State Highlights: Calif. Governor’s Financial Ties To Utility Behind Wildfires Exposed In Probe; North Carolina Budget Stalemate Threatens Medicaid Hand-Off Start Date

The Washington Post: Gavin Newsom Accused PG&E Of ‘Corporate Greed.’ The Utility Spent $700,000 Funding His Campaigns And His Wife’s Films.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has accused his state’s largest utility company of mismanaging funds he said it should have used to upgrade an aging electrical grid prone to deadly wildfires. But over the past two decades, Newsom (D) and his wife have accepted more than $700,000 from the Pacific Gas & Electric Co., its foundation and its employees as the utility has supported his political campaigns, his ballot initiatives, his inauguration festivities and his wife’s foundation, including her film projects, according to records reviewed by The Washington Post. (MacMillan and Satija, 11/11)

North Carolina Health News: No Budget, No Medicaid Transformation? 
On one hand, North Carolina is slated to drastically alter the health care landscape of the state with a scheduled February handoff for most of its massive Medicaid system to managed care companies. The hope is that these companies, which will be paid a capitated, per-person rate, will improve health outcomes and maybe even save money. But, a now months-long state budget standoff between Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, and Republican legislative leaders is threatening to get in the way of that start date as the opposing sides battle over the separate, but related, issue of expanding Medicaid. (Ovaska-Few, 11/12)

The Washington Post: Kansas Restaurant Worker Alleges In Lawsuit That He Was Fired For HIV Status
When Armando Gutierrez learned he was HIV-positive last December, he struggled to share the information with his employer. The 31-year-old believed he was well-liked at the Kansas chain restaurant where he had worked as a server for a year, but he still worried his co-workers would stigmatize him if they learned of his condition. In a lawsuit filed last week in U.S. District Court in Kansas, Gutierrez claims his fears were well founded, because shortly after sharing his status with a manager, he says he was fired. (Epstein, 11/11)

The Oregonian: CCO That Claimed Portland Hospitals Conspired Against It Is Barred From Metro-Area Market
Sweet victory has quickly soured for Trillium Community Health Plan as the state continues to reorganize its Medicaid health plans. State regulators late last week notified Eugene-based Trillium that they had rescinded their decision to allow the company to expand from its Lane County base into the Portland area. The company has been unable to assemble a viable group of hospitals and health care providers, regulators said. (Manning, 11/11)

Georgia Health News: ‘Universal’ Vaccine May Be Down The Road, But Get Your Flu Shot In The Meantime
University of Georgia researchers are receiving millions of federal dollars to help create a “universal” flu vaccine.But what does that term mean? And will a breakthrough vaccine persuade more Americans to get flu shots? Right now, fewer than 40 percent of adults get a flu shot. And that’s bad. (Laguaite, 11/11)

Modern Healthcare: Chicago Not-For-Profit Hospitals Forced To Defend Hundreds Of Millions In Property Tax Breaks
Chicago's not-for-profit hospitals face new pressure to justify property tax exemptions worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Not-for-profits in Illinois are exempt from property taxes, in return for providing free or discounted services to poor and underinsured people. But activists are alleging the hospitals don't provide enough free care to warrant the break. (Goldberg, 11/11)

Seattle Times: Seattle Children’s Hospital Again Closes Some Operating Rooms Because Of Mold 
Seattle Children’s has closed three of its operating rooms because of the same fungus that forced the shutdown of all the hospital’s operating rooms earlier this year. The hospital is also looking into two new infections caused by the Aspergillus mold. The mold was discovered during a routine air test conducted Sunday, according to a Children’s news release Monday, which said, “We are deeply sorry for the impact the air quality issues in our operating rooms continue to have on our patients and families. Seattle Children’s remains committed to doing what’s right to keep our patients safe.” (Blethen, 11/11)

Cleveland Plain Dealer: Ohio Road Tour Aimed At Improving Foster Care Won’t Hold Meetings In Major Urban Areas With Large Numbers Of Foster Kids
To improve Ohio’s foster care system, Gov. Mike DeWine assembled an advisory council, which has scheduled seven meetings across the state to listen to kids, parents, advocates and others. The problem, advocates say, is no meetings have been scheduled in or near Cleveland or Cuyahoga County – which in October, accounted for over 17% of the state’s 16,186 children in foster care. (Hancock, 11/11)

Houston Chronicle: Doctor Shortage? New National Survey Says Maybe Not 
A new Texas Medical Center national survey challenges the often-repeated prediction that the United States will face a dire physician shortage in coming years. The fifth annual survey by the medical center’s Health Policy Institute not only asked doctors in all 50 states about future shortages, but also polled thousands of consumers about what they were experiencing now. Both answers seem to contradict conventional wisdom. (Deam, 11/12)

The Oregonian: Portland Street Medicine Takes Health Care To The Homeless: Season Of Sharing 2019 
Portland Street Medicine has been around less than two years, but already it’s attracted a small army of medical volunteers who hit the Portland streets at least twice a week. Groups that usually consist of at least one nurse, doctor and one social worker spend hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays either going directly to shelters or looking for specific people who need help. ...Portland Street Medicine’s 2019 budget is about $207,000, of which $114,000 consists of donations of staff time, equipment and medical supplies. Most of the cash donations come through the group’s website. The organization has 42 volunteer medical professionals and eight volunteer community members and administrators. (Zarkhin, 11/11)

St. Louis Public Radio: Thousands In Missouri Already Have Medical Marijuana Cards With Nowhere To Legally Buy It
Missouri has already approved more than 17,000 patients for its yet-to-be-launched medical marijuana program — a stark contrast to neighboring Illinois, which had less than 3,000 patients in the first 10 months. Licenses for Missouri’s dispensaries are expected to be awarded by January, and cannabis should be available for medical card holders by spring. (Driscoll, 11/12)