California Takes Another Step Against Texas-Style Abortion Laws: A proposal that cleared the California Assembly on Monday seeks to guard against so-called fetal heartbeat laws and abortion restrictions imposed by Texas or other states. Assembly Bill 1666 would prohibit California courts from taking up any cases based on out-of-state laws. Read more from the Los Angeles Times and AP.

In other action from Sacramento —

Social Media Addiction Bill Advances: California could soon hold social media companies responsible for harming children who have become addicted to their products, permitting parents to sue platforms like Instagram and TikTok for up to $25,000 per violation under a bill that passed the state Assembly on Monday. Read more from AP.

Below, check out the roundup of California Healthline’s coverage. For today's national health news, read KHN's Morning Briefing.

San Francisco Chronicle: Newsom Signs Compromise Law Raising The Limit On Medical Malpractice Damages California's $250,000 limit on damages for pain and suffering caused by medical malpractice, a ceiling enacted by lawmakers in 1975 at the insistence of doctors and insurers, will be lifted next year. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed compromise legislation Monday, sponsored by consumer advocates and supported by medical groups, that will not remove all limits on malpractice damages but will raise them to account for some of the inflation in the past 47 years. (Egelko, 5/23)

CapRadio: California Debates Opening Supervised Sites For People To Use Drugs Lawmakers in California are debating whether to open sites where people can inject or snort illegal drugs under the watchful gaze of a health care worker. These facilities are an effort to save lives as overdoses skyrocket across the country. "Instead of having people use drugs on the sidewalk when your kid is walking by, we want to give them a place where they can go inside," said state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, the sponsor of a bill to pilot facilities in Oakland, San Francisco and Los Angeles. (Mcclurg, 5/23)

KQED: Newsom Wants To Expand Medi-Cal To All Undocumented Immigrants By 2024. Advocates Say They Need It Sooner California immigrant advocates applauded Gov. Gavin Newsom's budget proposal that would make this the first state in the nation to extend safety-net health care coverage to all residents, regardless of immigration status. But with a $97 billion surplus projected in the governor's May budget revision, they say it's time for state leaders to go even further to strengthen the social safety net for unauthorized immigrants, many of whom have played an essential role as frontline workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. "The fact that we have such a huge surplus is because we have widening inequality, because the rich did so well," said Alexis Castro, government affairs director at the California Immigrant Policy Center, referring to the fact that much of the surplus revenue comes from income taxes on high earnings and capital gains from investments. "Can we use that to invest in those that were most impacted, that are at the front lines, that are really the backbone of our communities?" (Hendricks, 5/23)

inewsource: Even With COVID Rules, California Requires Payment For Medicaid Benefits A large stuffed Pikachu peaked out of a duffle bag on Victor Valero’s hospital bed. “That’s my dialysis buddy,” he said. “Keeps me company.” Valero’s kidneys failed in 2018 — a consequence of diabetes, he said. He spends three mornings a week tethered to a machine that cleans his blood. His diabetes also caused him to lose sight in his left eye, and he needed heart surgery last year. (Harper, 5/20)

San Francisco Chronicle: Monkeypox Outbreak And Pride Events: CDC Advises Precautions For Gay And Bisexual Men Federal health officials are advising gay and bisexual men, and their health care providers, to look out for symptoms of monkeypox ahead of upcoming Pride festivities, after a handful of presumed cases associated with possible sexual transmission have been identified in the United States. One confirmed case and four suspected cases of monkeypox, a more benign version of smallpox, have been found in the United States, in Massachusetts, New York, Florida and Utah, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The confirmed case is in a Massachusetts man who had recently traveled to Canada. The four other cases are in men with recent travel, too. (Allday, 5/23)

CNBC: CDC Officials Sound Alarm For Gay, Bisexual Men As Monkeypox Spreads The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday alerted gay and bisexual men that monkeypox appears to be spreading in the community globally, warning people to take precautions if they have been in close contact with someone who may have the virus and to be on the lookout for symptoms. Dr. John Brooks, a CDC official, emphasized that anyone can contract monkeypox through close personal contact regardless of sexual orientation. However, Brooks said many of the people affected globally so far are men who identify as gay or bisexual. Though some groups have greater chance of exposure to monkeypox right now, the risk isn’t limited only to the gay and bisexual community, he cautioned. (Kimball, 5/23)

