California Weekly Roundup: Will Caps on Health Care Spending Stay?

Plus: Nurses' unionization efforts; psychiatric beds in San Francisco; BioMérieux shuttering its San Jose office; California hires former CDC officials; LGBTQ youth crisis hotline; Rob Reiner's legacy; the "KFF Health News Minute"; and more

Not a subscriber? Sign Up Wednesday, December 17, 2025 Visit KFF Health News for the latest California headlines California Weekly Roundup Note to readers: California Weekly Roundup will be on hiatus for the rest of the year. Look for us again in your inbox on Wednesday, Jan. 7. Happy holidays!  THIS WEEK'S FEATURE One Big Beautiful Bill Act Complicates State Health Care Affordability Efforts (ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES) By Bernard J. Wolfson   As Congress debates whether to extend the temporary federal subsidies that have helped millions of Americans buy health coverage, a crucial underlying reality is sometimes overlooked: Those subsidies are merely a band-aid covering the often unaffordable cost of health care.   California, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and five other states have set caps on health care spending in a bid to rein in the intense financial pressure felt by many families, individuals, and employers who every year face increases in premiums, deductibles, and other health-related expenses.   Hospitals and other health care providers are citing Republicans' One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed by President Donald Trump in July, as one more reason to challenge those limits.   The law is expected to reduce federal Medicaid spending by more than $900 billion over a decade, which mathematically should help the overall health care system meet the caps. But the law is also expected to increase the number of uninsured Americans, mostly Medicaid beneficiaries, by an estimated 10 million people. Health care analysts predict hospitals and other providers will raise prices to cover the double whammy of lost Medicaid revenue and the cost of caring for an influx of newly uninsured patients.   Whether regulators in some states will allow providers to justify higher prices and exceed the spending caps is unclear. Only California and Oregon can penalize providers financially if they fail to meet targets.   Read the full story. Follow us online for more KFF Health News coverage: Top Health Headlines From Around California Insurance Costs and Coverage Capital & Main: They Power The U.S. Economy But Will Struggle To Afford Health Care Covered California estimates that on average, consumers will see a 97% increase in premiums in 2026 without the enhanced tax credits. The state expects to lose $2.5 billion in enhanced premium tax credits, the exchange reported. (Aguilera, 12/16)   Santa Monica Daily Press: Board Approves Motion to Increase WIC Enrollment, Strengthen Food Security The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion Tuesday to increase enrollment in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children and utilization of the Child and Adult Care Food Program. (Alin, 12/15)   Berkeleyside: At Berkeley Holiday Market, Artists Worry About Affording Health Care If federal tax credits aren't extended, health care premiums could rise for over 74,000 in Alameda County. Few artists get health care from their art jobs. (Swedberg, 12/16) Health Industry San Francisco Chronicle: Bay Area County OKs Tax Hike To Fund Hospitals After Federal Medicaid Cuts Voters approved Measure A to raise Santa Clara County sales tax 0.625% for five years, generating $330M to support public hospitals and clinics. (Ho, 12/11)   LAist: LA Nursing Home Still Open Despite 3 State Citations For Patient Deaths Brier Oak's latest citation came months after regulators considered pulling its license. (Schrank, 12/15)   San Francisco Chronicle: UCSF Doctors See More Cases Of This Chronic Disease In Older Adults. So They Opened A New Clinic A growing group with unique medical needs — older adults living with inflammatory bowel disease — now have a practice tailor-made for them: a UCSF clinic in San Francisco focusing exclusively on patients 65 and older. (Ho, 12/14)   Marin Independent Journal: Reports Say Ross Fire Station Closure Delayed Emergency Response Times The closing of Ross Fire Station 18 has delayed most fire and ambulance response times by two minutes, according to town consultants and the Ross Valley fire chief. (Rosenfeld, 12/14) Health Care Workers Becker's Hospital Review: California Hospital Nurses Advance Union Effort Covering 800 California hospital nurses advance union effort by filing for NLRB election to represent 800 staff at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. (Gooch, 12/16)   VC Star: $4.8M Partnership Creates Nursing Pipeline For Los Robles Hospital The nation's largest for-profit hospital system is spending $4.8 million to fight the nursing shortage and create a pipeline of new employees for Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks. (Kisken, 12/16)   