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.
The Bay Area’s largest county announced plans Wednesday to buy a private hospital that had been slated for major cutbacks — a move that county officials say will preserve critical medical care for the low-income community it serves. Santa Clara County has reached a tentative agreement with the owner of Regional Medical Center, a 250-bed ...
Altogether, more than 50 percent of eligible Medicare recipients are on the private plans, but a new report from health policy research firm KFF found drastic differences between Medicare Advantage enrollment in California regions.
A bill pending in California’s legislature to ratchet up oversight of private equity investments in health care is receiving enthusiastic backing from consumer advocates, labor unions, and the California Medical Association, but drawing heavy fire from hospitals concerned about losing a potential funding source. The legislation, sponsored by Attorney General Rob Bonta, would require private equity groups ...
Hospitals must promptly report to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health every time they try to collect medical debt from patients, under an ordinance backed Tuesday by county supervisors. The ordinance, which requires a second vote to be adopted, requires hospitals to tell the county within a month or two of initiating debt ...
The Contra Costa County health department on Tuesday recommended people wear masks in crowded indoor settings as COVID-19 infections increase throughout the Bay Area. The department said masking is particularly important for those at high risk of serious illness if infected. However, the department also stressed that it is a recommendation, not a health order, ...
When Californians phone for help with their Medicaid coverage, they routinely face waits of nearly an hour — and are regularly disconnected without reaching anyone, researchers found in a newly released analysis. An audit released Wednesday by the Children’s Partnership, an advocacy group focused on child health, found the average wait when researchers phoned in ...
Why OIG Did This Audit California pays managed care organizations to make services available to eligible Medicaid enrollees in return for a monthly fixed payment (capitation payment) for each enrollee. Previous OIG audits found that State Medicaid agencies made capitation payments on behalf of enrollees who were residing and enrolled in Medicaid in another State. ...
Premiums for health insurance sold through the state’s marketplace will increase by nearly 8% in 2025, Covered California officials announced Wednesday.
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a law that set health care workers on a path to a $25 minimum wage. Lawmakers then delayed it, but some hospitals are raising pay ahead of schedule.
They distribute GPS devices so they can track their homeless patients. They stock their street kits with glass pipes used to smoke meth, crack, or fentanyl. They keep company credit cards on hand in case a patient needs emergency food or water, or an Uber ride to the doctor. These doctors, nurses, and social workers ...