The Associated Press: Dying Vets Cannot Use Life-Ending Drugs At Many State Homes
Suffering from heart problems, Bob Sloan told his children he wants to use California’s new law allowing life-ending drugs for the terminally ill when his disease becomes too advanced to bear. But then the 73-year-old former U.S. Army sergeant learned that because he lives at the Veterans Home of California at Yountville — the nation’s largest retirement home for veterans — he must first move out. (Watson, 3/7)

Sacramento Bee: Planned Parenthood California Staffs Up, Swings Back At Trump Administration
Sacramento attorney Maggy Krell was fighting a high-profile internet sex trafficking case on behalf of the state of California when she made an unexpected career decision: She left her position as a prosecutor for the attorney general to join Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California as its chief legal counsel. Krell had spent months putting together a case against Backpage.com, a site she argued was little more than a platform for digital pimping, often facilitating prostitution of underage girls. She was in the middle of the litigation. It was a trial she was passionate about, one that had raised her profile statewide after an unsuccessful run for Sacramento District Attorney in 2014. (Magagnini, 3/7)

The San Diego Union-Tribune: UCSD To Open $140 Million Outpatient Center 
A new $140 million outpatient center due to open next week expands UC San Diego’s capacity to provide surgeries and other services to patients who don’t need an overnight hospital stay. Built between Jacobs Medical Center and Moores Cancer Center on the university health system’s La Jolla medical campus, the 156,000-square-foot facility houses eight surgical suites, an imaging center and space for physical therapy, pain management and infusion services. It will also provide space for the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center. (Sisson, 3/6)

In other health systems news —

Santa Rosa Press Democrat: Santa Rosa Kaiser Workers To Picket Thursday Against Their Employer
About 200 medical workers at the Kaiser Permanente medical complex in Santa Rosa are expected to participate in picketing Thursday afternoon protesting employee changes they say would impact patient care. The changes include wage reductions and job cuts around the state, according to Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West. The union said no Santa Rosa Kaiser employees would be affected. (Espinoza, 3/6)

The Mercury News: How To Make A Tough Workout Feel Like A Breeze
Pump up the volume! This is one if from the file marked “Duh.” Science has just proved what anyone who has ever ridden an elliptical machine hard has long known. A tough workout feels a whole lot easier if you are blasting some music that you love. It doesn’t really matter if it’s Taylor Swift or Fela, if it makes you feel good, it takes the edge off. As Time reports, in a new study by Texas University, people who listened to music during a cardiac stress test were able to sweat it out for almost a minute longer than those who didn’t. The study, which has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, will be presented at the American College of Cardiology’s annual meeting and scientists are saying it is proof that tunes boost our tolerance for intense exercise. (D'Souza, 3/6)

In other public health news —

The Mercury News: Ten Careers Of Bay Area Athletes Derailed By Substance Abuse
With former 49ers and Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith out on $30,000 bail facing domestic violence charges and reports that his life is out of control, here’s a look at 10 other Bay Area athletes who saw their careers deteriorate because of abuse of either alcohol or drugs. (McDonald, 3/7)

The Mercury News: Can Raw Water Make You Sick?
Camping out, sleeping under the stars and waking up to fill your canteen from a beautiful mountain stream. That’s part of the appeal of raw water, which has become the latest trend du jour. It seems like the most natural thing in the world. As the Live Water company puts it, it is “naturally probiotic” and “perfected by nature.” True believers claim that fresh, unadulterated water is chock full of beneficial minerals that you may not get from the tap. As the Washington Post reports, raw water is all the rage here in Silicon Valley where you often pay top dollar (say $15 a gallon) for what some fear may be very bad for you. These pricey bottles of the wet stuff may well be bursting with dangerous bacteria, viruses and parasites that can make you sick. Gulp. (D'Souza, 3/6)

The Wall Street Journal: Trump Administration Pushes Conservative Goals In Health-Care Market Changes
The Trump administration wants any congressional plan to shore up the Affordable Care Act markets to include conservative goals, such as letting insurers charge higher premiums to older people, according to a memo reviewed by The Wall Street Journal. The memo encourages lawmakers to pass measures including allowing insurers to charge older people five times as much as younger people, expanding access to health savings accounts and increasing the amount of money that people can contribute to them, as well as supporting a permanent congressional appropriation for subsidies to insurance companies who decrease deductibles and copays for lower-income consumers in exchange for explicit exclusions on abortion coverage by those insurers. (Armour and Radnofsky, 3/6)

