California Weekly Roundup: Immigrant Seniors Losing Medicare Coverage

Plus: Conversion therapy, CalFresh, the mental health worker shortage, rotavirus in California wastewater, teachers in need of housing, and more ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­  

Not a subscriber? Sign Up Wednesday, April 08, 2026 Visit KFF Health News for the latest California headlines California Weekly Roundup THIS WEEK'S FEATURE Immigrant Seniors Lose Medicare Coverage Despite Paying for It (HIRAM ALEJANDRO DURÁN / EL TÍMPANO) By Vanessa G. Sánchez, El Tímpano   OAKLAND, Calif. — Rosa María Carranza leaned forward to hold a 3-year-old’s back as the girl climbed a rock in the forested hills of northeast Oakland.   Dressed in hiking gear and beaded necklaces, Carranza, 67, maneuvered between trees and children on a sunny morning in December. “Hold on to that branch,” she said in Spanish. “You can do it, my love!”   Carranza, a child development professional who grew up swinging through trees and swimming in rivers in El Salvador, said she feels at home in the forest at the outdoor preschool she co-founded. She has worked with children and teens as a caregiver and educator for more than three decades, long enough to know when to lean in and when to step back to let her students find their own footing.   When she transitioned to working part-time last year, Carranza counted on getting Medicare and Social Security checks — benefits given to American workers and lawfully present immigrants when they retire, if they meet work history and age or disability requirements. She’s contributed tens of thousands of dollars into Medicare and Social Security over 24 years, according to her Social Security Administration earnings record, reviewed by El Tímpano and KFF Health News. But Carranza and an estimated 100,000 other lawfully present immigrants will soon be cut out of Medicare.   The GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed last July by President Donald Trump, barred certain categories of lawfully present immigrants — including temporary protected status holders, refugees, asylum-seekers, survivors of domestic violence, trafficking victims, and people with work visas — from Medicare.   Those already in the program, like Carranza, will be disenrolled by Jan. 4 — a move by Republican lawmakers to rein in Medicare spending, as they and Trump have argued that taxpayer dollars should not be used to pay for the health care of immigrants in the U.S. without authorization.   However, the categories of immigrants now losing coverage do have legal status.    Read the full story. Follow us online for more KFF Health News coverage: Top Health Headlines From Around California LGBTQ+ Health San Francisco Chronicle: The Supreme Court Embraced Conversion Therapy. California Has A Plan The Supreme Court’s 8-1 decision against Colorado’s conversion therapy ban has California considering a replacement that could be tougher than its landmark law. (Hosseini, 4/7)   The Desert Sun: Palm Springs Transgender Group Accuses County Of Discrimination The complaint was filed by the Transgender Health & Wellness Center, or THWC, with the California Civil Rights Department, alleging that the county was denying "full and equal access to services" because of the organization's work with transgender clients. (Sasic, 4/8)   Times of San Diego: For Trans San Diegans, Lack Of Public Restroom Access Is Causing Medical Harm These health complications, either caused by or worsened by a lack of public bathrooms, make it harder for those who are gender non-conforming. (Sitton, 4/7)   The Sacramento Bee: Trump Rescinds Trans Student's Civil Rights Settlement With Sacramento Schools The Trump administration on Monday terminated a civil rights settlement with Sacramento City Unified School District aimed at ensuring a transgender student’s right to equal opportunity to education. (Pendleton, 4/6)   Times of San Diego: U.S. Education Officials Release Local School District From Title IX Agreement In New Rollback Of Trans Rights The La Mesa-Spring Valley School District entered an agreement to address a complaint filed by the parent of a gender non-conforming student. (Sitton, 4/6) Health Costs and Coverage Times of San Diego: Agencies Grapple With CalFresh Kicking Off Immigrants Starting April 1, the majority of legal immigrants no longer qualify for CalFresh. East County agencies are scrounging for food. (Sitton, 4/6)   KQED: Alameda County Prepares For More Hunger Amid Food Stamp Cuts About 5,400 CalFresh recipients in Alameda County are at risk of losing their benefits, according to a local food bank. (Sibulo, 4/7)   CalMatters: Too Few California Kids On Medi-Cal Are Getting Eye Exams A new report finds just 16% of California kids on Medi-Cal saw an eye doctor in a two-year span, and nearly every county is getting worse. (Hwang, 4/2)   The Orange County Register: Costs Soar For Troubled State Program That