Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
San Francisco Chronicle: Covered California Policyholders Downgrade Plans As Prices Spike
The state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace is bracing for the eventual loss of 400,000 policyholders. (DiNatale, 1/20)
Bay Area News Group: Obamacare Enrollment Dips In Bay Area After Extra Subsidy Expires
About 175,000 people statewide have newly enrolled in Covered California, the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace, so far for 2026. That’s a 31% decrease from this time last year, data shows. (Stringer, 1/20)
Voice of Orange County: CalOptima Braces For Health Insurance Eligibility Changes For OC's Neediest Families
Leaders at CalOptima – which runs the Medi-Cal program for OC’s neediest residents – are bracing for drastic cuts and eligibility changes to the public health insurance program that almost a third of Orange County residents rely on to cover doctor visits and hospital stays. (Elattar, 1/14)
San Francisco Chronicle: ‘Not What My Patients Deserve': Medicaid Cuts, Layoffs Plunge East Bay Hospital System Into Disarray
Hospital leaders cite Medicaid cuts for 247 layoffs as doctors describe worsening conditions at Alameda Health System hospitals. (Ho, 1/16)
KQED: ‘I’d Be Left Alone’: Medicaid Cuts Put Disabled Patients’ In-Home Care At Risk
In California, Medicaid covers in-home supportive services to Californians who are elderly, blind or disabled and would otherwise be at risk of nursing home placement. The federal government reimburses California for about half of the cost of IHSS. (Cho, 1/18)
CalMatters: The Fight Over How To Pay For Medi-Cal Puts Pressure On Newsom To Raise Taxes
California faces showdown over funding Medi-Cal amid Trump cuts: Advocates demand action while Newsom rejects wealth tax proposals. (Miller and Kuang, 1/15)
The Sacramento Bee: Rep. David Valadao Voted To Keep Health Insurance Credits But Cut Medicaid. Why?
Will Rep. David Valadao’s health care votes help or hurt his re-election chances? (Lightman, 1/15)
CalMatters: Newsom Highlights Reduced EBT Fraud After Trump Threats
Two years after a wave of public benefit thefts that left low-income Californians scrambling to pay rent and afford food each month, Gov. Gavin Newsom is touting a significant decline in the reported amount stolen. (Kuang, 1/21)
Palo Alto Daily Post: County Wins Health Care Tax, Buys Office Building
Santa Clara County officials, two months after their 0.626% health care tax won at the polls, have decided to spend $450 million to buy a medical office building and make seismic improvements to existing hospital buildings. (1/17)
San Luis Obispo Tribune: $220 Million Expansion Coming To SLO’s Sierra Vista Hospital
Adventist Health Sierra Vista will add a new ER, ICU, maternity rooms and more. (Lynch, 1/17)
The Orange County Register: 31,000 Healthcare Workers Give Notice Of Strike At Kaiser On Jan. 26
Nearly three months after 31,000 healthcare workers ended a five-day strike against Kaiser Permanente, a second walkout is planned on Jan. 26 at medical facilities in California, Oregon, Washington and Hawaii. (Maio, 1/16)
San Francisco Examiner: SF VA ‘Holes Are Everywhere’ After Job Cuts, Advocates Say
Nurses, veterans, and union workers gathered at the San Francisco VA Medical Center last Wednesday to protest the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs eliminating tens of thousands of unfilled jobs, including more than 150 locally. (Gurevich, 1/15)
Bakersfield Now: Couple Ties The Knot At Kern Medical During Extended Hospital Stay
“Our patient shared that their hospital stay was a powerful reminder of how fragile life can be—and they didn’t want to wait another day to say ‘I do,’” said in the post. (1/19)
The Bay Area Reporter: On Transgender Health Care, SF House Candidates Agree
Protecting access to medical interventions for gender-nonconforming young people is one policy area where the trio of Democrats running to represent San Francisco in Congress are in alignment. Gay state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan, and Saikat Chakrabarti, formerly chief of staff to Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York), all pledged their support for trans health care during their first candidate debate co-moderated by the Bay Area Reporter. (Bajko, 1/20)
Times-Standard: Council To Declare Eureka A Sanctuary City For Transgender People
The Eureka City Council is set to declare Eureka a sanctuary city for transgender people in a council meeting Tuesday. The proposed resolution declares the city a sanctuary for gender affirming healthcare, in the wake of national changes limiting access to treatments. (Alexander, 1/19)
