The Intersection: Valley Health Clinics Brace For Impact To Services, Patients From Medicaid Provisions Of Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ 
Health clinics that serve more than 1.1 million patients up and down the San Joaquin Valley are bracing for the prospect of budget cuts and other fallout in the wake of the passage of President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” budget act. ... The Congressional Budget Office reports that House Resolution 1... includes just over $1 trillion in spending cuts over 10 years to Medicaid, the federal health insurance program for low-income patients. Throughout the eight Valley counties – Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tulare – almost seven out of 10 patients rely on MediCal, California’s incarnation of Medicaid. (Sheehan, 7/15)

inewsource: How ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ SNAP Food Cuts Impact San Diego
The recently enacted federal spending plan pushed by President Trump and congressional Republicans contains huge cuts to the federal food assistance program SNAP. While less severe than previous versions, the new law could still cost California more than two billion dollars. About 400,000 San Diegans receive benefits from CalFresh, which distributes SNAP benefits in California. Many of those stand to lose benefits, though the local officials haven’t provided details on the impacts just yet. (Kincaid, 7/16)

MedPage Today: Doc Groups Say Proposed Medicare Payment Increase Is Inadequate
Some physician groups are unhappy with the proposed changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule for 2026 that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced Monday. The fee schedule update varies depending on whether physicians are participating in an alternative payment model (APM). Physicians who do participate in a qualifying APM receive an increase of $1.24, or 3.83% in the conversion factor used as a multiplier to calculate what Medicare will pay for physician services. Physicians who don't participate in an APM will receive an increase of $1.17, or 3.62%. (Frieden, 7/15)

Stat: Medicare Proposes Pay Cuts For Specialty Physicians In 2026 Rule 
Medicare is proposing across-the-board cuts to what Trump administration officials believe are overpriced medical procedures, scans, and tests — a consequential decision designed to even the score between highly paid specialists and primary care doctors. (Herman and Bannow, 7/16)

Modern Healthcare: Congress' To-Do List: Medicare Advantage, Telehealth, Doctor Pay
While President Donald Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” did a whole lot the healthcare sector opposes, it also failed to deal with a plethora of more mundane health legislation lawmakers must finalize as soon as this fall. Authorizations or funding for matters such as community health centers, telehealth and hospital-at-home are due to expire when the fiscal year ends Sept. 30 or when the calendar year ends. The latter category includes enhanced subsidies for health insurance exchange plans. (McAuliff, 7/15)

The 19th: LGBTQ+ Americans Face A Medicaid Coverage Cliff With Trump's New Law
Millions of Americans are expected to lose health care coverage through President Donald Trump’s “one big, beautiful” tax and spending law — and LGBTQ+ Americans, who rely heavily on social services due to high rates of poverty and disability, are among those who will be most impacted. Experts say that widespread loss of health care, coupled with rising discrimination and fewer workplace protections, will create a worst-case scenario for LGBTQ+ rights. (Rummler, 7/15)

The Intersection: Kern County Program To Prevent Suicide And Substance Use Among Native Youth Faces Uncertainty As Federal Grant Ends
Amid ongoing uncertainty over federal funding of local health services, a project to prevent suicide and substance use among Native American youth in Kern County could be scaled back, or possibly eliminated. ... The Trump administration’s fiscal year 2026 budget request for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services proposes cuts to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, including the elimination of its Tribal Behavioral Health Grants, also known as Native Connections. The five-year grant program aims to address behavioral issues, such as suicidal behavior and substance use, of Native youth up to age 24. (Barahona, 7/15)

Los Angeles Times: Trump Cuts To California National Weather Service Leave 'Critical' Holes: 'It's Unheard Of'
Some National Weather Service offices in California are among those hit hardest by meteorologist vacancies, according to new data from an employee union — heightening concerns as the state contends with another potentially devastating fire season and the ongoing threat of extreme weather. (Lin II, 7/16)

NPR: Trump Team Withholds $140 Million Budgeted For Fentanyl Fight
The Trump administration has delayed and may cancel roughly $140 million in grants to fund fentanyl overdose response efforts, according to four staff members with close knowledge of the process at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The staffers shared detailed information with NPR about the funding disruption and potential cuts on the condition of anonymity, saying they don't have permission to speak publicly about their concerns and feared retribution from the Trump administration if identified. (Mann, 7/16)

California Healthline: A Million Veterans Gave DNA To Aid Health Research. Scientists Worry The Data Will Be Wasted
One of the world’s biggest genetic databases comprises DNA data donated over the years by more than a million retired military service members. It’s part of a project run by the Department of Veterans Affairs. The initiative, dubbed the Million Veteran Program, is a “crown jewel of the country,” said David Shulkin, a physician who served as VA secretary during the first Trump administration. Data from the project has contributed to research on the genetics of anxiety and peripheral artery disease, for instance, and has resulted in hundreds of published papers. (Tahir, 7/16)

Bay Area News Group: With Hundreds Of Millions Of Dollars At Risk In Bay Area, Lawsuit Against Trump Grows Over Grant Funds
As the Trump administration continues its attempts to impose conditions on federal grants, a coalition of 60 local governments — including the counties of Santa Clara, Alameda and San Mateo — is asking a federal judge to block the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from adding stipulations to grants that could put hundreds of millions of dollars at risk in the region. (Hase, 7/16)

