Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
California Approves More Funding For Medi-Cal, Tougher Anti-Drug Stance
CalMatters: California Voters Give Medi-Cal Doctors A Raise By Passing Prop. 35
Doctors who serve California’s poorest residents will get paid more, in some cases, for the first time in two decades, thanks to a ballot measure approved by voters Tuesday. The Associated Press called Proposition 35 after results showed it jumped to a sizable lead. The ballot measure asked voters to earmark between $2 billion and $5 billion of special tax revenue annually to Medi-Cal, the state’s health insurance program for low-income residents and people with disabilities. The revenue comes from an existing tax on health insurers that lawmakers are currently able to spend in other ways. (Hwang, 11/5)
Los Angeles Times: California Voters Approve Anti-Crime, Anti-Drug Ballot Measure Prop. 36
California voters on Tuesday approved a November ballot measure that will impose stricter penalties for repeat theft and crimes involving fentanyl, steering away from recent progressive policies that critics blamed for increased lawlessness. Proposition 36 will make it a felony for someone to steal merchandise of any value after two previous offenses and can lead to longer jail or prison sentences. The ballot measure also allows judges to sentence convicted drug dealers who traffic in large quantities of hard drugs, including fentanyl, or who are armed with a gun while trafficking the drugs to state prison instead of county jails. It will also create a “treatment-mandated felony” as a new category of crime, by giving some eligible drug offenders an option for treatment instead of jail time. (Sosa, 11/5)
CBS News: California Proposition 34 Would Restrict How Providers Spend Prescription Drug Revenue. Here's What To Know
A California ballot measure up for vote in the 2024 election would establish restrictions on how some health providers can spend revenue from prescription drug programs. Proposition 34 would set up rules requiring certain providers to spend 98% of their revenues from federal discount prescription drug programs on direct patient care, with penalties for those who fail to comply. (Pehling, 11/5)
NBC Los Angeles: See Elections Results For The 10 California Ballot Propositions
California voters were asked to decide ten statewide ballot propositions in the November election. See updated results. (Lloyd, 11/6)
Also —
The Guardian: California Democrat Adam Schiff Wins Dianne Feinstein’s Former Senate Seat
Democrat Adam Schiff, the California congressman who led Donald Trump’s first impeachment trial, has won his campaign for US Senate. Schiff will be filling the Senate seat that Dianne Feinstein held for 31 years, until her death at 90. “California will continue to be at the forefront of progress, the bulwark of democracy, the champion of innovation and the protector of our rights and freedoms,” he said. (Beckett, 11/6)
