KQED: 'Overflowing With Patients': Why The Head Of California's Hospital Association Thinks It's A Bad Time To End The State Of Emergency
California is formally ending its COVID-19 state of emergency Tuesday after almost three years since the pandemic began. This emergency declaration gave Gov. Gavin Newsom the power to suspend or change laws in California to combat COVID. These legal powers allowed Newsom to issue almost 600 pandemic-related health orders — the majority of which have now been lifted. (Severn and Navarro, 2/28)

CalMatters: COVID Disparities Grow As State Of Emergency End
When California recorded the first U.S. case of COVID-19 more than three years ago, the news was met with fear, confusion and public ire. Schools and businesses closed. State and local officials ordered people to stay home and mask up. Hospitals overflowed with sick and dying patients. Today, on the last day of the state’s emergency order, much of public life has returned to normal. But for many communities around the state, the disappearance of COVID-19 resources is merely a reminder that the health disparities highlighted during the pandemic are long-entrenched. (Hwang, 2/28)

Bay Area News Group: California's COVID-19 State Of Emergency Is Over, Has The Bay Area Moved On?
The last remnants of California’s COVID-19 state of emergency expired Tuesday with little fanfare from the governor who proclaimed it almost three years ago, gave daily briefings at the height of the pandemic and issued nearly 600 virus-related provisions along the way. (Woolfolk, Rowan and Ravikumar, 2/28)

San Diego Union-Tribune: California’s COVID-19 Emergency Is Over. Here's What It Means For San Diego. 
San Diego County declared its emergency in February 2020, and Gov. Gavin Newsom followed suit two weeks later. Those orders let officials change typical governing operations and issue orders in response to the crisis. (Fox, 2/28)

Oaklandside: Oakland City Council Is Returning To In-Person Meetings
This means that, for the first time since the pandemic shut down regular city business and buildings in March 2020, members of the public will be allowed to enter the council chamber and address their elected representatives face-to-face. Masks are required. (Orenstein, 2/28)

The Wall Street Journal: Eli Lilly To Cut Prices Of Insulin Drugs By 70% 
Eli Lilly & Co., facing pressure to curb diabetes-treatment costs, will cut the list prices for its most commonly prescribed insulin products by 70% and take other steps to make it easier for patients to afford the drugs. The Indianapolis-based company said Wednesday the 70% price cuts will take effect in the fourth quarter for Humalog and Humulin, its two biggest-selling insulin products. (Loftus, 3/1)

AP: Lilly Plans To Slash Some Insulin Prices, Expand Cost Cap
Lilly CEO David Ricks said in a statement that it will take time for insurers and the pharmacy system to implement its price cuts, so the drugmaker will immediately cap monthly out-of-pocket costs at $35 for people who are not covered by Medicare’s prescription drug program. That cap applies to people with commercial coverage. Lilly said people without insurance can find savings cards to receive insulin for the same amount at its InsulinAffordability.com website. (Murphy, 3/1)

CBS News: Eli Lilly To Cut Insulin Prices, Cap Out-Of-Pocket Costs At $35 
About 3 in 10 diabetics in the U.S. rely on insulin from Eli Lilly, one of three drug companies, along with Novo Nordisk and Sanofi, that control the market for the drug. Since introducing their analog insulin products more than two decades ago, the three drugmakers have sharply raised prices for the medications, which control blood sugar more effectively than so-called human insulin. Eli Lilly on Wednesday said it will cut the list price of its Humalog 100 units/mL1, its most commonly prescribed insulin, by 70%. The price cut will take effect during the fourth quarter of 2023, the company said in a statement. The company said that the list price of Humalog U-100 10 mL vials will drop from $274.70 to $66.40. (Picchi, 3/1)

NBC News: Drugmaker Eli Lilly Caps The Cost Of Insulin At $35 A Month, Bringing Relief For Millions
The move, experts say, could prompt other insulin makers in the U.S. to follow suit. The change, which Eli Lilly said takes effect immediately, puts the drugmaker in line with a provision in the Inflation Reduction Act, which last month imposed a $35 monthly cap on the out-of-pocket cost of insulin for seniors enrolled in Medicare. Insulin makers continue to face pressure from members of Congress and advocacy groups to lower the cost of the lifesaving medication. Insulin costs in the U.S. are notoriously high compared to the costs in other countries; the RAND Corporation, a public policy think tank, estimated that in 2018, the average list price for one vial of insulin in the U.S. was $98.70. (Lovelace Jr., 3/1)

USA Today: Extra SNAP Benefits Are Ending. Here's What You Can Do To Offset The Loss
Pandemic-era boosts to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits will all be gone this week, forcing millions of Americans to find alternative ways to pay for food. The timing couldn’t be worse. People are already squeezed, with inflation remaining stubbornly high. Annual grocery prices in January climbed 11.3%. Now, people will have even fewer dollars to stretch. (Lee, 2/28)