Boyle Heights Beat: Healthcare Workers And Activists March At White Memorial To Protest ICE In Hospitals  Demonstrators, including healthcare workers, marched to Adventist Health White Memorial in Boyle Heights on Sunday, calling on hospital administrators to uphold the privacy rights of immigrant detainees and protect staff who advocate for patients. (Molina, 12/15)   CalMatters: California Prison Health Jobs Stay Vacant, Despite High Pay Despite spending hundreds of millions of dollars to fill vacant medical and mental health positions at prisons and state hospitals, California has little to show for it, according to a new report from the state auditor. (Hwang, 12/15)   VC Star: Ventura County Health Care Agency Director Returns After Leave The leader of the Ventura County Health Care Agency has returned from a leave, and the man named as interim director in her absence may stay with agency for several months as a consultant. (Kisken, 12/16) Mental Health Care San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Doubling Capacity To Care For High-Risk Psychiatric Patients To Meet 'Urgent Need' San Francisco is doubling the capacity of its locked psychiatric ward for patients experiencing severe mental illness and addiction as the city continues to add beds to deal with the crisis on its streets. (Hodgman, 12/15)   Visalia Times-Delta: Funding Changes Threaten Tulare County Mental Health Program The My Voice Media Center, a mental health outreach and advocacy project of the Arts Consortium and the Tulare County Health and Human Services Agency, may be forced to close in 2026 due to a lack of funding. (Pastis, 12/15) Pharma and Tech San Francisco Chronicle: Global Biotech Company Exits Silicon Valley, 121 Jobs Cut BioMérieux, a French diagnostics company, plans to shut its San Jose office and lay off 121 employees. (Vaziri, 12/16)   Bay Area News Group: California To Sell Its Own Brand Of Insulin Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, kickstarted a plan in 2020 to contract the manufacturing of California's own insulin and sell it for less. That strategy, though behind schedule, is finally bearing fruit: Generic insulin branded "CalRx" will reach the market in January, at the more-affordable price of $55 for about a month's supply. (Stringer, 12/14) Public Health Los Angeles Times: Newsom Taps Former CDC Leaders Critical Of Trump-Era Health Policies For New Initiative Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a new California-led public health initiative, PHNIX, led by former CDC officials who publicly clashed with the Trump administration, aiming to modernize disease surveillance, data sharing and public health infrastructure across states. (Gutierrez, 12/15)   KQED: Navy Apologizes For 11-Month Delay In Reporting Radioactive Material At Hunters Point  The U.S. Navy apologized to city leaders during a San Francisco Board of Supervisors hearing on Monday for waiting 11 months before disclosing to residents that the agency had detected airborne radioactive material at the Hunters Point Naval Shipyard. (Romero, 12/15)   Voice of OC: Irvine Eyes Helping Secure San Onofre's Radioactive Waste The City of Irvine is slated to join local groups working to safely secure millions of pounds of spent nuclear fuel remaining at the decommissioned San Onofre power plant, located about 30 miles from the city. (Hicks, 12/11)   The San Diego Union-Tribune: State Officials Meet To Discuss Sewage Crisis. Residents Want Solutions. 'Don't Talk About It; Help Us.' Avery Korkorowitz said she's been recovering from a recent asthma attack that lasted three days. "I couldn't breathe, I was gasping constantly," said Korkorowitz, an Imperial Beach resident of four years. She said her asthma attack was the direct result of polluted air stemming from the Tijuana River sewage crisis. (Armstrong, 12/14)   Imperial Valley Press: Seeley School Community Builds Indoor Air Purifiers To Combat Pollution In a community where air quality challenges are part of daily life, students, parents, and school staff at Seeley Union School District took action last week by learning how to build their own indoor air purifiers. (12/16)   KQED: Doctors Petition California To Ban Countertop Material Linked To Deadly Disease  A medical association has petitioned California to prohibit the use of a popular countertop construction material linked to an aggressive lung disease disabling and killing stoneworkers. (Romero, 12/15)   The Mendocino Voice: State Health Officials Warn Against Eating Organs Of Recreationally Caught Dungeness Crabs  The state issued a warning to residents about the dangers of eating the internal organs of Dungeness crab caught by hobby fishing along portions of the northern coast, the California Department of Public Health said. (St. Clair, 12/16)   San Francisco Chronicle: 'Two Lifetimes' Of UV Damage: UCSF Study Shows What Tanning Beds Do To Young Skin Young adults who use tanning beds undergo genetic changes in their skin cells that can lead to more mutations than people twice