California Weekly Roundup: Limiting AI in Health Insurance

Plus: Kaiser Permanente strike; gender identity disclosure; homelessness funding cuts; flu cases climb; drug overdoses in San Francisco; the "KFF Health News Minute"; and more ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­  

Not a subscriber? Sign Up Wednesday, February 18, 2026 Visit KFF Health News for the latest California headlines California Weekly Roundup THIS WEEK'S FEATURE Red and Blue States Alike Want To Limit AI in Insurance. Trump Wants To Limit the States. (PHOTODISC / GETTY IMAGES) By Darius Tahir and Lauren Sausser   It's the rare policy question that unites Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida and the Democratic-led Maryland government against President Donald Trump and Gov. Gavin Newsom of California: How should health insurers use AI?   Regulating artificial intelligence, especially its use by health insurers, is becoming a politically divisive topic, and it's scrambling traditional partisan lines.   Boosters, led by Trump, are not only pushing its integration into government, as in Medicare's experiment using AI in prior authorization, but also trying to stop others from building curbs and guardrails. A December executive order seeks to preempt most state efforts to govern AI, describing "a race with adversaries for supremacy" in a new "technological revolution."   "To win, United States AI companies must be free to innovate without cumbersome regulation," Trump's order said. "But excessive State regulation thwarts this imperative."   Across the nation, states are in revolt. At least four — Arizona, Maryland, Nebraska, and Texas — enacted legislation last year reining in the use of AI in health insurance. Two others, Illinois and California, enacted bills the year before.   Read the full story. Follow us online for more KFF Health News coverage: Top Health Headlines From Around California Health Industry CalMatters: Kaiser Strike Enters Fourth Week, Disrupting Patient Care Over 31,000 Kaiser Permanente workers remain on strike in California and Hawaii, disrupting surgeries and appointments as wage talks stall. (Hwang, 2/16)   Fresno Bee: Fresno Doctor's License Revoked After Sexual Assault Ruling  A Fresno doctor accused of inappropriately touching a patient's vaginal area with his ungloved hand has had his license revoked. (Miller, 2/17)   Los Angeles Times: Cedars-Sinai Didn't Act On Years Of Abuse Complaints, Lawsuits Say  More than 500 former patients are suing Barry J. Brock and facilities where he worked, saying the gynecologist's misconduct was knowingly concealed. (Purtill, 2/13)   CalMatters: A California County's Only Hospital Cleared A Federal Hurdle, But It Still Needs Millions To Reopen Congress restores critical access status for Glenn Medical Center, but the shuttered California hospital still needs $40-50M to reopen. (Ibarra, 2/14)   Palm Springs Desert Sun: 18 California Hospitals Ranked Among America's 100 Best. See The List Eighteen hospitals in California are among the top 2% of hospitals in the nation for "clinical excellence," according to Healthgrades. (Segura, 2/17)   Daily Republic: Healthcare Panel Discussion Set Friday At Touro The Development Committee of the Vallejo Chamber of Commerce has scheduled a "Good Morning Vallejo! Economic Impact of Changes in Healthcare" breakfast and panel discussion for Friday. (2/18) LGBTQ+ Issues EdSource: CA Challenges Trump Administration's Threat To Withhold $5 Billion Over Gender Identity Disclosure California filed a lawsuit this week challenging the U.S. Department of Education's threat to withhold funding over the state's policy on gender identity disclosure. (Gallegos, 2/13)   Los Angeles Blade: A New "Queer Summer Camp" Cycling Event Rises From The Legacy Of AIDS/LifeCycle In its 31-year run, ALC riders raised over $300 million for HIV and AIDS resources, services, and awareness. This year, Center Ride Out provides a new, exciting extension of this important event, allowing cyclers to raise funds in support of the LA LGBT Center, The San Diego LGBT Community Center, and the LGBTQ Community Center of the Desert. (Song, 2/13) Housing Crisis LAist: LA Considers 'Gut Punch' Cuts To City Homelessness Programs, Blaming Court Settlement Costs Safe parking lots, street medicine and hygiene programs for unhoused Angelenos could all be on the chopping block. (Wagner, 2/17)   Los Angeles Times: Citing Fire Risk, L.A. City May Get More Power To Remove Hillside Homeless Encampments Los Angeles city officials may be empowered to remove homeless encampments from hillside areas at severe risk of fire, even without the property owner's permission, under a proposal that moved forward Tuesday. (Goldberg, 2/18)   Los Angeles Times: L.A. Liable For Destroying Homeless People's Property, Federal Judge Rules In a lawsuit over L.A.'s seizure of homeless people's belongings, a federal judge found the city modified or fabricated records in more than 100 camp cleanups, tainting the evidence so much that a fair trial was not possible. She ruled the city violated the