Latest From California Healthline:
California Healthline Original Stories
Patients Caught In Crossfire Between Giant Hospital Chain, Large Insurer
Insurance giant Cigna and San Francisco-based Dignity Health have failed to ink a 2020 contract, leaving nearly 17,000 patients in California and Nevada scrambling to find new health care providers. Meanwhile, Dignity faces financial and legal challenges while it strives to implement its merger with Catholic Health Initiatives, which created one of the nation’s largest Catholic hospital systems. (Brian Krans, )
Good morning! Here are your top California health stories for the day.
California Health Workers Exposed To Coronavirus, Sent Home From Hospital: Five healthcare workers at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose have been instructed to stay home until Feb. 11 after being exposed to the deadly novel coronavirus, officials said. “This is being done to protect the public’s health and limit any potential spread of the virus,” the Santa Clara County Public Health Department said. The patient whom they were exposed to had just traveled to Wuhan, China. He wore a mask the entire time he was at the hospital, and was directed by health officials to isolate himself at his home, according to the hospital. He is one of six people in California who public health officials have confirmed contracted the virus while in Wuhan. Read more from Jason Green and John Woolfolk of the Bay Area News Group, Jaclyn Cosgrove and Colleen Shalby of the Los Angeles Times, and Erin Allday of the San Francisco Chronicle.
Meanwhile, Two jetliners carrying 350 American evacuees from the epicenter of China’s deadly coronavirus outbreak landed early Wednesday morning at Travis Air Force Base near Fairfield. U.S. health officials said Tuesday as many as 250 people from the airlift would be quarantined there for the next two weeks — though none of the evacuees are showing symptoms of the virus, which has been linked to nearly 500 deaths. Read more from Darrell Smith and Cathie Anderson of the Sacramento Bee. And for more coronavirus coverage, see below.
Trump Singles Out California’s Health Care Push For Immigrants In State Of The Union Address: President Donald Trump warned Tuesday that California is among the states that would “bankrupt our nation by providing free taxpayer-funded healthcare to millions of illegal aliens.” But if his State of the Union address left viewers with the impression that all undocumented immigrants are eligible for health care benefits in California, that’s not true. California last year agreed to let undocumented adults under age 26 enroll in Medi-Cal, the state-federal health insurance program for low-income Californians. Undocumented children were already eligible. Read more from David Lightman of the Sacramento Bee. Check out more State of the Union coverage below.
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:
Gavin Newsom Wants To Suspend ‘Body-Shaming,’ ‘Bullying’ Fitness Test In Schools
Concerned the state’s physical fitness test leads to body-shaming, bullying and discrimination, Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed a three-year pause on the assessment to study it and consider alternatives. Schools across California have used the Fitnessgram since 1996 to determine how fit students are using six criteria, including aerobic ability, body mass and flexibility, as well as abdominal, trunk and upper body strength. (Tucker, 2/4)
Sacramento Bee:
Wave Of Fatal Big Rig Crashes In California, Sacramento Area
Near Elk Grove last week, a commercial truck on Highway 99 plowed into the back of a pickup, killing its two occupants as it shoved their vehicle into the back of a big rig. That same day, seven commercial trucks crashed on Interstate 80 in Placer County in chain-reaction incidents, blocking the freeway for hours as firefighters pried an injured occupant from an overturned big rig. (Bizjak, 2/5)
CalMatters:
California Lawmakers Have Refused To Restrict Flavored Vaping — Is That About To Change?