CNBC: Monkeypox Outbreak Is Primarily Spreading Through Sex, WHO Officials Say An outbreak of the monkeypox virus in North America and Europe is primarily spreading through sex among men with about 200 confirmed and suspected cases across at least a dozen countries, World Health Organization officials said Monday. The outbreak has quickly advanced across Europe and North America over the last week and is expected to be far more widespread as more doctors look for the signs and symptoms. Two confirmed and one suspected case of monkeypox in the U.K. were reported to the WHO just 10 days ago, the first cases this year outside of Africa where the virus has generally circulated at low levels over the last 40 years, the organization said. (Kopecki, 5/23)

USA Today: CDC: Monkeypox Cases May Be Mistaken For A Sexual Transmitted Disease Unlike most known cases of monkeypox, where the telltale rash usually appears first on the hands, among the current cases many rashes are first appearing around the genitals or anus, CDC officials said in an afternoon news conference with media. With beach season kicking off this weekend, public health officials want to be sure that Americans and their health care providers are aware of the possibility that a rash plus travel history might indicate monkeypox rather than a more common sexually transmitted disease, like herpes or syphilis, which it can resemble. (Weintraub, 5/23)

CapRadio: Rare Monkeypox Outbreak In U.K., Europe And U.S.: What Is It And Should We Worry? There's a monkeypox outbreak in the United Kingdom, Portugal, Spain and other European countries. The outbreak is small — so far about 80 suspected cases in England, Spain and Canada as well as Portugal, Sweden, Italy and France. Two suspected cases have also been reported in the U.S. But health officials have little clue where people caught the monkeypox virus. And there's concern the virus may be spreading through the community — undetected — and possibly through a new route of transmission. (Doucleff, 5/23)

NBC News: Smallpox Vaccines Can Protect Against Monkeypox, And U.S. Has 100 Million Doses When Covid-19 struck, humanity faced an out-of-control outbreak without vaccines or therapies. If it were a knife fight, we brought a crayon. The level of preparedness for monkeypox couldn’t be more different. ... The U.S. keeps two vaccines for smallpox approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the Strategic National Stockpile — a product, in part, of a 9/11-enhanced fear of bioterrorism. The monkeypox virus is similar enough that researchers expect both shots to offer protection, although only one, called Jynneos, has been FDA-approved for use against monkeypox. (Bush and Bendix, 5/23)

NPR: Monkeypox Isn't Much Of A Threat To The Public, A White House Official Says The risk posed to the U.S. general public from ongoing outbreaks of monkeypox cases reported in Europe, the U.K. and Canada is low, a White House official told Morning Edition on Monday. Dr. Raj Panjabi, Senior Director for Global Health Security and Biodefense at the National Security Council, says the fewer than 10 cases seen in the United States so far have not been severe — "flu-like symptoms and a rash which can be painful but resolves in two to four weeks" — and aren't likely to get much worse. "Historically in countries with weaker health care systems less than 1% of patients have died from this milder strain," Panjabi said. "We have access to vaccines and even treatments here in the U.S., and so the risk we believe is substantially lower." (Dean Hopkins, 5/23)

The Hill: Here Are The Signs And Symptoms Of Monkeypox Monkeypox patients usually first present symptoms within one to two weeks following infection but have reported onset as early as five days after exposure, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Some patients may not experience any symptoms for up to 21 days.  Monkeypox patients first experience symptoms like fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion. The swelling of the lymph nodes makes the virus distinctive to other diseases that mimic monkeypox’s other initial symptoms, including smallpox, chickenpox and measles. (Schonfeld, 5/23)

San Diego Union-Tribune: Living One Can At A Time: Baby Formula Shortage Hits Some Families Extra Hard  Samuel Tebbs is approaching his sixth birthday, but his life hangs in the balance of the nation’s baby formula shortage. A rare genetic condition makes it impossible for the young boy to digest normal food, leaving him dependent on EleCare Jr for his daily sustenance. A product of Abbott Nutrition, the formula is one of those caught up in a nationwide recall after bacterial contamination was detected at the company’s main plant in Michigan. (Sisson, 5/21)

KPCC: Obstacles Or Accommodations: How Do We Better Support Those Breastfeeding In The Workplace? The shortage of baby formula in recent weeks has highlighted the many reasons parents stop breastfeeding and need formula for their infants. While many donor banks collect and distribute breast milk, a lot of parents end up feeling reliant on formula, especially after the mother returns to work. California in recent years passed one of the nation’s strongest laws outlining workplace requirements to support people who are breastfeeding or pumping at work, but many barriers still persist. Today on AirTalk, we’ll speak with Economy Reporter at The 19th News, Chabeli Carrazana for an update on the formula shortage, as well as Robbie Gonzalez-Dow, executive director of the California Breastfeeding Coalition and Liliuokalani Martin, an attorney with the Downtown LA Law Group, who has worked on cases of workplace discrimination about breastfeeding, to better understand how employers can support breastfeeding employees.

