- California Healthline Original Stories 1
- Federal Judge Denies Bid To Force Feds To Resume ACA Subsidies
- Covered California & The Health Law 2
- Judge In Insurer Subsidies Case Points To Steps Calif. Has Taken In Anticipation Of Payment Cut Off
- Single-Payer At Forefront Of Lawmakers' Minds As They Gather For Special Health Hearings
- Women's Health 1
- A Storm Is Brewing As App Dubbed 'Uber For Birth Control' Expands Into Conservative States
Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Federal Judge Denies Bid To Force Feds To Resume ACA Subsidies
U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria said the vast majority of states have already prepared for the termination of the payments and already devised responses that give consumers better coverage. (Ngoc Nguyen, )
More News From Across The State
Covered California & The Health Law
Judge In Insurer Subsidies Case Points To Steps Calif. Has Taken In Anticipation Of Payment Cut Off
Attorneys general from 18 states and D.C. asked the court for an immediate order halting President Donald Trump's decision to cut off federal payments to health insurers. The judge seemed skeptical of their arguments, but aims to issue a ruling Tuesday.
Reuters:
U.S. Judge Questions States Seeking To Restore Obamacare Payments
A U.S. judge on Monday appeared skeptical toward a request from several states that want him to order the administration of Republican President Donald Trump to continue payments to health insurers under Obamacare. At a hearing in San Francisco federal court, U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria said he aimed to issue a ruling on Tuesday. (Levine, 10/23)
California Healthline:
Federal Judge Skeptical Of Claims That Dropping Subsidies Hurts Consumers
Earlier this month, Trump announced that the administration would stop payments that compensate insurers for discounts given to low-income consumers to help cover their out-of-pocket expenses under policies sold on the Affordable Care Act’s insurance marketplaces. These subsidies are different from the tax credits many consumers get, depending on their income, to pay Obamacare premiums. (Nguyen, 10/24)
Los Angeles Times:
Federal Judge Appears Unlikely To Block Trump's Action On Obamacare
California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra, joined by Democratic counterparts from 17 other states and the District of Columbia asked the court to put Trump’s order on hold. They argue Trump’s action would spark “chaos and uncertainty,” raise the cost of health insurance and the number of uninsured Americans and saddle states and local governments with higher expenses. But U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria, an Obama appointee, expressed considerable skepticism during a hearing Monday. (Dolan and Lauter, 10/23)
The Associated Press:
Judge Skeptical Of Need To Reinstate Trump Health Care Cuts
Chhabria peppered an attorney for California with questions about why he should force the administration to resume payments when the states had devised a workaround that would benefit many consumers. "The state of California is standing on the courthouse steps denouncing the president for taking away people's health care, when the truth is that California has come up with a solution to that issue that is going to result in better health care for a lot of people," Chhabria said. (Thanawala, 10/24)
Politico Pro:
Federal Judge To Issue Ruling On CSR Emergency Order Tuesday
The judge highlighted the decision by Covered California, the state's Obamacare exchange, to load the impact of the lost CSRs on to the silver-tier plans, which allows for consumers' tax-credit subsidies to rise accordingly. He noted that the contingency plan, which most states have adopted in some form, would cost the taxpayers more money and protect consumers, who may even benefit in 2018. Brown contended that not all states have taken such steps and he feared insurers could flee some markets. (Colliver, 10/23)
Single-Payer At Forefront Of Lawmakers' Minds As They Gather For Special Health Hearings
The special committee is meant to address ways to cover any gaps in coverage or financing that may come from the actions of the federal government.
The Mercury News:
California Lawmakers Kick Off Healthcare Hearings
As California health care officials brace themselves for changes to the Affordable Care Act by President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress, state lawmakers today and Tuesday will hold a hearing examining the gaps in coverage and financing of California’s current system. Among the topics expected to be front and center is single-payer health care and Senate Bill 562, introduced earlier this year by Senators Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens, and Toni Atkins, D-San Diego. (Seipel, 10/23)
KPCC:
Special Assembly Committee Begins Hearings On Health Insurance
A special state assembly committee held the first in a series of hearings Monday on California’s health insurance system. The hearings are widely considered to be a reaction to the public outcry that followed the shelving of a single-payer bill earlier this year. (Faust, 10/23)
A Storm Is Brewing As App Dubbed 'Uber For Birth Control' Expands Into Conservative States
The California-based company's app helps women easily obtain emergency contraception, as well.
Stat:
App Known As The ‘Uber For Birth Control’ Sparks Ire In Conservative States
It’s a telemedicine app that seems rather innocuous — enter your info, have it reviewed by a physician, and get a prescription. The California-based company behind it has raised millions to support its mission of expanding access to the pill, ring, or morning-after pill with minimal hurdles. But that last option is now starting to attract pushback from anti-abortion activists, who consider the morning-after pill equivalent to abortion — and who say lax telemedicine laws are enabling access to this drug with insufficient oversight. (Blau, 10/24)
California's Strict Gun Show Laws Paying Off In Terms Of Public Safety, Study Suggests
When a gun show is held in California, the state sees no measurable increase in injuries and deaths in the following two weeks. However, when one is held in Nevada, which doesn't have the same regulations as its neighbor, such incidents jump by nearly 70 percent in California region's within two hours.