Milk and waters in kids’ meals. Smaller “Big Gulps.” No teens on tanning beds.Officials here pride themselves as national leaders in protecting the health of Californians — so much so that conservatives deride it as the “nanny-state.” And that’s particularly true when it comes to its youth. Yet California is behind some other states and the Trump administration when it comes to cracking down on flavored tobacco and e-cigarette use — nor has it moved to block the sale of flavored vape products containing cannabis. San Francisco-based Juul Labs Inc., maker of vape pens and nicotine pods, poured hundreds of thousands into lobbying and political campaigns — and until now successfully quashed bills to ban flavored tobacco in California. (Aguilera, 2/4)
Los Angeles Times:
L.A. Blocks Private Detention Centers, Including For Immigrant Youth
Los Angeles is blocking privately run detention centers from opening in the city, including facilities for immigrant youth in government custody, under a stopgap measure approved Tuesday by the City Council. ...The new rule is specifically aimed at stopping a privately run facility for “unaccompanied minors” from opening its doors in Arleta, a plan being pursued by the Tucson-based firm VisionQuest. Martinez had denounced that idea, saying that VisionQuest had a troubled history and “should not be anywhere near immigrant children.” (Reyes, 2/4)
Sacramento Bee:
Sacramento Cannabis Investor Sought VA Cancer-Research Deal
The proposed agreement between the Veterans Administration Medical Center in San Francisco and Kukushkin’s company, Oasis Venture LLC, sheds new light on Kukushkin’s influence on the cannabis industry throughout Northern California, as well as his potential access to officials with ties to the Pentagon.One of Kukushkin’s partners in Oasis Venture, Dr. Rajvir Dahiya, is chairman of the Defense Department’s medical research programs in prostate, breast and ovarian cancer. He is also a urology professor at UC San Francisco and the VA Medical Center in San Francisco. (Kasler and Sabalow, 2/5)
San Francisco Chronicle:
SF Mayor Breed Wants To Take Battle For Housing To Voters, Amping Up Fight With Supes
In the midst of an unrelenting housing crisis, Mayor London Breed is turning to San Francisco voters for help in her crusade to “build more housing and build more housing, faster.” On Wednesday, Breed will announce the launch of a signature-gathering petition for a November ballot measure meant to simplify and accelerate housing production in San Francisco. It takes an average of nearly four years to shepherd a housing project with more than 10 units through the city’s permitting process, a 2018 study from UC Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation found. If voters pass Breed’s measure, it would require the Planning Department to cut that time down to six months. (Fracassa, 2/5)
Capital Public Radio:
Californians Will Consider Another Ballot Measure To Expand Rent Control Across The State
An initiative to expand rent control in California has qualified for the November ballot. If the proposal sounds familiar, that’s because a similar measure was roundly defeated in 2018. That initiative would have allowed local governments to impose rent control on houses and apartments built after 1995. (Rodd, 2/4)
The New York Times:
Trump Claims End Of ‘American Decline’ While Avoiding Mention Of Impeachment In State Of The Union
President Trump claimed credit for a “great American comeback” in a speech to Congress on Tuesday night, boasting of a robust economy, contrasting his successes with the records of his predecessors and projecting optimism in the face of a monthslong Democratic effort to force him from office. Mr. Trump, who lamented what he called “American carnage” when he was inaugurated in January 2017, described a different country today, declaring in his third State of the Union address that the nation’s future was once again “blazing bright.” (Shear, 2/5)
The Washington Post:
Trump Paints Strong Economy As Vindication As He Tries To Move Past Impeachment
In his third State of the Union address — and final one before voters will cast their verdict on his presidency this fall — Trump made no mention of the impeachment battle that has consumed him for months, even as he faced down his Democratic adversaries in the House chamber where they had voted to charge him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress less than two months ago. (Nakamura, 2/5)
The New York Times:
Six Takeaways From Trump's 2020 State Of The Union Speech
