Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Federal Cuts Deal A 'Big, Devastating Blow' To Los Angeles Health System
Los Angeles Times: Federal Cuts Leave Los Angeles County Health System In Crisis
Los Angeles County’s health system, which is responsible for the care of the region’s poorest, is careening toward a financial crisis because of cuts from a presidential administration and Republican-led Congress looking to drastically slash the size of government. President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill,” which passed earlier this month, is expected to soon claw $750 million per year from the county Department of Health Services, which oversees four public hospitals and roughly two dozen clinics. In an all-staff email Friday, the agency called the bill a “big, devastating blow to our health system” and said a hiring freeze had gone into effect, immediately. (Ellis and Ordner, 7/20)
Politico: ICE Raids And Medicaid Cuts Are Bad News For California's Immigrants. State Cuts Could Be ‘Much Worse’
One recent morning, not long after the Trump administration launched its extraordinary immigration crackdown in Los Angeles, Alfredo Contreras pulled a large RV into the parking lot of a rehab center south of the city’s skyline. The RV is part of a small fleet of rolling exam rooms run by St. John’s Community Health that have taken on heightened importance in the city’s health care — and, increasingly, political — landscape since the start of the raids. (Bluth and Schultheis, 7/20)
KFF Health News: Georgia Shows Rough Road Ahead For States As Medicaid Work Requirements Loom
Every time Ashton Alexander sees an ad for Georgia Pathways to Coverage, it feels like a “kick in the face.” Alexander tried signing up for Pathways, the state’s limited Medicaid expansion, multiple times and got denied each time, he said, even though he met the qualifying terms because he’s a full-time student. Georgia is one of 10 states that haven’t expanded Medicaid health coverage to a broader pool of low-income adults. (Rayasam and Whitehead, 7/21)
Around the nation —
Chicago Tribune: UChicago Medicine To End Gender-Affirming Pediatric Care
Bowing to federal pressure under the Trump administration, UChicago Medicine has become the latest Illinois hospital to end gender-affirming pediatric care. The decision, announced Friday, leaves no room for ongoing transitional care, and an unknown number of patients in limbo. (Channick, 7/18)
The Baltimore Sun: Expanding Maryland Drug Addiction Programs Face Roadblocks
The recent mass overdose in West Baltimore underscored the need to expand drug treatment and harm reduction services, addiction specialists say. But efforts to build out services addressing the opioid crisis often face resistance that some say is rooted in prejudice. (Belson and Nordstrom, 7/20)
KFF Health News: Louisiana Upholds Its HIV Exposure Law As Other States Change Or Repeal Theirs
When Robert Smith met his future girlfriend in 2010, he wanted to take things slowly. For Smith, no relationship had been easy in the years since he was diagnosed with the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. People often became afraid when they learned his status, even running away when he coughed. The couple waited months to have sex until Smith felt he could share his medical status. To prepare her, Smith said, he took his girlfriend to his job in HIV prevention at the Philadelphia Center, a northwestern Louisiana nonprofit that offers resources to people with HIV, which also provided him housing at the time. (Parker, 7/21)
BorderBelt Independent: Behavioral Health Urgent Care Hopes To Fill Critical Need In Robeson County
James Granger says primary care doctors shouldn’t just focus on patients’ physical health. Their mental well-being is just as important. (Perez-Moreno, 7/20)
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: A Night At MetroHealth: How Doctors, Nurses And Advocates Work With Families In The Midst Of Trauma
Early on the morning of July 12, a young woman walked into MetroHealth Medical Center’s emergency room, bleeding from the face after being pistol-whipped at a gas station. “My face,” the woman said, seeing the image of her injuries. “My face.” Her brother met her with a hug and assured her that he would retaliate. Moments later, Jeff Crosby, a violence interrupter for the Cleveland Peacekeepers Alliance, stepped in to prevent that. (Daprile, 7/20)