their age, according to a new study by researchers at UCSF and Northwestern University. (Ho, 12/15)   San Luis Obispo Tribune: How To Disinfect After Norovirus In California Homes Norovirus, also known as the "stomach flu" or "winter vomiting sickness," is active in California and across the nation. But cleaning and disinfecting can help check its spread, experts say. (Sweeney and Poukish, 12/15) LGBTQ+ Health Care Los Angeles Blade: L.A. County Officials Advocate To Reinstate "Press 3" Crisis Hotline For Young Queer People On Tuesday, three local officials announced a series of actions they're working on to restore queer youth crisis hotline services. (Song, 12/10)   The Fresno Bee: Fresno LGBTQ+ Resource Center Closes Due To Lack Of Funding A Fresno LGBTQ+ center that stepped in to fill a void in community resources will close before the end of the year due to a lack of funding. (Fannin, 12/15) Housing Crisis Voice of San Diego: San Diego's Homelessness Math Problem Narrows The Regional Task Force on Homelessness reported a 13 percent year-over-year drop in people falling into homelessness and a 17 percent uptick in people moving into homes. (Halverstadt, 12/11)   CapRadio: Sacramento Mayor Kevin McCarty Is Looking To Voters For Help On Homelessness And Housing In 2026. What Do Housing Advocates Say? McCarty ran for mayor on the platform of making a meaningful impact on housing and homelessness. Now, he hopes to come to the voters with an initiative to get more funding for these issues. (Palmer, 12/12)   The Fresno Bee: Fresno Lawsuit Challenges Anti-Camping Ordinance And Rights It says malicious prosecution and deprivation of property are also violations of the rights of the unhoused. (Miller, 12/11)   The San Diego Union-Tribune: Wait Lists For Rental Aid Are Getting So Long That Some Cities May Close Theirs Down  The last time Oceanside pulled anyone off its waiting list to get a housing choice voucher, which helps low-income residents pay rent, was December 2023. The delay has been even longer in San Diego: Nobody's made it off that city's Section 8 list since August 2022. (Nelson, 12/15) Other California News CalMatters: Rob Reiner Fought For California Marriage Equality And Kids Rob Reiner may be best known for his Hollywood films, but he was also a Democratic political force in California. (Sabalow, 12/15)   The New York Times: Nick Reiner's Struggles With Drugs Left His Parents 'Desperate'  Nick Reiner, who was arrested in connection with the deaths of his parents, Hollywood director Rob Reiner, 78, and Michele Singer Reiner, 70, once estimated he had been in drug treatment 18 times as a teenager. The couple was found stabbed to death in their Los Angeles home on Sunday. (Jacobs and Sperling, 12/15)   Los Angeles Times: Doctor Gets House Arrest For Supplying Ketamine Used By Matthew Perry Mark Chavez, a former physician, appeared before a federal judge Tuesday to be sentenced for his role in the 2023 death of 'Friends' actor Matthew Perry. (Buchanan, 12/16)   News-Sentinel / California Local News Fellowship: Cherokee Memorial Funeral Home Offers Free Library, Support Group For Holiday Season Grief  There's been a "huge response" so far, Cherokee Memorial Funeral Home Director Tori Monforte said. In November, she stocked it with 30 books. Within a month, the library dwindled to 12 books, so she restocked it again. (Weaver, 12/13)   Palo Alto Daily Post: 38% Of Stanford Undergrads Claim A Disability; Many Get Extra Time On Tests  Paul Graham Fisher, a Stanford professor who served as co-chair of the university's disability task force, said, "I have had conversations with people in the Stanford administration. They've talked about at what point can we say no? What if it hits 50 or 60%? At what point do you just say 'We can't do this'?" (12/12)   The San Diego Union-Tribune: After Years Of Delays, San Diego County Jails Will Remove Triple Bunks Blamed In Deaths County supervisors this week approved $3.5 million to remove the bunks, which state inspectors have repeatedly ordered the Sheriff's Office to stop using. Triple bunking has been blamed in part for the deaths of two men and severe injuries suffered by another. (Davis, 12/15)   San Francisco Chronicle: Superbugs Could Kill More Than Cancer. Is This New Science The Solution? Inside the body of a very sick 55-year-old woman at UC San Francisco, bacteria was winning the evolutionary arms race. (Krieger, 12/10) This Week's 'KFF Health News Minute' To get food benefits, more people now have to prove they're working, and doctors say all newborns benefit from a hepatitis B shot, despite changing federal guidelines. Listen to Sam Whitehead ▶️ KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF — the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.   (c) 2025 KFF. All rights reserved.   KFF 185 Berry St., Suite 2000, San Francisco, CA, 94107, United States Opt out of all KFF emails | Manage subscriptions KFF, 185 Berry Street, Suite 2000, San Francisco, CA 94107, United States Unsubscribe Manage preferences