- California Healthline Original Stories 1
- Dialysis Giant DaVita Defends Itself In Court And At The Polls
- Elections 1
- Newsom's Past Efforts To Help San Francisco's Homeless Problem Draw Scrutiny As Election Nears
- Courts 1
- Judge Upholds Roundup Weed-Killer Verdict Against Monsanto, But Proposes Slashing Punitive Damages
- Health Care Personnel 1
- More Than 15,000 University Of California Nurse’s Aides And Other Patient Care Workers Launch Strike
- Public Health and Education 2
- 'We Will Not Be Erased': Fierce Backlash Ignites Over Plan That Would Eradicate Protections For Transgender People
- California Has Led The Way On Reducing Maternal Mortality Rates, And Experts Want Other States To Replicate Efforts
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Dialysis Giant DaVita Defends Itself In Court And At The Polls
Although dialysis provider DaVita Inc. has taken major financial hits this year, including a $383.5 million jury award in response to wrongful death lawsuits, it still rakes in profits. The company faces its biggest threat next month, when California voters weigh in on a ballot initiative that could force it to leave the state. (Samantha Young, )
More News From Across The State
Newsom's Past Efforts To Help San Francisco's Homeless Problem Draw Scrutiny As Election Nears
Republican John Cox has accused Gavin Newsom of being a part of the “political class” whose policies have fueled the rise of homeless encampments. Newsom, however, has fired back that his efforts in San Francisco show he’s willing to take politically unpopular positions.
Los Angeles Times:
Gavin Newsom Slashed Welfare Checks To The Homeless, With The Goal Of Housing More People. Did It Work?
When San Francisco’s homelessness problem swelled in the early 2000s, Gavin Newsom endorsed a radical plan for the famously liberal city. Then a San Francisco supervisor on the rise, Newsom proposed slashing the amount of welfare for single homeless adults and instead using the funds on shelters, housing and services. Called Care Not Cash, the program sought to stop welfare recipients from spending their monthly checks on heroin or alcohol. (Smith, 10/23)
In other news on the crisis —
The California Health Report:
New App Connects San Francisco’s Homeless To Support, Services
Neil Shah walks these streets on a regular basis. As a compassionate responder for Concrn, a non-profit community-based crisis reporting service, Shah responds to reports of homeless people in distress. By downloading the Concrn mobile app (free on both Android and iPhone), the general public can use their smartphone to report non-emergency crisis situations involving the homeless. ...Retraining the public to call Concrn, rather than 911 in a non-emergency situation, is a task in itself, yet Concrn strives to do much more. Founded by local entrepreneur Jacob Savage, the non-profit also trains crisis responders to complement the city’s existing resources and reduce strain on 911 and law enforcement. (Childers, 10/22)
Orange County Register:
Orange County’s Homeless Shelter Program Expected To Continue At Armory Sites This Winter, With Possible Restrictions In Fullerton
The California National Guard armories in Santa Ana and Fullerton are again expected to operate as places for homeless people to sleep at night during the winter. The start date in Santa Ana is Dec. 1; Fullerton is less certain. Fullerton is in talks with the county to place restrictions on access to the Brookhurst Street military facility in order to discourage walkups and “increased homeless encounters in adjacent neighborhoods,” said Rebecca Leifkes, the city’s Housing and Neighborhood Services manager, in an email. (Walker, 10/22)
Judge Upholds Roundup Weed-Killer Verdict Against Monsanto, But Proposes Slashing Punitive Damages
While saying the punitive damages had been set too high, the judge rejected a request from the agribusiness for a new trial. A jury had ruled in favor of a groundskeeper who said his exposure to the glyphosate-based weed-killer caused his non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Monsanto still plans to appeal the verdict.
