California Weekly Roundup: Some Hospitals' Financial Woes Are About To Get Worse

Plus: Single-payer; Gilead layoffs; research funding; Joshua's House hospice care; abortion; invasive mosquitoes; mental health care; and more ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­  

Not a subscriber? Sign Up Wednesday, May 06, 2026 Visit KFF Health News for the latest California headlines California Weekly Roundup NOTE TO READERS California Weekly Roundup will be on hiatus next week. Look for it again in your email inbox on May 20. THIS WEEK'S FEATURE States Eye Aid To Prop Up Distressed Hospitals Amid Federal Medicaid Cuts (Bernard J. Wolfson / KFF Health News) By Bernard J. Wolfson    LOS ANGELES — At Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital, patients on gurneys line the hallways of the emergency department waiting for care, and overflow mental health patients are consigned to outdoor tents.   The 152-bed hospital, which sits on a sprawling medical campus close to the predominantly Latino and Black neighborhood of Watts, is struggling for financial stability. Its patients are poorer and sicker than average, many of them are uninsured, and three-quarters of MLK’s patient care revenue comes from Medi-Cal, the state’s version of the Medicaid program, which pays low rates. For hospitals statewide, by comparison, less than one-third of patient revenue comes from Medi-Cal.   And MLK Community Healthcare, which comprises the hospital and two nearby clinics, is independent, so it cannot fall back on a larger chain to absorb some of the financial pressure.     Similar problems plague hundreds of financially vulnerable hospitals around the country, in rural and urban areas. And their financial woes are about to get worse.   The Republican budget measure known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump last July, is expected to cut federal Medicaid spending by $911 billion over 10 years. And it could contribute to an increase of more than 14 million in the number of uninsured people, many of whom will go to already crowded emergency rooms to get care they can’t pay for.    Read the full story. More From KFF Health News Gavin Newsom, Early Champion of Single-Payer, Moderates in the Face of Fiscal Limits By Angela Hart  California Gov. Gavin Newsom, who campaigned on single-payer, has called healthcare a human right. In practice, however, the potential presidential candidate emphasizes safety net services, from expanding coverage to immigrants to constructing behavioral health supports, often for those experiencing homelessness. Read the full story.  Follow us online for more KFF Health News coverage: Top Health Headlines From Around California Health Industry and Biotech San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area Biotech Giant Gilead To Lay Off 108 Workers The Foster City company is one of the Bay Area’s most prominent biotech firms, with a large local workforce and a global business built around treatments for HIV, viral hepatitis, COVID-19 and cancer. (Vaziri, 5/5)   CalMatters: California Health Clinics Sue To Block Union Ballot Measure California health clinics sue to block a union ballot measure requiring them to spend 90% of revenue on patient care. (Hwang, 4/30)   San Francisco Examiner: UCSF Pediatric Housing Site Family House Marks 10 Years  A UCSF pediatric housing site provides services and a temporary home for families whose children are receiving critical care at UCSF for everything from cancer to fetal heart conditions. (Gurevich, 5/4)   North Bay Business Journal: How National Nurses Week Resonates In The North Bay The annual celebration kicks off May 6 and ends May 12, the birthday of modern nursing founder Florence Nightingale. (Sarfaty, 5/4) Politics and Healthcare (iStock / Getty Images) San Francisco Chronicle: Trump Slashes Scientific Research Funds. A Massive California Bond Could Offset The Cuts State Sen. Scott Wiener’s measure would support researchers in the state university system who are desperate for stability. (DiNatale, 5/4)   Politico: Xavier Becerra Unveils His AI Vision For California  Democrat Xavier Becerra is getting serious about tech policy after catapulting into the upper echelon of California’s gubernatorial field. The former Health and Human Services secretary on Monday unveiled an 11-point plan. (Katzenberger and Mui, 5/4)   Mother Jones: RFK Jr. Has Met His Match In This California Congressional Hopeful  Pediatrician and former state senator Richard Pan is on a mission—to make vaccines great again. (Rogers, 4/30)   San Francisco Chronicle: What The Latest Blow To The Voting Rights Act Means For California In a Louisiana redistricting case, the court took another step toward dismantling the 1965 Voting Rights Act. (Egelko, 4/30) Housing Crisis CapRadio: How A Sacramento Hospice Home Brings ‘Dignity And Compassion’ To People Experiencing Homelessness Joshua’s House is the first hospice serving people experiencing homelessness on the West Coast. (Laschinsky and Gonzalez, 5/1)   CapRadio: Sacramento County’s Largest Homeless Shelter Faces Rising Costs And Delays A North Highlands site, years in the making, could serve 350 people, but it’s still not open months after the original estimated completion date was set. (Rodriguez, 5/4)   Orange County Register: OC Homelessness Czar Taking Hits Pending Release Of Homeless Count  Scolded by a county