chris Collins Resigns Ahead Of Expected Guilty Plea
Collins was the largest investor and a member of the board of directors for Innate Immunotherapeutics, an Australian biotech company. He was charged with passing inside information on the company to his son and Zarsky, father of Cameron Collins' fiancee. Using that information, Cameron Collins and Zarsky were able to avoid hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses after a drug trial failed, authorities say. At that time, the Securities and Exchange Commission settled with Lauren Zarsky, Cameron Collins' fiancee, and her mother, Dorothy Zarsky, over allegations of insider trading. The pair neither admitted nor denied, but they agreed to give up "ill-gotten gains" and pay fines, the SEC said. (Bresnahan, 9/30)
Modern Healthcare:
CMS To Allow States To Offer Individual Market Wellness Programs
The CMS has launched a pilot project for states to implement health-contingent wellness programs in the individual market. The states will be able to offer residents lower premiums or other incentives if they choose to participate in the state's wellness program through the individual market. The CMS is currently seeking applications for the project, which will involve 10 states. (Castellucci, 9/30)
The Associated Press:
Smoking Ban At VA Facilities Has Some Veterans Fuming
Serving up drinks at the American Legion post in Concord, Jeff Holland gets a little testy when the talk turns to smoking. A Marine veteran who enjoys lighting up, the 44-year-old Holland fought unsuccessfully against a ban at the post that went into effect earlier this month. And starting Tuesday, he will be prohibited from smoking when he visits the nearby Manchester VA Medical Center in New Hampshire. It is part of a nationwide smoking ban outside all VA medical facilities that applies to visitors, patients and employees. (Casey, 10/1)
The Associated Press:
Las Vegas Massacre Anniversary Sparks Debate On Gun Control
In the two years since the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, the federal government and states have tightened some gun regulations. But advocates say they’re frustrated that more hasn’t been done since 58 people died at a concert on the Las Vegas Strip, and that mass shootings keep happening nationwide. “People are genuinely afraid of going places,” Nevada Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui said. (Ritter and Price, 10/1)
The New York Times:
Zantac Pulled From Shelves By Walgreens, Rite Aid And CVS Over Carcinogen Fears
The pharmacy chains Walgreens, Rite Aid and CVS have moved to stop selling the heartburn medicine Zantac and its generic versions after the Food and Drug Administration warned this month that it had detected low levels of a cancer-causing chemical in samples of the drug. A Walgreens spokesman said in a statement on Monday that the company had pulled the drug from its shelves “while the FDA continues its review of the products.” A Rite Aid spokesman said the company was “in the process of removing Zantac and generic versions sold under the Rite Aid name from its shelves.” (Garcia, 9/30)
Modern Healthcare:
Former FDA Commissioner To Head Strategy For Google Health, Verily
Google parent Alphabet has hired former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf to oversee strategy for two of the company's health divisions. Califf will serve as head of strategy and policy for Google Health and Verily Life Sciences, according to a blog post from Duke Forge, a health data science center at Duke University. Califf will step down from his role as Duke Forge's director in November to accept the full-time position at Alphabet. (Cohen, 9/30)
The Associated Press:
How Risky Is Eating Red Meat? New Papers Provoke Controversy
Eating red meat is linked to cancer and heart disease, but are the risks big enough to give up burgers and steak?
A team of international researchers says probably not, contradicting established advice. In a series of papers published Monday, the researchers say the increased risks are small and uncertain and that cutting back likely wouldn’t be worth it for people who enjoy meat. Their conclusions were swiftly attacked by a group of prominent U.S. scientists who took the unusual step of trying to stop publication until their criticisms were addressed. (Choi, 9/30)
The New York Times:
That Perplexing Red Meat Controversy: 5 Things To Know
Dietary guidelines from groups as diverse as the Department of Agriculture to the World Health Organization urge all of us to eat less red meat — much less. But the authors of four new studies, published on Wednesday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, report there is no compelling evidence that reducing consumption of red or processed meats will be beneficial to an individual. A furious backlash is already unfolding. Here are five takeaways from the debate. (Kolata, 9/30)
The New York Times:
Foods High In Vitamin A May Help Ward Off Skin Cancer
Getting a lot of vitamin A in your diet is tied to a lower risk for squamous cell carcinoma, a common form of skin cancer, a review of studies has found. Squamous cell carcinoma, a slow-growing cancer usually found on sun-exposed areas, is easy to treat if found early, although in rare cases it can spread to other tissues. (Bakalar, 10/1)
The New York Times:
Asthma 3-In-1 Therapy May Improve Lung Function, Study Shows
Many people with asthma use inhalers to control the chronic inflammation in their lungs. But for those with more severe forms of the disease, the standard inhaled medication may not be enough to keep the wheezing, chest tightness and attacks at bay. Now, a new combination-therapy — using three drugs in a single inhaler — may provide some relief, according to doctors presenting the results of two clinical trials on Monday at the annual conference of the European Respiratory Society in Madrid and published in The Lancet. (Sheikh, 9/30)
The Wall Street Journal:
The Rare Good Samaritans Who Donated Organs Twice
It’s hard enough for most people to imagine what it takes for a living donor to give an organ to a friend, family member or stranger. What about those who have done that good deed twice? Only 47 people in the U.S. have donated more than one organ to two different people over the past 25 years, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the nonprofit that runs the nation’s transplant system. (Another 17 people have donated two different organs to the same recipient on different dates.) Of those who donated to two different people, 43 out of 47 donated a kidney and part of their liver. (Reddy, 9/30)
The Wall Street Journal:
Novel Plan Aims To Settle Opioid Suits
Endo International PLC, Johnson & Johnson and other drugmakers that face sprawling litigation over the opioid crisis are exploring an unusual way to settle the cases: by participating in Purdue Pharma LP’s bankruptcy, according to internal documents and a person familiar with the matter. The move, if successful, could bring an end to—or at least dramatically shrink—one of the largest and most complex pieces of litigation the U.S. has ever seen. (Randazzo and Fitzgerald, 9/30)
The Wall Street Journal:
Opioid Maker Mallinckrodt Changes Management Severance To Lump-Sum Payments
Mallinckrodt PLC recently changed its severance-package policy to allow for departing executives of the drug company to receive lump-sum payouts instead of installment payments, and ensuring the policy endures should it change ownership structure, such as liquidating or reorganizing, filings show. The drugmaker, whose stock is down some 90% this year, previously hired restructuring experts as it faces several challenges, including trying to resolve thousands of lawsuits over its alleged role in helping start the nation’s opioid crisis. (Hopkins, 9/30)
Modern Healthcare:
Hospitals Support Medical Billing Changes, Opioid Payments
Hospitals support the CMS' proposed changes to medical billing coding and new payments for opioid treatment programs, but they're worried that changes to quality measures could hurt providers. Major medical groups and hospitals back the CMS' decision to abandon a provision of the finalized 2019 Medicare physician-fee schedule rule that would have consolidated the number of evaluation and management payment levels into one payment rate beginning in 2021. (Brady, 9/30)