Reuters: U.S. Agency Issues Order To Speed Baby Formula Ingredient Deliveries  The U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) said late Monday it was issuing a national emergency declaration to waive hours-of-service requirements for commercial vehicle drivers transporting baby formula ingredients and packaging. ... The FMCSA order includes, but is not limited to, whey, casein, corn syrup and hydrolyzed protein, and containers and packaging for baby formula. (Shepardson, 5/23)

NBC News: Parents Accuse Online Sellers Of Price Gouging On Baby Formula Parents struggling to find baby formula amid a nationwide shortage are reporting that price gougers are selling bottles and cans marked up by as much as 300 percent or more on websites like eBay, OfferUp, Amazon and Craigslist, and inside Facebook communities. But in many cases, they’re finding that the platforms are doing little to punish the predatory sellers. (Cook, 5/23)

The 19th: Baby Formula Shortage Prompts New Facebook Groups To Connect Parents Kate Jorgensen was down to a week’s worth of infant formula for her 5-month-old when the messages started to stream in. Desperate for the Enfamil Gentlease formula that calms her daughter’s digestive discomfort, Jorgensen had posted on national and local Facebook pages that have emerged in recent weeks to connect parents with the formula they need. In Platte City, Missouri, not one of the numerous grocery stores, pharmacies and big box retailers she checked for days had her baby’s formula, and she was running out of time. (Luterman and Carrazana, 5/23)

Poynter: A Conspiracy Theory Tries To Blame Pfizer And Bill Gates For The Baby Formula Shortage  A Facebook post linked several unfounded claims to create one conspiracy theory about U.S. baby formula shortages.“(Pfizer) says do not breastfeed,” the May 17 post said. “Baby formula shortages everywhere. Gates promotes brand new artificial breast milk technology. All within less than a 2 week period. …Nothing to see here.“ ... The claim that “(Pfizer) says do not breastfeed” appears to be a reference to falsehoods that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine isn’t recommended while breastfeeding. Those claims said the recommendation came from Pfizer, but included screenshots of a document published by United Kingdom health officials in late 2020, when COVID-19 vaccines were in their infancy and rollout had just begun, the Associated Press reported earlier this month. (Curet, 5/23)

Los Angeles Times: Coronavirus Cases In California Rising Fast, With Some Regions Seeing Infections Double  The number of coronavirus cases in California has significantly worsened this past week, hitting a level not seen since the winter’s Omicron surge and raising concerns about the possibility of a big jump in infections this summer. Weekly coronavirus cases roughly doubled across wide swaths of California, including Riverside and Santa Barbara counties, as well as the Central Valley and Silicon Valley. They rose by roughly 85% in Orange, San Bernardino and Ventura counties. (Lin II and Money, 5/23)

AP: What's Next For COVID-19 Vaccines For Youngest US Children U.S. Food and Drug Administration vaccine chief Dr. Peter Marks has pledged the agency will “move quickly without sacrificing our standards” in evaluating tot-sized doses from both Pfizer and Moderna. The FDA has tentatively set a June 15 date for its scientific advisers to publicly review the two companies’ vaccines. After the advisers weigh in, the FDA determines whether to authorize the shot. (5/23)

Stat: Pfizer/BioNTech To Seek Covid Vaccine EUA For Children Under Age 5 Vaccine makers Pfizer and BioNTech said they will complete their submission for emergency use authorization of their Covid-19 vaccine for children under the age of 5 this week after a study of a third dose found it improves the efficacy of the vaccine. Just hours after the news was made public, the Food and Drug Administration announced it expects to convene its independent vaccine advisers, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, on June 15 to review the submission. (Branswell, 5/23)

Los Angeles Times: Facilities Emitting Gas In Vernon Will Remain Open Amid Probe  The medical sterilizer facilities in Vernon that were found in violation of emitting a carcinogen at elevated levels will not be shuttered. District 4 Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn had called for the Sterigenics facilities to be temporarily closed last week. She cited heightened emissions of ethylene oxide that could put people at risk. (Choi, 5/23)