Reuters:
U.S. Judge Affirms Monsanto Weed-Killer Verdict, Slashes Damages
A U.S. judge on Monday affirmed a verdict against Bayer AG unit Monsanto that found its glyphosate-based weed-killers responsible for a man’s terminal cancer, sending the German company's shares down 8 percent. In a ruling by San Francisco's Superior Court of California, Judge Suzanne Bolanos said she would slash the punitive damages award to $39 million from $250 million if lawyers for school groundskeeper Dewayne Johnson agreed. (10/23)
The Associated Press:
Judge Upholds Monsanto Verdict, Cuts Award To $78 Million
Monsanto spokesman Daniel Childs said that the company was pleased with the reduced reward but still planned to appeal the verdict. Childs said there’s no scientific proof linking Roundup to cancer. The jury awarded punitive damages after it found that the St. Louis-based agribusiness had purposely ignored warnings and evidence that its popular Roundup product causes cancer, including Johnson’s lymphoma. Punitive damages are designed to punish companies that juries determine have purposely misbehaved and to deter others from operating similarly. (Elias, 10/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
Judge Reduces Jury Award Against Bayer’s Roundup To $78.5 Million
Bayer inherited thousands of Roundup-related lawsuits in its recently closed acquisition of Monsanto Co. and has worked to assuage investor concerns about potential liability from the litigation. The decision is the latest turn in the first Roundup case to go to trial, which resulted in an August verdict in favor of a groundskeeper who said prolonged use of glyphosate-based herbicides caused his non-Hodgkin lymphoma. (Randazzo and Bunge, 10/23)
San Francisco Chronicle:
Judge Slashes Award By Jury In Monsanto Weed-Killer Cancer Case
Dewayne “Lee” Johnson, 46, of Vallejo was a groundskeeper and pest-control manager for Benicia Unified School District from 2012 until May 2016. His job included spraying Monsanto’s herbicide glyphosate from 50-gallon drums 20 to 30 times a year for two to three hours a day. The herbicide is widely sold as Roundup, but Johnson used a high-concentration brand called Ranger Pro. (Egelko and Fimrite, 10/22)
More Than 15,000 University Of California Nurse’s Aides And Other Patient Care Workers Launch Strike
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3299 is asking for a 6 percent annual raise per year, plus additional payments over four years; UC is offering 3 percent, plus a onetime payment of $750 after a contract is ratified. Both union officials and management have promised patient care won't be harmed by the strike.
The Associated Press:
Thousands Strike University Of California Hospitals
Thousands of University of California medical workers began a three-day strike Tuesday against hospitals, clinics and campuses that prompted the rescheduling of thousands of surgeries and outpatient appointments. Picket lines were called for the five UC medical centers in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Irvine and Davis. (10/23)
Los Angeles Times:
UC Healthcare Workers Launch Three-Day Strike Over Pay, Outsourcing And Insurance Premiums
UCLA Health has retained temporary contract staff with “extensive qualifications and experience” to fill in, and outpatient clinics are offering after-hours and weekend appointments, officials said. “All UCLA Health hospitals and clinics … will continue to provide safe, high-quality patient care,” Johnese Spisso, UCLA Health president, and Dr. Kelsey Martin, dean of the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, said in an email to employees. (Watanabe, 10/23)
Multiple California groups have already vowed to oppose the draft proposal. “Rest assured, medicine, science and the law are all on our side — not the Administration’s — and so are Californians, a majority of whom want our government to do more — not less — to support and protect our transgender family members, friends, coworkers and neighbors,” said Rick Zbur, executive director of Equality California.
Los Angeles Times:
Transgender Advocates Decry Trump Administration Proposal To Define Gender As Fixed At Birth
L.A.’s LGBTQ leaders see the potential policy change as an effort to systematically undermine a national recognition of transgender people ushered in by the Obama White House. And while they aren’t surprised by the Trump administration’s effort to establish a strict legal definition of sex, they say they are still alarmed. Advocates fear the sweeping change would breed an increase in hate and violence toward transgender people, lead to new barriers in obtaining adequate healthcare and education, and induce a greater sense of hopelessness and isolation in a community that already exists on the farthest margins of society. (Newberry, 10/22)
Capital Public Radio:
California Transgender Groups Poised To Fight Possible Trump Proposal
California advocates say a draft Trump administration proposal would roll back important protections for transgender people, especially students — though the state’s own legal protections would stand. The federal government is considering excluding transgender people from Title IX, the code that bans sex discrimination in schools, according to an internal memo obtained by The New York Times. (Caiola, 10/22)
The New York Times:
At Rallies And Online, Transgender People Say They #WontBeErased
L.G.B.T. activists mobilized a fast and fierce campaign that included a protest outside the White House on Monday to say transgender people cannot be expunged from society, in response to an unreleased Trump administration memo that proposes a strict definition of gender based on a person’s genitalia at birth. The existence of the draft memo, the administration’s latest effort to roll back the recognition and protection of transgender people under federal civil rights law, was reported by The New York Times on Sunday morning. (Mervosh and Hauser, 10/22)