The New York Times:
Stricter Gun Laws Tied To Fewer Firearm Injuries After Gun Shows
Gun shows in a state with weak gun restrictions increase the short-term risk for firearm-related injuries, a new analysis has found. Researchers studied deaths, emergency department visits and hospitalizations related to firearms before and after 915 gun shows in California and Nevada from 2005 to 2013. California has laws requiring background checks, waiting periods, documentation and Department of Justice surveillance at gun shows. Nevada has no regulations pertaining explicitly to gun shows. (Bakalar, 10/23)
Los Angeles Times:
After Nevada Hosts A Gun Show, California Sees Sharp Rise In Gun-Related Injuries And Deaths
In the two weeks after a gun show is held in Nevada, injuries and deaths involving firearms jump by 69% — in neighboring areas of California. However, when gun shows occur in California, the state does not experience an increase in firearm-related trauma over the next fortnight. (Kaplan, 10/23)
Wildfires Will Leave Scars On Psyche Of Those Affected, Experts Say
But often mental health is neglected in the aftermath of devastation, health workers say.
Los Angeles Times:
As Flames Fade, Wine Country Grapples With Emotional Scars Of Devastating Fires
In the days since fires ravaged towns here, people have pulled together. Strangers at coffee shops share their trauma, talking of homes destroyed and loved ones lost. Almost everyone seems to know a neighbor who knocked on a door or lifted someone into a car, and saved a life. The phrase “The love in the air is thicker than the smoke” is on signs in shop windows, in Facebook posts and on people’s lips. (Karlamangla, 10/23)
In other public health news —
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Health Officials Say Testing San Diego River For Hep A Would Waste Resources
Health officials in San Diego County said Monday they won’t be looking for hepatitis A in the San Diego River and that such an effort wouldn’t be a wise use of resources. The response comes after City Councilman David Alvarez sent out letters to regional water-quality researchers and Mayor Kevin Faulconer calling for testing in the watershed — which officials have recently identified as significantly polluted with human feces. (Smith and DeHaven, 10/23)
Los Angeles Times:
Mann Packing Recalls Some Bagged Vegetables And Salads Because Of Listeria Concerns
Vegetable supplier Mann Packing has issued a voluntary recall for a number of bagged vegetables, salads and other vegetable products sold in the U.S. and Canada due to a potential risk of listeria contamination. The Salinas, Calif., firm said last week it issued the recall “out of an abundance of caution” after a “single positive result” for the germ, Listeria monocytogenes, was found on one of its products during a random test by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. (Masunaga, 10/23)
Nearly All San Franciscans Have Health Coverage Because Of This Initiative
The number shows how successful the program can be, but there have also been lessons learned along the way.
San Francisco Chronicle:
City’s Health Care Initiative Shows Success, But Questions Remain
Even as the national debate over access to health care insurance continues to rage, San Francisco has quietly become a city where nearly every resident is covered. That achievement is due in part to the San Francisco Health Care Security Ordinance, one of the country’s most innovative, and most hotly debated, health care initiatives. (Kauffman, 10/24)
In other news from across the state —
KPCC:
LA Sheriff Has Yet To Fully Comply With Federal Law On Prison Rape
Five years after Congress enacted rules for state prisons and local jails to address the problem of sexual assault behind bars, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s has yet to fully comply with the law. The department says it's working as fast as it can, but notes that the effort is complicated, involving dozens of policy changes. (Stoltze, 10/24)
Sacramento Bee:
Carmichael Patients Shipped From One Troubled Nursing Home To Another
Eagle Crest in suburban Sacramento was among the chain’s worst-performing facilities nationwide, teetering toward decertification while federal regulators kept it on a consumer-beware list for three years. Now, with many of the former Eagle Crest residents shepherded off to other Genesis homes, The Bee’s analysis found that the troubles at Eagle Crest were not isolated at all. (Lundstrom and Reese, 10/23)
Los Angeles Times:
500-Gallon Sewage Spill Closes Laguna Beach’s Woods Cove To Swimmers
A portion of the ocean at Laguna Beach is closed to swimming, surfing and diving after about 500 gallons of raw sewage spilled into the water Sunday. Laguna Beach city officials reported the spill — which affects the water at Woods Cove between Center Street and Moss Street — to the Orange County Health Care Agency at 7:30 p.m., said Anthony Martinez, water-quality program manager for the agency. (Fry, 10/23)
Senate Republicans On Bipartisan Health Plan: The Ball Is In President's Court
Conflicting statements from President Donald Trump have made it hard for lawmakers to know exactly where he stands on the measure proposed by Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.) to shore up the Obamacare marketplaces.
The Wall Street Journal:
Republicans Face Tough Decision On Bipartisan Health Bill
Republicans returning to Washington will decide in coming days whether to embrace or set aside a bipartisan health bill that has gained traction in Congress, a decision potentially made harder by President Donald Trump’s statements praising the effort but opposing the bill itself. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D., N.Y.) said on Sunday the bipartisan bill’s support includes all 48 Senate Democrats as well as the 12 publicly committed Republicans, enough to overcome any filibuster. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said he would bring the bill to a vote if it is clear Mr. Trump will sign it. But that remains far from certain, given Mr. Trump’s recent comments on the plan from Sens. Lamar Alexander (R., Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D., Wash.). (Armour and Lazo, 10/23)
Politico:
Senate Seeking Clarity From Trump On Obamacare Deal
Republicans on Capitol Hill can’t seem to tell if the White House wants an Obamacare stabilization bill, leaving their path forward murky. Conflicting statements from President Donald Trump and a list of White House-requested changes circulated over the weekend have given GOP leaders no clarity on whether they should force a controversial vote on the proposed bipartisan Obamacare fix, or set it aside for now and then try to roll it into a far-reaching year-end spending bill. (Haberkorn and Cancryn, 10/23)