Pays Workers Up To $1,700 Weekly For Various Ailments Gov. Gavin Newsom is trying to rein in runaway costs for the Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund, which faces liabilities of $30 billion by 2029. (Saavedra, 4/4) Health Care Industry Los Angeles Times: $110-Million Donation Seeks To Address Shortage Of Southern California Mental Health Workers UCLA, Cal State L.A. and Cal State Dominguez Hills have received $110 million from the Ballmer Group to train more students for mental health careers in California. (Buchanan, 4/6)   VC Star: Longtime ER Docs Blindsided With Ouster From Simi Valley Hospital A leader of an emergency room doctors group said news a Simi Valley hospital was replacing them came as a "bombshell" without explanation. (Kisken, 4/3)   The (Santa Rosa) Press Democrat: Fairfield To Discuss NorthBay Health’s New Hospital Concept NorthBay Health is exploring plans to build a new hospital in Fairfield that would eventually replace its existing NorthBay Health Medical Center, setting up a key policy discussion Tuesday as city leaders weigh whether to rethink the long-term vision for a prominent gateway site. (Miller, 4/3)   The San Diego Union-Tribune: East Campus Medical Center Progress Earns Big Investment From UC Regents  After buying Alvarado Medical Center in 2023 for $200 million, the University of California recently approved a $322 million investment in the facility to meet seismic requirements and modernize interiors. (Sisson, 4/5)   San Francisco Chronicle: Pfizer To Shutter South S.F. Research Site, End Bay Area Presence The move by Pfizer appears to signal that the company is ending its presence in the Bay Area. (Waxman, 3/31) Public Health The Fresno Bee: Rotavirus Rising In Northern California Wastewater Rotavirus mostly affects children under 5 years of age, and it’s a leading cause of death in children worldwide. (Sweeney, 4/6)   The San Diego Union-Tribune: Imperial Beach Presses Forward As Pollution Crisis Persists  Matt Henry has terminal brain cancer, surfs polluted water every morning, and says his goal in 2026 is to catch 2,026 waves. In Imperial Beach, that kind of persistence is a lot more common than it sounds. (Armstrong, 4/5)   Daily Journal: New Location For Treatment Facility Gets Complicated: San Mateo County Hits Different Opposition In Burlingame After Responding To Backlash Over San Mateo Proposal County leaders are exploring whether to purchase a roughly $13 million property in Burlingame for a new behavioral health facility, largely in response to intense neighborhood opposition over the originally proposed site in San Mateo -- but property owners near the potentially new location aren't happy about it either. (DiNapoli, 4/8)   Los Angeles Times: Amid E. Coli Outbreak, California-Based Raw Farm Owner Pushes Back Against A Weakened FDA The FDA is urging Raw Farm to pull its cheddar cheese products as an E. coli outbreak spreads across California and to other states. (Purtill and Rust, 4/2)   The Fresno Bee: 2 New Cases Of Measles Detected In Sacramento County. Here's What To Know The “highly contagious” disease sickened nearly 2,300 people in 2025. (Poukish and Sweeney, 4/6) Housing Los Angeles Times: Under L.A. Mayor's $300-Million Homeless Program, 40% Have Returned To The Street  Even as Mayor Karen Bass' signature homelessness initiative brings more people indoors, a growing number are winding up back on the street. (Zahniser, 4/5)   San Francisco Chronicle: California Teachers Need Housing. Oakland Nonprofit Has A Solution As more Bay Area teachers are priced out of the communities where they work, school districts have increasingly considered a costly, time-consuming and complicated solution: building housing for educators. (Tucker, 4/2) Other California News Los Angeles Times: Families, Union Workers Bracing For A Crippling, Historic LAUSD Strike In Exactly One Week A multi-union strike on April 14 would force parents to scramble for child-care options and an alternative for weekday breakfasts and lunches. (Blume, 4/7)   Pasadena Star News: New LA County Agency Will Step In To Serve Youth At Juvenile Detention Facilities  The Board of Supervisors moves toward its long-stalled "Youth Justice Reimagined" plan that envisions replacing traditional juvenile facilities. (Henry, 4/7)   Los Angeles Times: Activists Sue LAPD, Alleging Officer Shot Foam Rounds At Their Groins Three prominent activists have filed a lawsuit against the Los Angeles Police Department, claiming an LAPD officer shot them at point-blank range with foam rounds without provocation during a protest over the summer. (Jany, 4/7) This Week's 'KFF Health News Minute' Scientists say staff losses at the National Institutes of Health could lead to fewer medical breakthroughs. Plus, doctors worry they’ll see more kids with potentially deadly complications from measles, as cases surge. 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