Politico:
Trump Administration Proposal On Transgender Protections Spurs Protests
“I am livid, but clear-headed,” said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality, who spoke during a press conference at the headquarters for the Human Rights Campaign in Washington, D.C., before the march. “We will be here long after this administration is in the trash heap.” (Emma, 10/22)
The Associated Press:
Fury Over Reported Federal Plan Targeting Transgender People
"I feel very threatened, but I am absolutely resolute," Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Rights, said at a news conference convened by more than a dozen activist leaders. "We will stand up and be resilient, and we will be here long after this administration is in the trash heap." The activist leaders, speaking amid posters reading "#Won'tBeErased", later addressed a protest rally outside the White House. (10/22)
The Washington Post:
Trump Administration Considering ‘Different Concepts’ Regarding Transgender Rights, With Some Pushing Back Internally
Trump confirmed Monday that a policy change toward transgender people was under consideration but said that there is more than one way to approach the issue. He was not specific about the potential alternatives. “We’re looking at it. We have a lot of different concepts right now. They have a lot of different things happening with respect to transgender right now,” Trump said. “And we’re looking at it very seriously.” Asked about his promise to protect LGBT people, he replied: “You know what I’m doing? I’m protecting everybody.” (Meckler, Schmidt and Sun, 10/22)
The Associated Press:
Science Says: Sex And Gender Aren't The Same
Anatomy at birth may prompt a check in the "male" or "female" box on the birth certificate — but to doctors and scientists, sex and gender aren't always the same thing. The Trump administration purportedly is considering defining gender as determined by sex organs at birth, which if adopted could deny certain civil rights protections to an estimated 1.4 million transgender Americans. (10/23)
The New York Times:
Anatomy Does Not Determine Gender, Experts Say
Researchers who have studied gender issues and provided health care to people who do not fit the typical M/F pigeonholes said that the Trump administration’s latest plan to define gender goes beyond the limits of scientific knowledge. “The idea that a person’s sex is determined by their anatomy at birth is not true, and we’ve known that it’s not true for decades,” said Dr. Joshua D. Safer, an endocrinologist and executive director of the Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery at Mount Sinai Health System in New York. He is also president of the United States Professional Association of Transgender Health. (Grady, 10/22)
Stat:
Scientists See A Problem With Trump Plan On Defining Sex: Biology
A new report that the Trump administration hopes to legally define a person’s sex at birth — an unchangeable condition determined by genitalia — has prompted an outcry among the transgender community. But beyond the political implications — and fears that any such change could ultimately mean the end of civil rights protections for transgender people — the proposal raises fundamental questions about something else: biology. The proposal is “highly inaccurate and just an insult to science. Basic science,” said Rachel Levin, a Pomona College neuroscientist who studies the development of sex. (Thielking, 10/22)
“This isn’t some weird California thing that can’t be replicated. This is doable in other states. It’s a matter of having the will and the funding to get it off the ground," said Stephanie Teleki, who leads maternity care initiatives at the California Health Care Foundation.
Stateline:
More U.S. Women Keep Dying From Childbirth. Except In This State
Over the past three decades, the world has seen a steady decline in the number of women dying from childbirth. There’s been a notable outlier: the United States. Here the maternal mortality rate has been climbing, putting the United States in the unenviable company of Afghanistan, Lesotho and Swaziland as countries with rising rates. But that trend has been reversed in dramatic fashion in one state: California. The state Department of Public Health calculates that between 2006 and 2013, California lowered its maternal mortality rate by 55 percent from 16.9 to 7.3 deaths for every 100,000 live births, which translates to saving about one life in every 10,000 live births. (Ollove, 10/23)
In other public health news —
Los Angeles Times:
Can Organic Food Help You Reduce Your Risk Of Cancer? A New Study Suggests The Answer May Be Yes
To reduce your risk of cancer, you know you should quit smoking, exercise regularly, wear sunscreen, and take advantage of screening tests. New research suggests another item might be added to this list: Choose organic foods over conventional ones. A study of nearly 70,000 French adults who were tracked for an average of 4.5 years found that those who ate the most organic foods were less likely to develop certain kinds of cancer than the people who ate the least. (Kaplan, 10/22)
San Francisco Chronicle:
$750K Domestic Violence Grant To Help Asian-Pacific Islanders In SF’s Bayview
A pilot program to curb domestic violence deaths and connect victims with community service organizations in San Francisco’s Bayview neighborhood will receive $750,000 in federal grants over a three-year period as a greater emphasis is placed on helping Asian and Pacific Islander families, officials said Monday. (McBride, 10/22)
Dr. Michael Golding, the top psychiatrist in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, has accused state officials of providing inaccurate and misleading data to a federal court and to lawyers for prison inmates fighting to improve psychiatric care inside state prisons. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller is weighing what to do with the report.
