The state is coming up on what could be seen as a serious lack of health care professionals. We also discuss s push by congress to pass a prescription drug discount plan; examine the controversy over breakfast as the “most important meal of the day”; and more.
Could nurse practitioner autonomy help curb California’s doctor shortage?
The California Future Health Workforce Commission released a report on Monday with several recommendations to address a looming doctor shortage in the state.
The most controversial proposal was a call to let nurse practitioners practice without the supervision of a doctor. As reported by the Los Angeles Times, California is one of 28 states that does not let nurse practitioners see patients autonomously. The proposal, which will be pitched to Gov. Gavin Newsom in the coming weeks, has been met with opposition from the California Medical Association, which was against a similar bill in 2015.
CMA argues that the proposal would hurt quality of care for patients, while nurse practitioner advocacy groups see the plan as a way to give more access to health care. The state is coming up on what could be seen as a serious lack of health care professionals, with Newsom’s plans to expand Medi-Cal and many doctors reaching retirement age soon. So would nurse practitioners working on their own be part of the answer to more care for those who most need it?
Guests:
Joyce Knestrick, president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners
Janus Norman, senior vice president of governmental relations for the California Medical Association
The White House wants to give prescription drug discounts directly to the consumer. How would it work?
The head of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar is pushing congress to pass a prescription drug discount plan for both medicare recipients and the privately insured.
Advocates say passing rebates to patients means more consumers savings. Critics which include drug and insurance companies say the plan will increase insurance premiums.
Today, insurance companies contract with pharmacy benefit managers, or PBMs to determine the complicated formula for prescription drugs coverage. Drug companies negotiate rebates (or discounts) with PBM’s on certain drugs theoretically lowering the cost of premiums all around. The Trump administration proposes ending this process by making discounts to specific drugs public, lowering the cost for those who take regular medications.
AirTalk reached out to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to request someone be made available for comment, but as of the airing of this segment they have not responded to our request. We will update this story if we receive a response. We also contacted Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the main trade group for branded prescription drugs, but they could not make someone available for the interview.
Guests:
Michelle Mello, professor of law and health research at Stanford University; she tweets
Disclosure: Professor Mello also serves as a consultant to CVS/Caremark, which is a pharmacy benefits manager, and her services will relate to reviewing decisions determining whether or not a drug is cost-effective enough to attain a favored formulary placement and not to the topic at hand.
Kristine Grow, Senior vice president of communications for America’s Health Insurance Plans (A-HIP)
Geoffrey Joyce, director of USC’s Schaeffer Center for Health Policy; chair of the Department of Pharmaceutical and Health Economics; professor at the USC School of Pharmacy
Talks between Lakers, Pelicans over all-star Anthony Davis heat up as Thursday’s NBA trade deadline looms
The Los Angeles Lakers already made the biggest splash of the NBA offseason when they signed LeBron James, and now they’re working to land themselves the biggest trade of the NBA season so far, as they are among the top suitors for New Orleans Pelicans forward Anthony Davis. The clock is ticking, however, as the league trade deadline is approaching at 3 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday.
The L.A. Times reported on Tuesday morning that Lakers president of basketball operations Magic Johnson had spoken to Pelicans general manager Dell Demps and had offered a total of six players, two first-round picks, and salary cap relief, though that offer has not been confirmed and the Times said the sources who provided that information were not authorized to discuss it publicly. The latest confirmed deal we know of was an offer that would have sent three young Lakers to the Pelicans -- guards Brandon Ingram and Lonzo Ball and forward Kyle Kuzma -- in exchange for Davis.
In addition to other teams who are vying for the 6’10” all-star forward, there is also mounting pressure from within the Pelicans organization to keep Anthony Davis for the remainder of the season. If Davis isn’t dealt before the trade deadline, he will likely be among the top targets for teams during the off season. He turned down a 5 year, $239 million supermax contract extension offer from the Pelicans last summer, so there’s little doubt that Anthony Davis wants out of New Orleans. The question is whether Pelicans brass think they can get a better deal for him during the offseason if they hold off on trading him before the deadline.
