California Weekly Roundup: Hospitals Offer Own MA Plans

Plus: Kaiser Permanente strike; trans patients' hospital records; California joins WHO health network; tiny homes for veterans; food pantry woes; wildfire smoke contamination; and more

Not a subscriber? Sign Up Wednesday, January 28, 2026 Visit KFF Health News for the latest California headlines California Weekly Roundup THIS WEEK'S FEATURE Sick of Fighting Insurers, Hospitals Offer Their Own Medicare Advantage Plans (ISTOCK / GETTY IMAGES) By Susan Jaffe   Ever since Larry Wilkewitz retired more than 20 years ago from a wood products company, he's had a commercial Medicare Advantage plan from the insurer Humana.   But two years ago, he heard about Peak Health, a new Advantage plan started by the West Virginia University Health System, where his doctors practice. It was cheaper and offered more personal attention, plus extras such as an allowance for over-the-counter pharmacy items. Those benefits are more important than ever, he said, as he's treated for cancer.   "I decided to give it a shot," said Wilkewitz, 79. "If I didn't like it, I could go back to Humana or whatever after a year."   Although hospital-owned plans are only a sliver of the Medicare Advantage market, their enrollment continues to grow, reflecting the overall increase in Advantage members.    The massive UCLA Health system introduced its two Medicare Advantage plans in Los Angeles County in January 2025, even though patients already had a list of more than 70 Advantage plans to choose from. Before rolling out the plan, the University of California Board of Regents discussed its merits at a November 2024 meeting. The meeting minutes offer rare insight into a conversation that private hospital systems would usually hold behind closed doors. Read the full story. Health Policy Valentines Contest Make Us Swoon: Send In Your Health Policy Valentines By KFF Health News Staff Affordable health care is our love language. We want to see your most clever, heartfelt, or hilarious tributes to the policies that shape health care. And we've sweetened the deal with prizes. Follow us online for more KFF Health News coverage: Top Health Headlines From Around California Health Care and Biotech KQED: Thousands Walk Out In Open-Ended Kaiser Strike The open-ended strike impacts 31,000 employees. (Romero, 1/26)   Victorville Daily Press: Newsom Appoints New Barstow Veterans Home Nursing Administrator Anthony Pham was named nursing facilitator at the home located at 100 Veterans Parkway near Barstow Community College. (De La Cruz, 1/26)   The Desert Sun: Riverside County Board Of Supervisors Greenlights Blythe Hospital Plan The management plan comes at a time when Palo Verde Hospital faces few options to remain open. (Sasic, 1/27)   Paradise Post: Glenn Medical Center Crosses Milestone, Senator Says Sen. Adam Schiff (D-California) met with administration on Thursday to discuss routes to re-opening the facility. (Weber, 1/23)   The Santa Barbara Independent: Los Angeles Man Arrested For Alleged Sexual Abuse Of Vulnerable Adults At Goleta Care Home  A Los Angeles man has been accused of sexually abusing vulnerable adult patients while working as a certified nursing assistant at a Goleta care home. (Heydenfeldt, 1/26)   VC Star: Once A Ventura County Biotech Heavyweight, Atara Fights For Its Life Atara Biotherapeutics, once the second-biggest biotech company in the Conejo Valley, is down to 13 people in one small office. (Biasotti, 1/27) Transgender Care CalMatters: Feds Drop Effort To Get Trans Patients' Records From LA Children's Hospital The Justice Department pulled its subpoena for medical records of patients seeking gender affirming care at Children's Hospital Los Angeles. (Ibarra, 1/24)   Los Angeles Times: Rady Children's Health To Stop Transgender Care Amid Trump Administration Threats  Rady Children's Health, the largest pediatric healthcare system in California, will stop providing gender-affirming medical care to transgender youth. (Fry, 1/23) Public Health Politico: California To Join WHO Health Network In Rebuke Of Trump  California is joining the World Health Organization's Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network. (Hrehor, 1/23)   Los Angeles Times: Pediatricians Urge Americans To Stick With Vaccine Schedule America's pediatricians and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention were once in lockstep on how vaccines impact child