San Francisco Chronicle: Newsom Says California Homelessness Is Declining. Here's What The Data Shows
Newsom has boasted a 9% drop in unsheltered homelessness, but many more people in California are homeless than before the pandemic. (Leonard and Bollag, 1/19)
Marin Independent Journal: How California Governor Candidates Say They Will Tackle Homelessness
The official field may not be quite set yet, but with less than six months to go until the primary, take an early look at what the major candidates for California governor have said about their plans to address homelessness. (Tat and Schallhorn, 1/19)
The Sacramento Bee: Sacramento County Launches Housing Pool For The Homeless
Sacramento County is launching a flexible housing pool for residents on the verge of becoming, or who are, homeless, as well as a payment incentive program for landlords. (Hall, 1/20)
San Gabriel Valley Tribune: Pasadena’s Annual Homeless Count Scheduled For This Week
Pasadena’s annual homeless count is scheduled for this week and officials say recent U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activity in the city will not hinder the operation. (Wilson, 1/19)
Visalia Times Delta: Flu Cases Climbing Fast In Tulare County As New Strain Circulates
Flu cases are rising in California, according to the California Department of Public Health, which attributes the increase to the new flu strain H3N2, subclade K, one of two types of influenza currently circulating. (Pastis, 1/16)
San Francisco Examiner: What’s True — And What Isn’t — About The Current Flu Season
UC Berkeley Dr. John Swartzberg said it’s premature to call the current dominant strain of influenza this season a “super” flu and vaccination is still the best form of prevention. (Gurevich, 1/15)
The Sacramento Bee: Deadly, Drug-Resistant Fungus Spreads In California. Here’s Who Is At Risk
As of Dec. 20, California had reported 1, 524 cases of Candida auris in 2025, according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There have been three reported cases in California in 2026 as of Jan. 10, the agency said. (Sweeney and Demaree, 1/20)
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Tijuana Wastewater Pipe Repairs Completed In 3 Days, Ending River Discharge
The Insurgentes Collector system collapsed Jan. 15, diverting approximately 11.5 million gallons per day into the river. (Armstrong, 1/19)
Pasadena Star News: California Agency Tasked With Scrutinizing Jail Deaths Hasn’t Completed A Single Review
A state office created in 2024 to scrutinize local investigations into jail deaths has yet to complete a single review of the more than 150 people who have died in custody in California’s county jails over the past year-and-a-half. (Henry, 1/19)
The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: ‘Such A Big Change’: Petaluma Nonprofit Brings Solace To New Parents
Sponsored by First 5 Sonoma and with support from Blue Zones Petaluma, the 10-week support group — which just began and runs to mid-March — is being facilitated by licensed perinatal therapists Carla Reece, George Nicol and others, and explores the shifting roles and division of labor between parents, finances and other stressors, the “mental load” of parenting and coping strategies. (Richardson, 1/19)
The San Diego Union-Tribune: Scripps Memorial Hospital La Jolla Received Astronauts After Splashdown
Scripps Health disclosed Monday that its hospital in La Jolla received two helicopters, each carrying two astronauts, early Thursday shortly after the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour craft returned to Earth about one month earlier than scheduled due to one of its crew suffering an undisclosed “medical concern.” (Sisson, 1/19)
EdSource: Fresno Unified Retirees Gain Partial Access To Health Care, A Plan Alternative After Disruptions
Fresno Unified's health board voted to restore a district-funded health plan for retirees after many lost care with Community Medical Centers amid a contract dispute. (Thornton, 1/15)
Santa Monica Daily Press: Santa Monica MODE Transit Expands Hours For Seniors, Disabled
anta Monica's on-demand transportation service for seniors and people with disabilities is expanding its operating hours starting in January, including the restoration of Sunday service that was suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic. (Hall, 1/19)
News-Sentinel: Routine, Structure, Visual Support: How Lodi Unified Is Adapting As Special Ed Enrollment Rises
Preschool and TK classrooms have become a focus for Lodi Unified recently as a critical intervention point for students with disabilities, according to special ed area director Paul Warren. However, before children reach kindergarten age, not all disabilities are identifiable. (Weaver, 1/17)