Known as “The Brow” for his signature unibrow, Davis has been an NBA all-star in six of his seven seasons in the league since he was drafted first overall by New Orleans, who were still the Hornets at the time, in 2012. Davis is averaging a double-double so far for his career at 23.4 points per game and 10.3 rebounds per game and is one of the league’s top young stars, making him a highly-coveted player across the league. This season, he’s second in the league in points per game, fourth in rebounds per game, and second in blocks per game.
We’ll talk with “Take Two” host and KPCC’s resident Lakers guru A Martinez and the Lakers beat reporter at the L.A. Times about the latest on offers for Anthony Davis, the competing interests at play, and where the all-star could ultimately end up.
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Anthony Davis would be a free agent after this NBA season. Under his current contract, he won't be a free agent until 2020. We have corrected the story to reflect this and regret the error.
Guests:
A Martinez, host of KPCC’s “Take Two”; he tweets
Tania Ganguli, Lakers beat writer for the Los Angeles Times
Should CA ban nonconsensual ‘medically unnecessary’ surgery on intersex minors?
California doctors would be barred from treating or performing surgery on children born with genitals that don’t fit a single gender or are otherwise atypical unless it’s medically necessary or the child consents, under a bill unveiled Monday.
It’s the latest effort by state legislators to give minors more control over their bodies and gender identities.
“The fundamental premise of the legislation is that people should make decisions about their own bodies,” said Democratic Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco, the bill’s sponsor. “In California we strongly believe that people are who they are and that we shouldn’t be telling people who they are supposed to be.”
Doctors, though, said the bill may go too far in restricting how they can treat patients. The California Medical Association hasn’t taken a formal position on the bill but has “very serious concerns” that include the bill’s lack of a definition around when a minor is old enough to consent.
Today, we debate Senate Bill 201. Plus, if you are intersex or the parent of a child who is intersex, what do you think of the proposed ban?
With files from the Associated Press
Guests:
Kimberly Zieselman, executive director of interACT, a national non-profit that advocates for intersex youth and is a co-sponsor of the bill; she is an intersex woman
Peter Bretan M.D., practicing urologist in Santa Cruz; he is the president of the California Urological Association and president elect of the California Medical Association
The next frontier of wearable tech: your shoes
You’ve heard of smartwatches and smart glasses, but now Nike and PUMA are joining the wearable technology market.
Nike started a couple years ago with a prototype pair of shoes that could lace themselves, but their new release incorporates bluetooth-enabled, gyroscopic technology that gives athletes feedback on their form, and adjusts tightness based on how swollen your feet are getting. PUMA is working on their first pair of smart shoes too.
The shoes are designed for high-performing or even professional athletes, which is probably why they can afford to put them on the market for $350.
Would you be tempted to spend the money for some smart shoes? Is the extra technology worth the higher price tag? Or, is this taking wearable technologies a step too far?
Guests:
Peter Rubin, creative/senior editor at Wired, who has written about Nike’s smart shoes technology; author of the book, “Future Presence: How Virtual Reality Is Changing Human Connection, Intimacy, and the Limits of Ordinary Life” (HarperOne, 2018); he tweets
David Krum, a researcher and computer scientist at the USC Institute for Creative Technologies; expert on virtual reality, 3D graphics and wearable computers
The debate continues: Is eating breakfast a good weight loss strategy?
A recently published study has taken a deep dive into the lighthearted controversy over the “most important meal of the day,” begging the question: Does eating breakfast help you lose weight?
The study, done at the University of Monash in Melbourne, Australia, looked at 13 randomized controlled trials on the effects that skipping breakfast has on weight loss. Researchers found no evidence that omitting the morning eggs and bacon will make you add a few pounds. But there can be numerous factors on the benefits of breakfast, and not just for weight loss.
Food in the morning can help you concentrate, give you energy, and keep you from bingeing later--if you’re actually hungry when you wake up. But what you eat also plays a part in how effective breakfast can be in the battle of the bulge. Sugary cereals or muffins don’t exactly equal a balanced breakfast. Larry speaks to researchers who’ve dug deep into the case for and against breakfast today, to give some more clarity on this debate.
Guests:
Flavia Cicuttini, professor of clinical epidemiology at the University of Monash in Melbourne; she was the lead author of the recent study, “Effect of breakfast on weight and energy intake: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials”
Dr. David Katz, M.D., MPH, founding director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, and author of the book, “The Truth About Food: Why Pandas Eat Bamboo and People Get Bamboozled” (independently published, 2018)