Becker's Hospital Review: Hoag 1st In US To Offer Esophageal Cancer Screening Tool
In June, Newport Beach, Calif.-based Hoag became the first hospital in the U.S. to offer EsoGuard testing. The test is used by physicians to detect precancerous DNA changes in esophageal cells, helping to identify patients at risk of developing Barrett’s esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma. Detecting and treating Barrett’s esophagus can reduce cancer risk by up to 90%. (Gregerson, 7/15)

CalMatters: How GOP Student Loan Cap Could Hit California Medical Students
Becoming a doctor will likely become even more difficult under the new tax bill Congress approved after lawmakers slashed the amount of money medical school students can borrow in federal loans. The extra burden may mean fewer students choose careers in medicine, particularly low-income students. Patients, in turn, may see fewer doctors practicing family medicine. (Zinshteyn and Hwang, 7/15)

California Healthline: Lost In Translation: Interpreter Cutbacks Could Put Patient Lives On The Line
Patients need to communicate clearly with their health care provider. But that’s getting more difficult for those in the U.S. who don’t speak English. Budget cuts by the Trump administration have left some providers scrambling to keep qualified medical interpreters. And an executive order designating English the official language of the United States has created confusion among providers about what services should be offered. (Sánchez, 7/16)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Doctor’s Return To Sonoma County Spotlights Sutter Affiliate’s Bid To Rebuild Network Of Local Physicians 
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation’s health care landscape contracted, with a number of workers either retiring or switching careers. One study, which used U.S. Census Bureau state unemployment insurance data on job-to-job flows, found that the number of workers exiting the health care industry peaked in the first quarter of 2020. (Espinoza, 7/15)

KQED: A Brand-New Disability Cultural Center Opens In San Francisco
Liz Henry first became a wheelchair user in 1993, while living in poverty and navigating a world of uncertainty. The tools aiding their transition were sparse: a few issues of New Mobility magazine, a library book written by an author with arthritis and a manual wheelchair stolen out of necessity from Valley Medical Center. At De Anza Community College, Henry often asked other students to help push them to class. Then they encountered the Disabled Students Association, a “life-changing” experience. (Melido, 7/15)

San Francisco Chronicle: What $19,000 A Year Buys At A Luxury Bay Area Longevity Clinic
Human Longevity, a medical clinic in South San Francisco’s biotech corridor, feels more like a spa than a doctor’s office. The floors of the 8,000-square-foot space are sleek and white, the walls bamboo with moss accents. Visitors are referred to as clients, not patients, as they are ushered into private rooms equipped with Wi-Fi, snacks, full bathrooms with showers, and cameras for Zoom meetings — a feature meant to accommodate executives who fly in for the day for multi-hour batteries of tests that can lead to tailored treatments. (Ho, 7/16)

The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Homelessness In Napa County Drops For 2nd Straight Year. Here’s Why, According To Leaders
Homelessness in Napa County has fallen for the second consecutive year, according to new data from the latest point-in-time count. The one-day snapshot, conducted Jan. 29, identified 374 people experiencing homelessness — down from 414 last year and marking a 26% decrease since 2023. (Booth, 7/15)

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Homeless Shelters Would Be Spread More Evenly Under New Proposal
For years, San Francisco’s approach to fighting homelessness has concentrated shelters and services in just a handful of troubled neighborhoods. Now, city leaders are considering legislation that would effectively impose a moratorium on new services and shelters in areas such as South of Market and the Tenderloin, while establishing a new data-driven system that ties shelter capacity to neighborhood needs. (7/15)

Modesto Bee: Housing Crisis Not Healthy For Stanislaus County Residents
Families can thrive when they have economic stability and safe, affordable housing. Many residents of Stanislaus County struggle to pay for housing, though, and it’s one reason the county is less healthy than other communities, a new report says. (Carlson, 7/15)

Becker's Hospital Review: California Moves To Ease Pharmacy Staffing Limits
California lawmakers are advancing a bill that would ease some of the nation’s strictest pharmacy staffing limits, allowing pharmacists to supervise more technicians at once. Under Assembly Bill 1503, pharmacists would be permitted to oversee up to three pharmacy technicians, up from the current limit of one. The measure cleared the Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee with a unanimous 10-0 vote July 14. (Murphy, 7/15)

Times of San Diego: State Legislation For Tijuana River Crisis Stalls In Assembly
More than 90% of survey participants said they were concerned about air quality, beach water quality and the river quality because of the sewage crisis. (Wallace, 7/15)

Bloomberg: More Efficient Health Spending Could Boost Global Life Expectancy, Study Says
Americans could gain more than six years of healthy life if the US made better use of its world-leading health spending, according to a new global study. The research found that people around the world could live an average of 3.3 more years if countries got better returns on their health budgets. Global inefficiencies declined steadily from 1995 to 2019 — until Covid-19 disrupted progress, according to the study, published Tuesday in The Lancet Global Health. (Kan, 7/15)

CBS News: YoCrunch Yogurt Products Recalled Nationwide Due To Potential Presence Of Plastic Pieces
Danone U.S., the maker of YoCrunch, is recalling the yogurt product due to the potential presence of plastic pieces in the packaging's dome topper, according to federal health officials. In an alert, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said the plastic pieces, which were discovered after reported consumer complaints, could potentially cause a choking response if eaten. (Moniuszko, 7/15)