California Weekly Roundup: Health Care Costs and the Gubernatorial Race

Plus: Small businesses grapple with fate of ACA tax credits; the latest on SNAP and the federal shutdown; how service dogs are helping with PTSD; LGBTQ+ protections in nursing homes; wildfire cleanup; and more

View in browser Not a subscriber? Sign Up Visit KFF Health News for the latest California headlines California Weekly Roundup THIS WEEK'S FEATURE Health Care Costs Jump to the Fore as Candidates Jockey To Be California Governor  (OSEOBA AIREWELE BY CLAUDIA BOYD-BARRETT / KFF HEALTH NEWS) By Claudia Boyd-Barrett   RIVERSIDE, Calif. — California's gubernatorial election is a year away, and the field of primary candidates is still taking shape. But one persistent issue has already emerged as a leading concern: the cost of health care.   At a forum Nov. 7 in the Inland Empire, four Democratic candidates vying to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom vowed to push back against Republican cuts to health care programs and to improve people's access to medical care, including mental health services. But while some floated taxes, candidates were light on details about how they would bring down health care costs.   Former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra promised to be California's next "health care governor," echoing Newsom's commitment to lower costs and broaden access when he first got into office. State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond pledged to create a single-payer health care system in which everyone is pooled into one program. Former state Controller Betty Yee said she would "build back better" from federal cuts and create a health care system tailored to California's diverse communities.   And former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa vowed to fight to preserve safety net health care pared by the Trump administration and Republicans in Congress, although he acknowledged the challenge given limited state resources.   "I'm not gonna sell you snake oil," he said. "It is going to be tough to provide that care, but I'm absolutely committed to it."   Oseoba Airewele, 29, of Ventura, a registered Democrat who previously worked as a software engineer, said Medi-Cal became a lifeline after he lost insurance through his job and needed mental health and dental care. "If I were to lose it, I would be very concerned," he said. "I'd be in a bad place." Read the full story.  More From KFF Health News Farmers, Barbers, and GOP Lawmakers Grapple With the Fate of ACA Tax Credits  (JUSTIN MILLER BY ANNE CHADWICK WILLIAMS FOR KFF HEALTH NEWS) By Amanda Seitz   Small-business owners such as Justin Miller of Miller's Twin Peaks Orchards in Newcastle are worried about their health care and their livelihoods as insurance prices surge. Republicans, who have long opposed Obamacare, are at odds over how to respond to upset from one of their party's most loyal constituencies. Read the full story. Follow us online for more KFF Health News coverage: Top Health Headlines From Around California Federal Shutdown and Food Aid The Sacramento Bee: Newsom Criticizes Senate Deal After Election Day Wins Abroad Democrats "rolled over" in Senate shutdown deal, Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday. (Russell, 11/10)   KQED: California Moves To Protect CalFresh Payments From Federal 'Confusion And Chaos' Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday morning announced moves to protect food benefits that California has paid out after the U.S. Department of Agriculture called on states over the weekend to halt and unwind payments. (Khan, 11/10)   San Francisco Examiner: Experts Warn SNAP Pause Could Worsen Chronic Disease Risks Dr. Hilary Seligman, a food insecurity researcher at UCSF, said halting funds for beneficiaries suffering from chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and high blood pressure "can have acute health crises that are related to running out of money for food." (Gurevich, 11/9)   KQED: Food Insecurity On Campus: How SNAP Is A 'Lifeline' For Many Students Over 400,000 college students use CalFresh too — and they're an often-overlooked group affected by the shutdown's delay in benefits. (Khan, 11/11)   The Healdsburg Tribune: A Simple Gesture Makes It Easy To Help Out  Volunteers pick up the food bag on schedule and leave an empty one. (Kallen, 11/5) Veterans' Health Military.com: VA Expands Psychedelic Therapy Trials For PTSD Treatment  Nine VA facilities, including Los Angeles, San Diego, and San Francisco, are participating in the multi-year