supervisor, warned by a city mayor and questioned by others about comments he denies making, Doug Becht is in the pressure cooker. (Saavedra, 5/5)   Bay Area News Group: Bay Area Cities Crack Down On RV Living, Pushing Homeless Residents Across Borders Is the Bay Area's tougher stance on RV living solving homelessness or just moving it? From Oakland to Mountain View, see how new towing policies and parking bans are reshaping city streets. (Stringer, 5/5) Abortion Los Angeles Times: Court's Mifepristone Ruling Threatens Abortion Access For Rural Californians A federal appeals court has restricted access to one of the most common means of abortion in the U.S. by blocking the mailing of mifepristone. A look at what that means for telehealth and abortion access nationwide. (Begert, 5/2)   San Francisco Examiner: Local Health Experts Concerned About Future Of Abortion Pill  “This ruling will impact all 50 states, including here in California and in New York — states that feel strongly about protecting access,” said Dr. Ushma Upadhyay, a public-health scientist at the Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health research group at UCSF. “It will likely not be resolved in the near future.” (Gurevich, 5/6) Public Health The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Local Officials Dedicate Public Health Vending Machine At Petaluma Library Free hygiene kits, clean socks, contraceptives and more are now available to those in need at the push of a button thanks to Sonoma County's health supply vending machine program. A new machine was recently installed outside the Petaluma library. (Templeton, 5/5)   San Francisco Chronicle: Invasive Mosquitoes Could Surge As Bay Area Season Starts Early Mild weather is fueling an earlier mosquito surge — and officials are racing to stop an invasive species from exploding in parts of the East Bay. (Ho, 5/3)   The Wall Street Journal: One Of California’s Ritziest Beach Towns Has A Problem: A Tsunami Of Raw Sewage Coronado was "heaven on earth." Then as much as 30 million gallons a day of Tijuana waste turned its legendary beaches into a no-go zone. (Carlton, 5/4)   San Luis Obispo Tribune: Outbreak Kills 3 On Cruise Ship. What To Know About Hantavirus In California  An outbreak of hantavirus, a disease also found in California, aboard a cruise ship has killed three passengers and sickened others. (Sweeney, 5/5)   The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Bay Area Ban On New Natural Gas Water Heaters, Set To Take Effect In Seven Months, May Be Relaxed Over Cost Concerns On Wednesday, the board of the Bay Area Air District, a government agency based in San Francisco, will discuss softening the first-in-the-nation rules, which are set to take effect Jan. 1, to allow exemptions for low-income residents and for people who would need significant, expensive upgrades to their electrical breaker panels or structural changes in their homes to comply.(Rogers, 5/6) Other California News CalMatters: California Budget Threatens Funding For Mental Health Crisis Teams As demand for California's crisis teams grows, a budget proposal threatens to end state funding and leave counties with the bill. (Ibarra, 5/5)   Imperial Valley Press Online: ICBHS Celebrates Groundbreaking For Adult Residential Substance Use Disorder Treatment Facility Imperial County Behavioral Health Services (ICBHS) celebrated Thursday the groundbreaking of the county's new adult residential substance use disorder treatment facility, marking an important milestone in expanding access to critical behavioral health and recovery services for residents across Imperial County. (5/2)   Healdsburg Tribune: A Resource For Life’s Last Questions  At the end of 2025, the Healdsburg City Council approved 'When the Time Comes,' a new program designed to help residents navigate end-of-life planning and support. (4/29)   Los Angeles Times: Suspected Arsonist Behind Palisades Fire Looked Up To Luigi Mangione As Hero, Prosecutors Say The man accused of starting the Palisades fire, one of the costliest disasters in U.S. history, was motivated by a resentment for the rich and viewed Luigi Mangione, the suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive, as a Robin Hood-like figure, according to court documents detailing evidence gathered by federal prosecutors. In a court brief filed last week, authorities say a forensic review of his computer showed Jonathan Rinderknecht searched “Free Luigi” and “reddit lets kill all billionaires” in December 2024. (Winton, 5/4)   Pasadena Star News: LA County’s Juvenile Hall ‘Depopulation’ Is Almost Complete; Is It Working? More youth are in custody now than a year ago across the county's juvenile detention system, which critics now describe as destabilized. (Henry, 5/3) This Week's 'KFF Health News Minute' This week, we will share tips to make the most out of a high-deductible health plan. Plus, some Make America Healthy Again supporters feel betrayed after the Trump administration gave several large companies an exemption from clean air rules.  Listen to Jackie Fortiér ▶️ KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.   (c) 2026 KFF. All rights reserved.   KFF 185 Berry St., Suite 2000, San Francisco, CA, 94107, United States Opt out of all KFF emails | Manage subscriptions KFF, 185 Berry Street, Suite 2000, San Francisco, CA 94107, United States Unsubscribe Manage preferences