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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.

Trump’s Effort To Lure Consumers To Exchanges Could Bring Skimpier Plans

Will opening the door to cheaper, skimpier marketplace plans with higher deductibles and copays attract consumers and insurers to the exchanges next year? That’s what the Trump administration is betting on.

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Visualizing Health Policy: U.S. Public Opinion on Health Care Reform, 2017

This Visualizing Health Policy infographic spotlights public opinion on health reform in the United States as of 2017. The largest percentage of Democrats and Republicans give top priority to lowering out-of-pocket costs for health care.

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California Bill Would Reduce Anti-Competitive Practices by Largest Hospital Chains

A Bay Area legislator is trying to level the playing field among hospital chains, particularly in Northern California, where he said studies show consolidations have led to some of the highest healthcare prices for consumers and employers in the state.

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Jerry Brown on Paying for Single Payer “How do you do that?”

Gov. Jerry Brown stuck to his skeptical view on matters of broad healthcare reform on Wednesday, dismissing the idea of a universal health care system as something akin to a financial impossibility.

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How Agents Can Deploy Soft Benefits to Win the Talent War

Insurance agencies that stress “soft” benefits have the upper hand in recruiting workers in today’s competitive job market.

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Claiming Momentum is on their Side, California Lawmakers Try Again to Require More Transparency on Drug Prices

California Democrats, labor unions, health insurers and consumer advocacy groups — along with newly joined backer Tom Steyer, the billionaire activist — are restarting their effort to shed more light on prescription drug prices after a similar measure sputtered last year.

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Ricardo Lara Enters Race for California State Insurance Commissioner

Today State Senator Ricardo Lara, who recently co-introduced Californians for a Healthy California Act (SB 562), which amounts to single-payer healthcare for the state, announced that he will be running to serve as California's State Insurance Commissioner - a statewide elected office dedicated to protecting consumers, enforcing all insurance regulations, and safeguarding Californians' economic and health security.

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GOP Health Plan Could Be Bitter Pill For California’s Obamacare Exchange

Republicans are touting their health plan as the right medicine for ailing insurance markets across the country, from Arizona to Tennessee.

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Word & Brown General Agency Quote Integrates With CaliforniaChoice Online Enrollment

Word & Brown General Agency announced today it has integrated its online quoting engine, WBQuote, with the CaliforniaChoice online enrollment platform to offer brokers a more efficient enrollment process.

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Sacramento Battle Over Telling Patients About Doctors’ Probation

Dr. Wanda Heffernon, a former UCSF anesthesiologist, made headlines in 2001 when she pleaded guilty to stealing credit cards from her fellow physicians and forging prescriptions to feed her drug addiction.

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