Sacramento Bee:
More Whistleblowers Emerge In Fight Over Secret Report On Prison Psychiatric Care
With lawyers for state inmates insisting that a secret report prepared by California’s top prison psychiatrist must be made public, attorneys in the case say more whistleblowers are beginning to come forward. The revelation came during a hearing in federal court in Sacramento on Monday, where U.S. District Judge Kimberly J. Mueller is wrestling with how to deal with a 160-page report compiled by Dr. Michael Golding, the top psychiatrist in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Golding leaked the report two weeks ago to the federal receiver overseeing medical care in the prisons, and lawyers for the inmates say the report contains allegations that corrections officials have provided misleading and inaccurate information to Mueller. Now, the judge is set to decide whether she can make the report public with some redactions to protect inmate privacy rights. (Stanton, 10/22)
In other news from across the state —
Sacramento Bee:
UCD Medical Center Again Ranks Among Top Echelon In Nursing
UC Davis Medical Center leaders announced last week that the institution once again claimed a place among the upper echelon of nursing employers – the top 8 percent in the United States, to be exact – after the American Nurses Credentialing Center renewed its magnet status. The magnet designation is given only to hospitals that stress giving their nursing staff the authority to make clinical decisions at patient bedsides, according to the credentialing organization, and nurses at these facilities are encouraged to be involved in decisions about the patient-care environment and to collaborate with team members from other disciplines. (Anderson, 10/22)
San Jose Mercury News:
Veterans Eye Free Vision Correction Surgery
Six local U.S. veterans, including a Milpitas resident and a Willow Glen coach, received free Lasik surgery Oct. 17 as part of the annual Gift of Sight program provided by Furlong Vision Correction in San Jose. (Gelhaus, 10/21)
Ventura County Star:
Free Medical Camp In Oxnard Draws In More Than 300
As one of 44 million people in this country without health insurance, Thousand Oaks resident Lorena Ruiz was grateful for Sunday's charitable medical camp, where she received vision care and glasses, a dental exam, bloodwork and a vaccination for free. ... More than 300 people of all ages received the free services at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Oxnard. The event was organized by the Sathya Sai International Organization, Pacific South-Region 8, a non-denominational group founded in the 1960s by the Indian mystic Sathya Sai Baba. (Doyle, 10/22)
States, for example, would be able to subsidize short-term plans that don't offer the comprehensive coverage that is guaranteed under the Affordable Care Act. The timing of the announcement just weeks before the midterms, when Republicans have been playing defense over preexisting conditions protections, raised some brows among experts.
