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California Watch

News stories in this section spotlight activities in California, including actions by the state Assembly and state Senate; proposed legislation; regulators like the Department of Managed Health Care and Department of Insurance; and the state ACA exchange, Covered California.

‘In the Pocket of Big Pharma’: Ad Says About Silicon Valley Congresswoman

A group that’s buying ads to try to elevate the issue of high drug prices in the midterm elections has identified its latest target: a Democratic congresswoman from Silicon Valley who wants to lead on health care issues.

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Silver Loading in the Golden State

For those who make too much money to qualify for health insurance subsidies on the individual market, there may be no Goldilocks moment when shopping for a plan. No choice is just right.

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Who Is An Employee? New Standard for 2 Million Workers Spurs Clash at California Capitol

Four years ago, after leaving her career at a medical devices company to raise her children, Ashley Hutton Stanfield became a sales consultant for Arbonne International, a multi-level marketing firm that makes beauty and nutrition products.

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Seema Verma Takes Swipes At California Single-Payer In Enemy Territory

Stepping into the land of the Trump resistance, Seema Verma flatly rejected California’s pursuit of single-payer health care as unworkable and dismissed the Affordable Care Act as too flawed to ever succeed.

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Covered California’s Health Insurance Premiums Will Rise 8.7% in 2019

Premiums in California’s health insurance exchange will rise by an average of 8.7% next year, marking a return to more modest increases despite ongoing threats to the Affordable Care Act.

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California’s Costly, Inaccessible Healthcare System

More than one-third of California's $200 billion budget goes toward health care. Private health insurance spending in the state, meanwhile, exceeds more than $100 billion a year.

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Trump’s Push For More Basic Insurance Plans Could Equal Big Changes For California Health Care

The Trump administration has been pushing for the return of short-term health plans and association health plans, two types of coverage that are exempt from Affordable Care Act requirements and could offer an affordable alternative to consumers who feel priced out of the Obamacare marketplace. But some California advocates say these plans offer shoddy coverage and pose a threat to the stability of the healthcare system.

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Drugmakers Cancel Price Hikes After California Law Takes Effect

A handful of the world’s biggest drugmakers are canceling or reducing planned price increases in the U.S., following a new California drug pricing transparency law and continued political pressure over pharmaceutical costs.

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Insurers Fall Short In Catching And Reporting Medicaid Fraud, Inspectors Find

Despite receiving billions of dollars in taxpayer money, Medicaid insurers are lax in ferreting out fraud and neglect to tell states about unscrupulous medical providers, according to a federal report released Thursday.

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California Doctors Who Treat Poor Get Reimbursement Boost

California is boosting reimbursement payments for doctors and dentists who treat the state’s poorest residents. It’s part of an incentive to expand access under Medi-Cal, which offers free or low-cost health coverage to more than 13 million people — a third of the state's population.

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