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 Trump administration is weighing whether to require hospitals to publicly reveal the prices they charge insurance companies for medical procedures and services — prices that are currently negotiated in private and kept confidential.
Democratic leaders in the House are offering warnings about the high cost of "Medicare for all," underscoring concerns in the party about moving forward with the single-payer health care proposal.
The number of kids enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) — two government health plans for the poor — fell by nearly 600,000 in the first 11 months of 2018, a precipitous drop that has puzzled and alarmed many health policy analysts, while several states say it reflects the good news of an improving economy.
Though high-deductible health plans (HDHPs) have proliferated, members who have them often don’t act as empowered, discerning consumers, which can lead to delays in care, according to new research.
When Erin Gilmer filled her insulin prescription at a Denver-area Walgreens in January, she paid $8.50. U.S. taxpayers paid another $280.51.
Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing to gut California's new Council on Health Care Delivery Systems and remake it into his own single-payer commission, according to a summary of the plan obtained by POLITICO, as health care advocates jostle for position in California's single-payer debate.
Many California Democrats say they support single-payer health care, but none introduced a new version of the state’s landmark single-payer bill before a key deadline last week.
Assemblyman David Chiu and state Sen. Scott Wiener, both of San Francisco, announced a bill Monday that would prevent public hospitals from charging emergency room patients whose insurance won't cover their medical bills. This practice is called “balance billing,” and according to Chiu, it’s costing Californians thousands of dollars.
WHILE INDEPENDENT CONTRACTORS ARE FIGHTING TO BE CLASSIFIED AS EMPLOYEES WITH BENEFITS, SOME INDIE WORKERS WHO HAD THEIR DAY IN COURT, WERE DEEMED MISCLASSIFIED AND ARE NOW WORKING “9 TO 5” WANT THEIR FREEDOM BACK.
A line of defense is emerging for top prescription drug companies whose topexecutives will be pulled before Congress on Tuesday to testify about high prices for medicine: They are not to blame.