The New York Times:
Trump Officials Make It Easier For States To Skirt Health Law’s Protections
The Trump administration announced a new policy on Monday making it easier for states to circumvent coverage requirements and consumer protections in the Affordable Care Act. States could, for example, use federal funds to subsidize short-term insurance plans with skimpy benefits and fewer protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Coming two weeks before Election Day, the new policy appeared to be a political gift to Democrats, who are making health care a potent campaign theme. (Pear, 10/22)
The Washington Post:
Trump Administration Allows ACA Subsidies For Leaner Health Plans
Under guidance issued Monday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), states seeking federal waivers to run their insurance marketplaces will be given much more leeway. That includes the ability to apply ACA subsidies to short-term and association health plans — two types of coverage the administration has expanded as a way of making cheaper plans available to those who want them. These plans don’t include coverage of certain “essential” benefits like mental-health services and prenatal care and they can refuse to cover people with preexisting conditions. (Winfield Cunningham, 10/22)
Los Angeles Times:
Trump Administration Takes Another Step To Allow Health Plans That Don't Cover Preexisting Conditions
The new proposal from the Department of Health and Human Services and the Treasury Department would not explicitly scrap the law’s protections, which bar health plans from denying coverage to people with preexisting medical conditions. But the administration plan would dramatically reshape rules established by the 2010 law that were designed to prevent states from weakening these protections. (Levey, 10/22)
The Hill:
Trump Administration Loosens Restrictions On ObamaCare Waivers
Health advocates say the new policy is the latest example of the Trump administration allowing states to wiggle around ObamaCare requirements. While Congress was unable to repeal the law, the waivers will allow states to enact policies that advocates say counter the law’s intentions. During a call with reporters, Verma said she has received “numerous” requests from states for a more flexible waiver policy. The new guidance will take effect immediately, Verma said, but will only impact health plans in 2020 and later. Open enrollment for 2019 begins Nov. 1. (Weixel, 10/22)
Politico:
Trump Administration Widens Obamacare Escape Hatch For Red States
Red states have expressed interest in skirting Obamacare requirements. Iowa, facing an exodus of insurers, last year proposed a waiver that would have reduced financial support to lower-income health insurance shoppers and created new aid for middle-income individuals. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds withdrew the plan last October, complaining that the waiver rules were "inflexible." Verma declined to comment on whether specific states would seek waivers under the new policy. Conservative health policy experts hailed the administration's announcement. (Goldberg, 10/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
States Are Cleared To Allow Less-Comprehensive Health Plans
Democrats said the move contradicted Republicans’ claims that they want to protect people with pre-existing medical conditions from high premiums. “The American people should look at what Republicans are doing, rather than what they’re saying, when it comes to health care,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.). “Just weeks before the election, Republicans are once again undermining protections for people with pre-existing conditions and sabotaging our health-care system.” (Hackman, 10/22)
The Hill:
Dems Blast Trump Rule Changes On ObamaCare
Vulnerable Republicans across the country have been scrambling to say that they support pre-existing condition protections to try to fend off a potent line of Democratic attack, but Schumer and other Democrats argued Monday that the new rules undermined those claims. “The American people should look at what Republicans are doing, rather than what they’re saying, when it comes to health care,” Schumer said. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee added that every Republican Senate candidate “should be forced to answer for this.” (Sullivan, 10/22)
The Associated Press:
Trump Administration Unveils Health Options For Small Firms
The Trump administration is rolling out new options for small employers to use tax-free accounts for providing health coverage to workers, officials said Monday. The idea is to expand so-called "health reimbursement arrangements" to allow employees to buy their own individual health insurance policies. Employers could also pair the accounts with workplace health plans, allowing workers to use the money for additional benefits such as dental care. (10/22)
The Hill:
Trump Administration Plans To Revamp Employer-Based Health Care
HRAs allow workers to purchase coverage using tax-free dollars. Currently, an HRA can only be used to reimburse an employee or dependents for certain qualified medical expenses. The Obama administration prohibited HRAs for large- and mid-sized companies, and the IRS previously said HRAs did not comply with ObamaCare coverage requirements. HRA contributions can only be tax-free if they are coupled with a health plan that meets ObamaCare’s coverage protections. (Weixel, 10/22)
'Top To Bottom' Review Of Refugee Resettlement Program To Be Conducted By HHS
The refugee resettlement office has been criticized recently because of its "zero tolerance policy" at the border and the director's efforts to prevent teen migrants from getting abortions. Meanwhile, court filings reveal that authorities have held some immigrant teens for months, violating a 20-year-old court order on how long minors can be detained.
Politico:
HHS Reviews Refugee Operations As Trump Calls For Border Crackdown
The Trump administration is eyeing a shake-up of its refugee operation — and scrutinizing its controversial director — as President Donald Trump steps up his call for another crackdown along the U.S.-Mexico border. A top official at the Department of Health and Human Services, which runs the refugee resettlement program, is conducting what she called a “top to bottom” review of the program, three months after the migrant crisis paralyzed the agency last summer. (Diamond, 10/23)
Reuters:
Hundreds Of Migrant Children Held In U.S. Tent City For Months: Filings
U.S. authorities have held some immigrant children who entered the country illegally and without a parent in a temporary "tent city" in Texas for months, violating a 20-year-old court order on how long minors can be detained, according to court filings by civil rights lawyers and immigration advocates. More than 500 children have been housed in tents near Tornillo, Texas since August, and 46 have been held there since June, according to a Friday court filing in Los Angeles federal court by civil rights organizations and advocacy groups representing migrant children. (10/22)