Mr. Trump addressed two pieces of potential health care legislation that remain a top priority for both parties in the coming months: surprise billing and prescription drugs. He said that he had spoken with Senator Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa and the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, to urge him to pass legislation that lowers the price of prescription drugs. “Get a bill on my desk, and I will sign it into law immediately,” Mr. Trump declared, as Alex M. Azar II, the health and human services secretary, looked in the direction of Democrats in the room. (Weiland, 2/5)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump Touts Economy, Ignores Impeachment In State Of The Union Speech
The issue of health care presented Mr. Trump with an opening to criticize his Democratic opponents. The president echoed comments he made in his 2019 address criticizing efforts “to adopt socialism in our country.” “To those watching at home tonight, I want you to know: We will never let socialism destroy American health care,” Mr. Trump said. When Trump said there are those who want to take away people’s doctors and abolish private insurance, Democrats shouted, “Who? Who?” (Restuccia, 2/5)
Stat:
Dems Interrupted The State Of The Union To Chant For Their Drug Pricing Bill
The agitators included Democratic Reps. Donna Shalala (Fla.), Annie Kuster (N.H.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (Del.), Dan Kildee (Mich.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.), and Cheri Bustos (Ill.), the chair of House Democrats’ campaign arm. The acronym they chanted was easy to translate: They were touting House Resolution 3, the aggressive bill Democrats passed in December that would allow Medicare to directly negotiate the price of up to 250 drugs, saving the program as much as $350 billion per year. (Facher and Florko, 2/4)
The New York Times:
Democrats Counter Trump On Health Care And Condemn His Conduct
Democrats criticized President Trump on Tuesday for seeking to repeal a landmark health care law and presiding over an economy they argue has left working people struggling, in a pair of official responses to his State of the Union address that also issued a searing indictment of his conduct and language. ... “It’s pretty simple,” Ms. Whitmer said, describing her work on health care as a Michigan state senator. “Democrats are trying to make your health care better. Republicans in Washington are trying to take it away.” “Bullying people on Twitter doesn’t fix bridges — it burns them,” Ms. Whitmer added later. “Our energy should be used to solve problems.” (Cochrane, 2/4)
Los Angeles Times:
Partisan Passions Overtake Trump's State Of The Union Speech
He panned the “Medicare for all” proposals backed by two Democratic presidential hopefuls, Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. “We will never let socialism destroy American healthcare!” he said, before pivoting to an even more controversial assertion, claiming that support for a government takeover of healthcare would lead to “free government healthcare for illegal aliens.” (Stokols and Bierman, 2/4)
The New York Times:
'We Will Always Protect Patients With Pre-Existing Conditions.'
This is false. The president has taken multiple steps to weaken or eliminate current protections for Americans with pre-existing health conditions. These efforts include legislation he championed, regulation his administration has finished, and a lawsuit the Justice Department is litigating that would declare the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional. (Sanger-Katz, 2/4)
The New York Times:
'Before I Took Office, Health Insurance Premiums Had More Than Doubled In Just 5 Years.'
This is misleading. The president’s claim is based on a White House report comparing premiums in the individual insurance market before the Affordable Care Act with those several years after its enactment. That report made several methodological choices that tended to increase the difference in prices. Health plans for a far larger group of Americans, who obtain health insurance through their jobs, have increased by smaller margins. Over all, however, health insurance prices have increased in recent years. (Sanger-Katz, 2/4)
The New York Times:
'Many Experts Believe That Transparency, Which Will Go Into Full Effect At The Beginning Of Next Year, Will Be Even Bigger Than Health Care Reform. It Will Save Families Massive Amounts Of Money For Substantially Better Care.'
This lacks evidence. New rules that will require public disclosure of the prices negotiated between health care providers and insurance companies are a new policy, without much strong evidence about their effects. Some experts, including economists who have advised the president, think transparency could reduce health care prices. But other experts believe the policy could have a perverse effect, increasing prices. New Hampshire, a state that has introduced a similar policy on a more limited scale, has shown modest price declines for certain services, but not “massive” price reductions. (Sanger-Katz, 2/4)
The New York Times:
'We Will Always Protect Your Medicare And Your Social Security Always.'