CIDRAP: Report: US Plant Closure Portends Drug Shortages—Some Critical  In its first analysis, the newly formed End Drug Shortages Alliance (EDSA) warns that the recent shuttering of a troubled Teva Pharmaceuticals manufacturing plant in Irvine, California, could affect the availability of 24 generic sterile injectable drugs, including 5 essential medications for which the company had an over 15% market share. (Van Beusekom, 5/23)

San Diego Union-Tribune: March For Babies Raises Money, Awareness For Health Equity Of Moms And Newborns  When Emily Schmierer was born more than two months premature, her mother Liz worried whether her girl would grow up healthy. Liz was diagnosed with a condition in which amniotic fluid volume is produced at less than expected levels and, after she gave birth, Emily spent five weeks in a newborn intensive care unit. (Nikolewski, 5/21)

Southern California News Group: 11 Charged In ‘Massive’ Underground Illegal Marijuana Grow Found In Mojave Desert  After the discovery of a “massive” underground illegal marijuana grow in the far reaches of the Mojave Desert, San Bernardino County authorities charged 11 men and women believed to be behind the operation that used thousands of gallons of water on a daily basis to grow more than $4 million worth of unlicensed marijuana, authorities said Monday, May 23. (Wilson, 5/23)

Sacramento Bee: UC Davis Creates AI Model To Predict Leptospirosis In Dogs Veterinarians and researchers at the University of California, Davis have developed a new way to detect leptospirosis, a life-threatening bacterial disease, in dogs using artificial intelligence. Leptospirosis is caused by the Leptospira bacteria, according to American Veterinary Medical Association, and it is typically found in soil and water. Infection in dogs can result in kidney failure, liver disease and bleeding in the lungs, with early detection being a matter of life or death, UC Davis said in a news release. (Truong, 5/24)

The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Births Increase For First Time Since 2014 U.S. births increased last year for the first time in seven years, according to federal figures released Tuesday that offer the latest indication the pandemic baby bust was smaller than expected. American women had about 3.66 million babies in 2021, up 1% from the prior year, according to provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics. It was the first increase since 2014. The rebound spanned age groups, with birthrates rising for every cohort of women age 25 and older. (Adamy and DeBarros, 5/24)

Los Angeles Times: Naloxone Helps Prevent Opioid Deaths. Here's How To Find And Use It Over the past 20 years, opioid-related deaths rose 850% in the United States, reflecting the surge in addictions to narcotic painkillers and the influx of fentanyl and other potent synthetic opioids. To lower the death toll over the long run, we’ll need to reverse the growth in opioid addictions across the country — no easy task, given the drugs’ powerful grip. In the meantime, officials and community groups in Los Angeles County have tried to prevent deaths with proven harm-reduction strategies, most notably putting the drug naloxone in the hands of drug users and the people close to them. (Healy, 5/23)

The Mercury News: Apple Program's Last Homeless San Jose Residents Move Out For the past nine months, Gary Nadeau, 61, has enjoyed the basic comforts of a bed, a hot shower and a stable address — all on Apple’s dime. That short-lived reprieve ended Monday, when the program that sheltered Nadeau and dozens of others came to an end. Apple spent millions on motel stays for Nadeau and 55 other unhoused people who had been living in an encampment on the tech company’s property off Component Drive in San Jose. On Monday, he and the other remaining residents packed their trunks and worked feverishly to fix their broken-down cars or load up their RVs, approaching a 2 p.m. deadline to be out of the Casa Linda Motel on Monterey Road. While a handful of participants found housing during the nine-month program and some moved into temporary tiny homes, others planned to return to the street. (Kendall, 5/23)

Health Care Survey The 2022 CHCF California Health Policy Survey

This recent statewide survey found that one in four Californians had trouble paying a medical bill in the last 12 months. The survey also captures Californians' health care priorities for the governor and legislature to address.

Listening to Black Californians Black Californians on Racism and Health Care

CHCF commissioned interviews with 100 Black Californians to understand their views on health and well-being, their perceptions of discrimination and bias in the health care system, and their views on what a quality health care system looks like.

Health Care Costs How Eight States Address Health Care Cost Growth

This issue brief documents efforts in eight states that have established new independent commissions or increased the authority of an existing regulatory body to monitor and limit unnecessary growth in health spending.

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