To Guard Against Health Care Cuts, Proposed Calif. Budget Has No Deficit

AP: After 2 Years Of Shortfalls, California Governor Proposes $322B Budget With No Deficit 
California Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed a $322 billion budget without a deficit, a welcome change after two years of significant budget shortfalls in the nation’s most populous state. But the budget Newsom announced Monday is mostly a placeholder as California waits to see if incoming President Donald Trump will follow through on threats to revoke billions in federal dollars, which could force lawmakers to make painful cuts to essential programs. About a third of California’s budget relies on funding from the federal government, including tens of billions of dollars to provide health care services. Trump takes office on Jan. 20, and Newsom must sign the final budget by the end of June. (Nguyen, 1/6)

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: Dr. Amy Acton Launches Democratic Campaign For Ohio Governor In 2026
Dr. Amy Acton, who became a statewide celebrity of sorts as state health director during the early days of the coronavirus crisis, filed paperwork Tuesday to run for Ohio governor in 2026. (Pelzer, 1/8)

The Colorado Sun: Homelessness Among Colorado Families Grew By 134%
Colorado saw one of the biggest increases in the nation in the number of families who were homeless in 2024 — a 134% jump from the previous year, according to a federal report that painted the state’s homelessness crisis in a harsher light than previous regional counts. (Brown, 1/7)

St. Louis Public Radio: Supporters Pack Hearing For Webster Groves Mental Health Hospital
Supporters of a plan to build a pediatric mental health facility in a residential part of Webster Groves packed city hall during a public hearing before the city council Tuesday evening. The proposed 77-bed inpatient hospital and additional outpatient facility has drawn opposition from some residents concerned about traffic and security, but speakers in favor of the plan, many wearing, “I support children’s mental health” stickers, outnumbered those opposed by about six to one at the meeting. (Fentem, 1/8)

St. Louis Public Radio: Rolla Rebukes Groundbreaking Anti-Abortion Ordinance, For Now
Rolla City Council on Monday rebuked an attempt by one of its aldermen to make the city the first in Missouri to adopt an ordinance that would make it a so-called "Sanctuary City for the Unborn." (Ahl, 1/7)

KFF Health News: Medicaid Expansion Debate Will Affect Other Health Policy Issues Before Montana Legislature 
A last-minute change to a 2019 bill put an end date on Montana’s Medicaid expansion program, setting the stage for what is anticipated to be the most significant health care debate of the 2025 Montana Legislature. In recent interviews, legislative leaders predicted a vigorous debate over keeping the Medicaid expansion program, which pays the medical bills of more than 75,000 low-income Montanans at an annual cost of about $1 billion to the federal and state governments. They also expect the topic to seep into other health policy decisions, such as the approval of new spending on Montana’s behavioral health system and regulation of hospital tax-exempt status. (Dennison and O'Connell, 1/8)

KFF Health News: Indiana State Senator Moves To Scrap Hospital Monopoly Law He Helped Create
On the heels of a scuttled hospital merger between rivals in Terre Haute, Indiana, a state senator introduced a bill that would forbid similar mergers in the future. Last year, nonprofit Union Health tried to acquire the only other acute care hospital in Vigo County by leveraging a state law it helped create that allows hospital monopolies. Now, Sen. Ed Charbonneau, a key architect of the 2021 law, which allows what is known as a “Certificate of Public Advantage,” or COPA, wants to repeal it. (Liss, 1/8)