In other national health care news —

The New York Times: In Battle Over Future Of Veterans’ Care, Moderation Wins, For Now
In an administration rife with intramural fights, the battle over the Department of Veterans Affairs has stood out, not only for its vitriol but also for its consequences. At stake is the future of the nation’s veterans health care system. For now at least, it appears moderation has prevailed, with the Veterans Affairs secretary, David J. Shulkin, thwarting a pitched conservative push to drive him out. (Fandos and Philipps, 3/6)

The New York Times: UnitedHealthcare Says It Will Pass On Rebates From Drug Companies To Consumers
In response to growing consumer frustration over drug prices, UnitedHealthcare, one of the nation’s largest health insurers, said on Tuesday that it would stop keeping millions of dollars in discounts it gets from drug companies and share them with its customers. Dan Schumacher, the president of UnitedHealthcare, said the new policy will apply to more than seven million people who are enrolled in the company’s fully insured plans, beginning next year. “The benefit could range from a few dollars to hundreds of dollars to over a thousand,” Mr. Schumacher said. (Abelson, 3/6)

Politico: Abstinence Advocate Gets Final Say On Family Planning Dollars
A senior Trump health official who has promoted abstinence will be the final arbiter of which groups receive federal family planning funds — a change from prior years, when a group of officials made the decision, POLITICO has learned. Conservatives have long criticized the $286 million Title X program, which funds family planning services, mostly for low-income women, because it gives money to Planned Parenthood and other groups that provide abortions, even though there is a prohibition on using those dollars for abortions. (Haberkorn, 3/6)

The New York Times: Spooked By Trump Proposals, Immigrants Abandon Public Nutrition Services
Immigrants hoping for permanent residence are dropping out of public nutrition programs even before prominent elements of the Trump administration’s proposed policy changes are enacted, fearful that participating could threaten their citizenship eligibility or put them at risk for deportation, according to program administrators. Statistics on participation in state and local efforts show fewer people are using an array of food programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (called WIC) as well as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (or SNAP, formerly known as food stamps) and food banks. (Baumgaertner, 3/6)

The Associated Press: FDA Clears DNA Test To Spot Cancer Genes, But With Warnings
U.S. regulators have approved the first direct-to-consumer breast cancer gene test. But the Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday it will require warnings about the limitations of the genetic information from California-based 23andMe. The test, which analyzes DNA from saliva, can only detect three out of more than 1,000 known inherited BRCA gene mutations. It cannot determine a person's overall risk of developing cancer. (3/6)

California Healthline: Oregon Couple’s Final Days Captured In Intimate Aid-In-Dying Video
On the last morning of their lives, Charlie and Francie Emerick held hands. The Portland, Ore., couple, married for 66 years and both terminally ill, died together in their bed on April 20, 2017, after taking lethal doses of medication obtained under the state’s Death With Dignity law. (Aleccia, 3/7)

The Hill: Aetna Donates $200K To Gun Protest March 
Aetna announced on Tuesday that it will donate $200,000 to the gun reform rally “March for Our Lives.” The health insurer said it wants to support action to stop gun violence, but doesn’t oppose responsible gun owners. “I want to emphasize that our actions are not an indictment of responsible, legal gun owners,” Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini said in a statement. “Instead, we are joining others who cannot sit by idly while mass shootings become a part of our everyday life.” (Sanchez, 3/6)

The Associated Press: Opioid Overdoses In ERs Up 30 Percent As Crisis Worsens
Emergency rooms saw a big jump in overdoses from opioids last year — the latest evidence the nation's drug crisis is getting worse. A government report released Tuesday shows overdoses from opioids increased 30 percent late last summer, compared to the same three-month period in 2016. The biggest jumps were in the Midwest and in cities, but increases occurred nationwide. (3/6)

California Healthline: Crowded Shelters And The Vicious Flu Brew Perfect Storm For The Homeless
The flu descended on Connie Gabaldon like a fog, she recalled, clouding her mind and compromising her judgment. It progressed to chest and back pain, the aches perhaps made worse by a fall the 66-year-old had while riding the bus in Santa Fe, N.M.Gabaldon is homeless. When she went to the emergency room in late January, doctors told her she also had pneumonia, a sinus infection and the flu. (Heredia Rodriguez, 3/7)