The New York Times: Low-Income Families Brace For End Of Extra Food Stamp Benefits
Tens of millions of low-income families are set to lose additional food stamp benefits on Wednesday after the expiration of a pandemic-era policy that had increased the amount they received, leaving food banks bracing for a surge in demand and some advocates predicting a rise in hunger nationwide. For nearly three years of the pandemic, emergency legislation enacted by Congress sought to cushion the economic blow of the coronavirus, allowing all participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to receive the maximum monthly benefit, regardless of income. The extra cash, along with other economic assistance programs, helped keep food insecurity at bay and cut poverty rates to a record low. (Qiu, 2/28)

The Hill: SNAP Cuts Could Lead To ‘Hunger Cliff,’ Experts Fear 
A pandemic-related boost in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) will be cut in every state on March 1, meaning millions of Americans are faced with figuring out new ways to put food on the table. For Natalie Sharp, a 35-year-old part-time Pilates instructor, and her partner, that means stocking up on nonperishable food items like dry beans, pasta and canned tomatoes as well as visiting food pantries near their home in Pittsfield, Mass. (O'Connell-Domenech, 2/28)

San Gabriel Valley Tribune: Thousand Oaks Healthcare Workers To Protest Short-Staffing, Low Wages 
Several Los Robles employees who claim they’re constantly short-staffed plan to picket the hospital on Wednesday, March 1 to get their message out. They are among nearly 600 workers at the center represented by SEIU-UHW. (Smith, 2/28)

VC Star: Nurses March For Increased Staffing At Area Hospitals
Nurses and their supporters rallied Tuesday in front of St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, demanding the state enforce staffing ratios that mandate how many patients can be assigned to one nurse. (2/28)

CalMatters: California Nursing Schools: Why Are They So Hard To Get Into?
Why is it so hard to get into nursing school in California? Zuleika Dixon, a student at Rio Hondo College, asked the question in response to the CalMatters College Journalism Network’s call for questions about college in California. (Tagami, 3/1)

KVPR: In Rural California, A Hospital With Millions In Equipment Sits Empty And Closed
Just off Highway 99 in Madera, the county’s only general hospital sits dark and quiet in a vast, empty parking lot. The signage is stripped off the front of the building. It reveals a scar where the name “Madera Community Hospital” hung for just over 50 years. At the entrance to the emergency room, hospital CEO Karen Paolinelli leads the way inside. “So this is our waiting room as you can see,” she says, pointing to a dark room lined with rows of empty chairs. (Hok, 2/28)

KQED: Proven Schizophrenia Treatments Keep People In School, At Work And Off The Street. Why Won't Insurance Companies Cover Them?
When Yvonne was walking across campus and heard someone calling her name, she stopped and looked around, but the other students flowed around her, oblivious. She continued on, then heard it again. Yvonne? Stop. Look. Nothing. She was confused, but like anyone else would, Yvonne brushed it off. She sat down in her anatomy class, in the middle of a big lecture hall, and when the professor began his lesson on the renal system, Yvonne started to feel funny, like he was talking about her body. “I was like, ‘Why is he talking about my kidneys? How dare he,’” she remembered. “I got really scared and I ran out of class.” (Dembosky, 3/1)

KHN and CBS News Investigation: This Dental Device Was Sold To Fix Patients’ Jaws. Lawsuits Claim It Wrecked Their Teeth. 
A dental device called AGGA has been used on about 10,000 patients without FDA approval or proof that it works. In lawsuits, patients report irreparable harm. The AGGA’s inventor and manufacturer have denied all liability in court. (Kelman and Werner, 3/1)

AP: Biden Warns Of 'MAGA' Republicans' Desire To Cut Spending 
President Joe Biden on Tuesday said GOP lawmakers could put millions of people’s health care at risk, honing his message ahead of the release of his budget plan next week as Republicans push for him to negotiate over spending levels. (Long and Boak, 3/1)

California Healthline: Biden Promises To Fight GOP On ‘Gutting’ Medicaid. Budget Talks Seem Like Another Story.
On Tuesday, President Joe Biden pressured Republicans to release the party’s plans to cut government spending, which are expected to call for deeper cuts to Medicaid — and could offer Americans a preview of Republicans’ wish list should the party gain full power in the 2024 election. If far-right Republicans “try to take away people’s health care by gutting Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, I will stop them,” Biden said. (McAuliff, 3/1)