This is misleading. Not only has President Trump failed to strengthen Medicare and Social Security, but the financial outlook for both trusts has not improved or worsened. That is at least partly the result of Mr. Trump’s tax law, which has left the Treasury Department to collect fewer taxes from Americans and, in turn, invest less money into each program. Last April, the government projected that Medicare funds would be depleted by 2026, three years earlier than estimated in 2017. The report noted that less money will flow into the fund because of low wages and lower taxes. (Qiu, 2/4)
The New York Times:
Even Without Symptoms, Wuhan Coronavirus May Spread, Experts Fear
Can individuals infected with the Wuhan coronavirus spread it to others even if they aren’t showing symptoms? It’s one of the most important questions confronting scientists. If even asymptomatic people can spread the virus, then it will be much, much harder to slow its spread. Doctors in China claimed asymptomatic transmission was possible, and a letter published Jan. 30 in the New England Journal of Medicine appeared to back them up. (Rabin, 2/4)
The New York Times:
Inside The Race To Contain America’s First Coronavirus Case
It started with a stubborn cough. A visit to an urgent care facility. A test being sent off to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And then a 35-year-old resident of Snohomish County, Wash., being named the first confirmed case of the coronavirus in the United States. Hollianne Bruce, the lone epidemiologist assigned to the control of communicable diseases in the county’s public health office, jumped into action. Declining to wait for a C.D.C. team to arrive from Atlanta, she dialed up the patient, who had been taken to an isolation unit at a hospital. (Harmon, 2/5)
The New York Times:
Fear And Takeout: 14 Days In Coronavirus ‘Self-Quarantine’
Claire Campbell expected to spend this semester studying in Shanghai. Instead, she is five days into a self-imposed quarantine at her parents’ house in South Carolina. She checks her temperature twice a day. She reads. And she waits for a family friend to slide takeout meals through the front door. “I am going stir crazy,” said Ms. Campbell, 20, a Clemson University student who returned from her study abroad trip months earlier than planned because of an outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China, that has left hundreds dead and sickened thousands more. “Every day kind of melts together.” (Smith, Kanno-Youngs, Stockman and Swales, 2/4)
The New York Times:
Spreading Along With The Coronavirus: Confusion
As the coronavirus spreads across the world and airlines cancel flights to and from China, many travelers have been stuck in limbo. Some are trying to get refunds, while others are unsure of whether to rebook their trips for later dates or cancel them altogether. With the State Department issuing a “do not travel” advisory and a declaration by the World Health Organization of a global health emergency, the guidance to avoid mainland China is clear enough. Confusion reigns, however, for those with itineraries via China to other destinations. (Mzezewa, 2/4)
The Associated Press:
Officials Question Report Of Virus Spreading Before Symptoms
German health officials have raised questions about a report that suggested the new virus from China could be spread by people who are not yet showing symptoms. The report, published last week in the New England Journal of Medicine, raised concerns that controlling the virus will be more daunting if it turns out it is spreading before people know they are sick. But officials at the Robert Koch Institute, Germany's public health agency, said Tuesday the woman who set off a cluster of cases was taking anti-fever medicine. (2/4)
Los Angeles Times:
Airlines Cut 25,000 China Flights Over Health Leader Protests
Airlines that range from the world’s largest, American Airlines, to small carriers like Turkmenistan Airlines are eliminating some or all service to mainland China, representing one of the biggest blows to international travel in many years. “The response like this to such a business travel focused nation is a big deal,” said Hayley Berg, economist for the travel site Hopper. She noted that China has in the last few years become a big source of heavy-spending international tourists and a center for business travel. (Martin, 2/4)
Modesto Bee:
US Evacuees From Wuhan Outbreak Zone Land At CA Air Base
Two jetliners carrying 350 American evacuees from the epicenter of China’s deadly coronavirus outbreak landed early Wednesday morning at Travis Air Force Base near Fairfield. The first of two flights aboard privately contracted Boeing 747-400s touched down at the Northern California military installation after their 6,500-mile flight at 3:59 a.m. The second landed 25 minutes later. (Smith and Anderson, 2/5)
KPBS:
Plane From China Expected To Arrive At MCAS Miramar Wednesday
U.S. citizens from China who may have been exposed to the coronavirus could be arriving at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar as soon as Wednesday, according to base officials. ...The base says it can support up to 350 people; they’re expecting to house men, women and children. The group will be held at the base for at least 14 days under federal quarantine. The CDC and DHS are handling the evacuees and their medical care. The CDC has a special team on the ground waiting. (Hoffman, 2/4)