studies. (Hultz, 11/5)   Orange County Register: With A Service Dog Watching Their 'Six,' Veterans Gain Ground In Battles With PTSD Over the last few years, there has been a surge in nonprofit groups – thanks to federal grants — that train and pair dogs with veterans. (Ritchie, 11/11)   Monterey Herald: Lightfighter Village, Veteran Housing, Has Grand Opening In Marina Lightfighter Village is "a transformative affordable housing development for veterans and their spouses." (Herrera, 11/10)   AP: WWII Nurses Who Dodged Bullets And Saved Lives Deserve Congressional Honor, Lawmakers Say At age 106, Alice Darrow can clearly recall her days as a nurse during World War II. Darrow sat with patients, even after-hours. One of them had arrived at her hospital on California's Mare Island with a bullet lodged in his heart. He was not expected to survive surgery, yet he would change her life. (Har, 11/11) Housing Crisis CNN Business: Trump Just Floated A 50-Year Mortgage. Is That A Good Idea? Many housing experts warn the plan could backfire, raising the cost of homeownership by stretching out payments and driving up home prices. "This is not a good idea," said USC professor Richard Green. (Delouya, 11/11)   KQED: Bay Area Cities Expand Homeless Shelters. Winning Over Neighbors Is The Hard Part  San Francisco and San José are looking to expand shelters and transitional housing, but resistance remains high. (Johnson and Marzorati, 11/11)   Voice of OC: OC Supervisors Ban Homeless Encampments In Parks And Flood Channels Orange County Supervisors approved new rules that open the door for county sheriffs to break up homeless encampments on county land, including parks, flood channels and other unincorporated areas. (Biesiada, 11/6)   The Appeal-Democrat: Yuba-Sutter Homeless Numbers Drop By 14 Percent, Report Shows There were 20 percent fewer homeless counted in Yuba County and six percent fewer counted in Sutter County, according to Executive Director Johnny Burke. (Smith, 11/7)   CalMatters: What Veto Drama And A Texas Trip Tell Us About A Potential Shift In California's Homelessness Strategy California is under pressure to embrace more temporary homeless shelters that require sobriety, at the potential expense of long-term housing. (Kendall, 11/7) Politics and Health Care The New York Times: Newsom In The Spotlight At The Climate Conference That Trump Decided To Skip California Gov. Gavin Newsom was trailed by crowds at the conference, known as COP30. Mr. Newsom called the administration's pullout from the Paris climate accord "an abomination." (Sengupta, 11/11)   Politico: The Latest Twist In American Tech Politics? Gavin Newsom Is A Friend. A sudden thaw between Big Tech and California politicians is poised to change how the industry deploys its lobbying muscle in state capitals and Washington. (Bordelon and Katzenberger, 11/9)   San Francisco Examiner: Nancy Pelosi Retirement Brings First-In-Decades Debate To SF The exit of a political legend has opened the door for a new political discourse — or a free-for-all fracas — for the first time in nearly 40 years. (Shanks, 11/6) Health Care Industry San Francisco Chronicle: 'UC Workers Are Going To End Up Homeless': 86,000 University Of California Employees Plan Massive Strike In what could become one of the largest labor actions in the University of California's history, more than 86,000 nurses, health care professionals and campus workers plan to walk off the job this month. (Vaziri, 11/6)   The Tribune: SLO County Gets Nearly $1 Million To Recruit And Retain Health Care Workers The SLO Healthcare Workforce Partnership will use the grant funding to boost healthcare internships and nursing programs. (Lynch, 11/8)   Palo Alto Daily Post: Santa Clara County's Hospital Tax Passes Santa Clara County voters approved a 5/8 percent sales tax increase, which proponents say will fund the count's public hospital system amid federal cuts. (Schrager, 11/4)   Redlands Daily Facts: Cal State San Bernardino May Try Again To Start Physician Assistant Program Cal State San Bernardino is disputing the denial of accreditation that prevented the program from starting. (Vergara, 11/11) LGBTQ+ Health Los Angeles Blade: Supreme Court Rejects Kim Davis's Effort To Overturn Landmark Marriage Ruling The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear an appeal from Kim Davis, the former Rowan County, Ky., clerk best known for refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples after the landmark 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges decision legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. (Reberkenny, 