health. Not anymore. (Purtill, 1/26)   VC Star: Flu Spreads In Ventura County But With Less Wallop So Far Flu activity is elevated in Ventura County but hasn't come near last year's lethal peaks. (Kisken, 1/26)   The Stockton Record: Free Flu Vaccines Available At Safeway Pharmacies. How To Get One Free flu vaccines are available at Safeway Pharmacies in San Joaquin County. The free shots are excluded for members of Kaiser Permanente. (Rocha, 1/27)   Berkeleyside: Leptospirosis Outbreak In Berkeley: What's The Risk To People And Pets? What to know about symptoms, transmission and treatment. (Gecan, 1/23) Homelessness San Francisco Chronicle: Super Bowl Festivities Are Taking Over Downtown. What Does That Mean For S.F.'s Homeless Residents? Over the next two weeks, San Francisco will welcome fans into neighborhoods that have been strained by homelessness and open air drug use. (Hodgman, 1/26)   The San Diego Union-Tribune: Officials Believe San Diego Is Well Positioned As Cities Compete For Dwindling State Homeless Dollars   Gov. Newsom says cities and counties must show they are 'pro-housing' to qualify for a shrinking pool of state money. Officials here say San Diego checks the boxes. (Davis, 1/25)   CalMatters: Can AI Help Make Homeless Californians Healthier? A California company is testing whether AI can help improve the health of people living on the streets. (Kendall, 1/27)   Los Angeles Times: VA Promises Hundreds Of Tiny Homes On Its West L.A. Campus; Veterans Want Something Nicer  The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs plans to add 750 to 800 tiny homes to its West Los Angeles campus, but vets say the sheds are inadequate. (Smith, 1/22) Food Security and Hunger The (Clarita Valley) Signal: Food Pantry Staff On Strike; Leader On Leave After Alleging Board Fraud  The Santa Clarita Valley Food Pantry temporarily closed Monday without notice. (Smith, 1/26)   The Mendocino Voice: Willits Residents Map Out Food Security Solutions For An Equitable Future Willits community members gathered in the Little Lake Grange Saturday to work on a year-long action plan for food security. (Robinson, 1/26) Environmental Health The New York Times: Who Decides When A Home Is Safe? A California Bill Says Science, Not Insurers.  A state lawmaker is proposing the first health-based standards for assessing smoke contamination after wildfires. (Callimachi and Migliozzi, 1/27)   CalMatters: Residents Of A Polluted California Town Pinned Hopes On New State Rules. They're Still Waiting Residents of Kettleman City live surrounded by pollution. (Reyes-Velarde, 1/27) Mental Health The San Diego Union-Tribune: Suicides In San Diego County Have Increased For Past Three Years  But rates are lower than they were before the pandemic, officials said Tuesday. (Sisson, 1/27)   Palo Alto Daily Post: Stanford And Katie Meyer's Family Settle Wrongful Death Lawsuit  Stanford has settled a lawsuit with the family of Katie Meyer, a star soccer player who died by suicide after receiving a discipline letter from the university. (Cartwright, 1/26)   Politico: Social Media Giants Face Landmark Youth Addiction Trial In California  A trial starting this week in Los Angeles will weigh whether social media giants are responsible for harming children. (Katzenberger and Mui, 1/27) Immigration Crisis The LA Local: Man's Infected Finger Burst After Adelanto Staff Waited Months To Give Him Antibiotics: Lawsuit A man suffering a seizure went without oxygen as guards watched him convulse on the floor, and another was not given antibiotics for a severe staph infection that led his finger to burst —  allegations that civil rights attorneys and immigration advocates say reveal just how inhumane and unconstitutional conditions have become for people at the Adelanto detention center in San Bernardino County. (Peña, 1/26)   The Sacramento Bee: 'Inhumane' Conditions At CA Immigrant Detention Center? Padilla: Yes. DHS: No "No basis in reality." Sen. Padilla rebukes Department of Homeland Security defense of immigration detention site. (Lightman, 1/27) This Week's 'KFF Health News Minute' Some states are cutting public funding for a type of autism therapy, and older adults are more likely than younger ones to stop taking GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic. Listen to Arielle Zionts ▶️ 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) 2026 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