Politico: Trump Ties GOP In Knots Over Medicare And Social Security
Donald Trump is driving a wedge through the GOP over one of American politics’ thorniest issues: the future of Medicare and Social Security. The former president’s attacks on potential GOP primary opponents, and his warning to party leaders to stay away from the popular entitlement programs in their push to cut spending, are cleaving Republicans at every level. (Everett and Emma, 3/1)

inewsource: Mayor Gloria Asks State For More Money To End Homelessness
Mayor Todd Gloria went to Sacramento last week to ask state lawmakers to help pay for homelessness programs on an ongoing basis and was met with some objections. Testifying before a State Assembly budget subcommittee, Gloria thanked lawmakers for the money they approved in June 2021 to address immediate challenges, but bemoaned that he had only just received San Diego’s remaining portion — $22 million — last month. (Dulaney, 2/28)

San Francisco Chronicle: Hotels Say Homeless Residents Caused Damage During Pandemic. Here’s How Much S.F. Could Owe
The city of San Francisco believes it may need to pay up to $26 million for damages and lost revenue to hotels that homeless residents caused during the pandemic, as it attempts to resolve claims from the hotels that agreed to participate in the city’s shelter-in-place program. The disclosure represents the first time a fuller accounting of the possible costs of the program have come into focus. (Barned-Smith, 2/28)

CBS News: FDA Acts To Restrict Illicit Import Of Xylazine, Animal Tranquilizer Linked To Overdose Deaths
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced on Tuesday that it was taking action to restrict unlawful importing of the veterinary drug xylazine, which has been "increasingly found" in the nation's illicit drug supply. (Breen, 2/28)

Los Angeles Times: Three L.A. County Jail Inmates Hospitalized In Suspected Fentanyl Incident
Three inmates were rushed to the hospital Tuesday morning from the Pitchess Detention Center in what authorities believe was a drug-related incident, officials said. Seventeen inmates who were in the outdoor recreation area at the Castaic complex’s North County Correction Facility “appeared to be affected in some way and were medically evaluated,” said Assistant Sheriff Sergio Aloma. (Winton, Solis and Blakinger, 2/28)

AP: 3 Hospitalized After Possible ODs At Los Angeles Area Jail
Three inmates were hospitalized, one in critical condition, after possibly overdosing Tuesday in the yard of a county jail near Los Angeles, authorities said. Paramedics responded around 10 a.m. following reports that 17 people required treatment in a mass casualty incident at Pitchess Detention Center, said Sgt. Bryan Moreno with the LA County Sheriff’s Department. (2/28)

AP: FDA Panel Narrowly Backs Pfizer RSV Vaccine For Older Adults
Federal health advisers on Tuesday narrowly backed an experimental vaccine from Pfizer that could soon become the first shot to protect older adults against the respiratory illness known as RSV. The Food and Drug Administration panel voted 7-4 on two separate questions of whether Pfizer’s data showed the vaccine was safe and effective against the respiratory virus for people 60 and older. One panelist abstained from voting. The recommendation is non-binding and the FDA will make its own decision on the vaccine in the coming months. (Perrone, 2/28)

Bloomberg: Pfizer’s RSV Vaccine Wins US Panel’s Backing For Safety In Older People
Members of the panel that advises the Food and Drug Administration voted 7-4 with one abstention to recommend the vaccine as both safe and effective in preventing RSV. Still, several who endorsed the shots also raised concerns about the lack of data on hospitalizations and the highest-risk patients, as well as two incidents of a rare disorder among those who were vaccinated. (Cattan, 2/28)

San Francisco Chronicle: Workers In SF Eligible For A Share Of $104M In Health Reimbursements
In the use-it-or-lose-it department, tens of thousands of people who work in San Francisco — or used to — have money sitting in a city medical reimbursement fund that they may not know about. Starting Wednesday, the city will begin tracking accounts that have been inactive for three years. And if those folks don’t activate their accounts by April 2026, the city says, they’ll lose their money forever. (Asimov, 2/28)

The Desert Sun: HARC Survey Highlights Health Issues Local Residents Face
More Coachella Valley residents had health care insurance in 2022 compared to the past 15 years, but many also struggled to put food on the table and have access to health care, according to the latest Coachella Valley Community Health Survey released Tuesday. (Sasic, 2/28)

Sacramento Bee: Is California’s Free K-12 Meals Program Working? Sacramento Parents, Schools Call It Lifeline 
Sara Goncalves arrives at work at A.M. Winn Elementary, watching children quickly dashing into the cafeteria for breakfast. Breakfast burritos are a favorite among the Rancho Cordova students. Salads at lunch stir excitement in children standing in line for meals. “Kids are excited to see rose apples,” Goncalves said. “For some, this is the only place where they eat greens too. It’s so cute, but it’s also so heartbreaking.” (Morrar, 3/1)

The Washington Post: A Giant California Marijuana Operation Bets On National Legalization 
This is what the long game of California weed looks like. Rising two stories from razor-straight rows of parsley, artichokes and strawberries, the greenhouse complex hums with solar-powered efficiency, its vast airy interiors redolent with the sticky plant that fills much of it. Cannabis. (Wilson, 2/28)