11/10)   CalMatters: California Supreme Court Rejects Free Speech Challenge To LGBT Protections In Nursing Homes The California Supreme Court upheld a law protecting the rights of LGBT people in nursing homes, including by forbidding employees from misgendering those patients. (Duara, 11/6)   Voice of OC: Irvine Considers Creating LGBTQIA+ Resource Center Irvine residents who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community could see more local health and wellness resources as part of the city's Center for Healthy Living, an effort that's still in development. (Hicks, 11/6) Send Us Your Questions If you're LGBTQ+, you need a doctor who gets it. For a future installment of Health Care Helpline, we're reporting on the hurdles to getting good care when you're queer. This crowdsourced project is from NPR and KFF Health News. Share your story with us.  Substance Use Daily News: LA County Public Health Urges Removal Of Illegal Kratom, 7-OH Products From Shelves To End Overdose Risk LA County health officials are inspecting gas stations and smoke shops for kratom and more potent synthetic versions that are opioids. (Scauzillo, 11/10)   San Francisco Chronicle: Dispensaries Are Recommending Cannabis For Pain And Sleep - With No Evidence, UCSF Study Finds Cannabis dispensaries in the Bay Area often recommend specific strains and doses of cannabis to customers for sleep and pain — despite a lack of scientific evidence, according to a new UCSF study. (Ho, 11/9) Public Health AP: ByHeart Recalls All Baby Formula Sold Nationwide As Infant Botulism Outbreak Grows At least 15 babies in 12 states have been sickened since August, with more cases pending. California health officials confirmed that a sample from an open can of ByHeart baby formula fed to an infant who got sick contained the toxin-producing type of bacteria. (Aleccia, 11/11)   Los Angeles Times: Many Of Altadena's Standing Homes Still Contaminated After Cleanup  A study led by a community group found that even after cleanups were supposedly complete, many standing homes in Altadena remain contaminated with lead and asbestos. (Haggerty, 11/6)   Los Angeles Times: Second-Highest Number Of Rabid Bats Ever Recorded In L.A. County, Officials Say  Dozens of rabid bats have been found in Los Angeles County this year, causing county health officials to caution residents in case they come across one. (Lin, 11/6)   The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Sonoma County Farmers Confront New Avian Flu Wave And Debate Over Vaccine Farmers call the threat "scary as hell" as the outbreak kills thousands of birds and renews debate over whether to vaccinate poultry. (Barber, 11/11)   San Francisco Chronicle: In California, A Tug-Of-War Over Blood-Thinning Rat Poisons California's wild animals are still poisoned by rodenticide despite restrictions. Now, the state is weighing weakening those restrictions further. (Hodgeman, 11/8) Other California News The Mendocino Voice: Medi-Cal Rule Changes To Affect Thousands In Mendocino County Next Year  Starting Jan. 1, the program will again count savings and property in eligibility decisions and will freeze new full-scope enrollment for many without legal immigration status. (Stierch, 11/8)   The Wall Street Journal: Genetically Engineered Babies Are Banned. Tech Titans Are Trying To Make One Anyway. For months, a small company in San Francisco has been pursuing a secretive project: the birth of a genetically engineered baby. (Glazer, Long, and Marcus, 11/8)   Times-Standard: Planning Commission OK's Natural Burial Cemetery Thursday, the Humboldt County Planning Commission approved a permit for a proposed Kneeland natural burial cemetery, Sacred Groves. (Alexander, 11/10)   The (Santa Clarity Valley) Signal: New GPS Tech For Those With Cognitive Issues  The Theora Care GPS smartwatch provides real-time location tracking for people with Alzheimer's, autism, dementia or other cognitive conditions. (Doyle, 11/9)   The Coast News Group: Student-Run Wellness Center Expands Peer Support At Mission Hills  A $1.5 million state mental health grant allows Mission Hills High School to offer a peer-to-peer support program and a new wellness center. (Place, 11/10) This Week's 'KFF Health News Minute' What to do when your health insurer stops covering your medical provider, and the Republican budget law will make it harder for some people to pay for medical school. Listen to Zach Dyer ▶️ Have questions or feedback? Contact editor Lauren Zamarron at LaurenZ@kff.org. 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