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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.

After Promising Universal Health Care, Gov. Newsom Must Reconsider Immigrant Coverage

The second-term governor faces a tough political decision: renege on his promise to achieve universal health care and strip coverage from millions of immigrants who lack legal status or look elsewhere for budget cuts.

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California May Expand Standard Small-Group Coverage To Include IVF, Hearing Aids

A new in vitro fertilization benefit would make coverage for up to three attempts to create embryos through an IVF process an essential health benefit.

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Biden Let California Get Creative With Medicaid Spending. Trump Is Signaling That May End

California uses Medicaid to pay for a range of nontraditional health care services, including housing. The Trump administration wants to scale back those programs.

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Medi-Cal Under Threat: Who’s Covered and What Could Be Cut?

Medi-Cal, California’s complex, $174.6 billion Medicaid program, provides health insurance for nearly 15 million residents with low incomes and disabilities. The state enrolls twice as many people as New York and more than three times as many as Texas.

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How The State Sent Californians’ Personal Health Data To LinkedIn

The state’s health insurance exchange transmitted pregnancy and domestic abuse data during a marketing campaign. It is reviewing its website practices.

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CMS May Soon Propose Medicaid Provider Tax Regulation

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) submitted a regulation to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) that could upend Medicaid provider tax program financing. The regulation is titled “Preserving Medicaid Funding for Vulnerable Populations—Closing a Health Care-Related Tax Loophole.” “This proposed rule would update existing regulations that govern the process for states ...

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Meet The (Not Dialysis!) Clinics In SEIU’s Crosshairs

For three election cycles in a row, California ballots included initiatives about how the state’s dialysis centers should operate. With that debate tabled — at least for now — the state’s most powerful collection of unions may have identified its next target to take on at the ballot. SEIU California appears to be setting the stage to go ...

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California Calls For Ban To ‘Rein In’ Pharmacy Benefit Managers Owning Pharmacies

Dozens of state attorneys general, including California, are calling for Congress to end a practice they say has “exacerbated the problem of manipulated prices and unavailability of certain prescription medications.” The 39 attorneys generals, which includes those representing United States territories and the District of Columbia, urge Congress to pass an act prohibiting pharmacy benefit ...

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Newsom Makes $24 Generic Narcan Available To All Californians

California residents are now eligible to buy naloxone — a drug commonly sold under the brand name Narcan and used to treat opioid overdoses — for $24 through the state’s prescription website CalRx, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said in a news release Monday. “Life-saving medications shouldn’t come with a life-altering price tag. CalRx is about ...

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States Ranked By Potential Coverage Losses Under Medicaid Work Requirements, California #1

California is projected to experience the largest potential losses in Medicaid coverage if federal work requirements are enacted.

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