Constitution and was liable for the lost personal property. (Smith, 2/13)   The San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego County Now Gives Homelessness Stats For Unincorporated Areas  It's now easier to see how many homeless people live in unincorporated communities like Lakeside, Alpine, and Fallbrook. (Nelson, 2/16)   Victorville Daily Press: Why Victor Valley Man Helps Homeless While Experiencing It Himself Jorge Hernandez lives in his car in the Victor Valley. Even so, he still feeds and clothes the homeless on Bear Valley Road. (Mobley, 2/12) Public Health The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Flu Season In Sonoma County, Napa County Shows Signs Of Entering Second Wave Sonoma and Napa counties are seeing flu infections rise after weeks of declining cases. (Espinoza, 2/13)   CBS Los Angeles: Riverside County Health Officials Report Second And Third Measles Cases Riverside County health officials say the cases could be connected to the county's first case​ that was reported last week. (Fioresi, 2/14)   San Francisco Examiner: Expert Laments California Measles Outbreak As 'Self-Inflicted Tragedy' An ongoing measles outbreak about 250 miles north of San Francisco — one that a longtime local infectious-disease expert called a "self-inflicted tragedy" — has state public-health officials on high alert. (Gurevich, 2/18)   The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: New Report Flags Lyme-Positive Ticks On Sonoma Trail Ticks collected along Umbrella Tree Trail at North Sonoma Regional Park tested positive in pooled samples for the Lyme disease bacterium — a higher-than-usual signal, even in a small sample. (Coryell, 2/12)   Chicago Tribune: Conagra Ordered To Pay $25 Million In Lawsuit Over Pam Spray A jury awarded a Los Angeles man $25 million in a lawsuit against Chicago-based Conagra alleging its butter-flavored Pam cooking spray caused a rare chronic lung disease that will require a double lung transplant. (Channick, 2/11)   The Desert Sun: Ventura Foods Peanut Butter Recall In California Possible Plastic FDA says Ventura Foods recalled 20,000 plus single serve peanut butter packets and PBJ cups in California after blue plastic was found. (Cervantes Jr. and Ward, 2/17)   San Francisco Chronicle: Why Gas Stoves Could Be No. 1 Polluter For Many Bay Area Residents Studies show gas stoves may drive asthma and other health risks. Researchers say replacing them with electric could sharply reduce NO2 exposure. (Allday, 2/15) Immigration Crisis Southern California News Group: This California Bill Would Stop Local Law Enforcement From Helping ICE Carry Out Its Agenda The bill aims to address racial profiling and protect those exercising their right to monitor or record ICE activities. (Tat, 2/17)   The San Diego Union-Tribune: Noem Touts Fentanyl Gains Amid ICE Protests In San Diego U.S. Border Patrol Chief Michael Banks said Trump administration policies to secure the border have allowed federal officers to focus on other tasks, including seizing drugs. (Mendoza, Figueroa, and Fox, 2/12) Other California News San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. Mayor Lurie Inherited A Drug Overdose Epidemic. Here's How Bad It's Gotten Overdose deaths in San Francisco likely dipped in 2025 after seeing a major drop in 2024, according to preliminary numbers. But fatal overdoses are still much more common than they were before the pandemic. (Leonard and Jung, 2/17)   The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Napa County Officials: Mobile Health Unit A Success In First Four Months Napa County's new RV-style mobile health office helped over 120 people connect with social and health services in its first four months. (Booth, 2/16)   The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Amid Layoffs, Napa Valley College Loses Physical Education Program For Disabled Students In a bid to avoid future budget deficits, the Napa Valley College board voted Thursday night to lay off 16 workers and eliminate 17 vacant positions. (Mehta, 2/13)   VC Star: Layoffs Likely At CVUSD Due To Canceled Mental Health Grant Last year, the Trump administration canceled a nationwide $1 billion grant program for mental health in schools. Conejo Unified lost about $5 million. (Biasotti, 2/13)   The San Diego Union-Tribune: San Diego County Settles Long-Running Lawsuit's Claims Over Mental Health Care In Jail  The agreement calls for enhanced screening and treatment, with an independent monitor to oversee implementation. (McDonald, 2/12)   The San Diego Union-Tribune: 'A Game-Changer': UC San Diego Professor Initiates A New Field Of Medical Science Raphael Cuomo, also the creator of 'Cuomo's paradox,' says survival epidemiology puts a greater focus on what helps people live longer after they get sick rather than on prevention in general. (Lyons, 2/12) This Week's 'KFF Health News Minute' Moves by the Trump administration have slowed cancer research, and more of America's doctors are working into their golden years. Listen to Jackie Fortiér ▶️ 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