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.
House Republicans on Wednesday unveiled new proposals to repeal and replace President Barack Obama's health care law, as Speaker Paul Ryan seeks to showcase a GOP governing agenda amid the tumult of the presidential campaign.
The $122.5 billion state budget approved last week by California lawmakers will fund a variety of health-related efforts, including training of primary care physicians, dental care for school children and medical interpreters for Medi-Cal, the government-funded insurance program for people with low incomes.
Researchers at one of the nation’s largest public sector health care purchasers weighed in this week with serious concerns about the feasibility of a ballot initiative that seeks to limit how much state programs pay for prescription drugs.
Aetna Inc.’s $37 billion deal to buy Humana Inc.was approved by the California Department of Managed Health Care, which said Monday that it could move forward after the company agreed to invest in the state’s health care infrastructure.
California lawmakers are lining up in support of a bill that would require health plans to provide information about patient-assistance programs for expensive prescription drugs to enrollees who drop or lose their coverage.
Six years after President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act, the health reform law has gained acceptance from a majority of California voters, but the cost of getting healthcare remains a major concern, eclipsing worries about having insurance, according to a new USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times poll.
As health care consolidation accelerates nationwide, a new study shows that hospital prices in two of California’s largest health systems were 25 percent higher than at other hospitals around the state.
Gov. Jerry Brown Friday signed first-in-the-nation legislation requesting federal approval for the state’s health insurance exchange to sell policies to immigrants living in California illegally.
California’s decision to raise its hourly minimum wage to $15 by 2022 could have unintended consequences for thousands of workers who will make too much money to stay on Medi-Cal, the state’s health insurance program for low-income residents.
The California Senate rejected legislation that would have required medical practitioners to notify their patients if they were on probation for serious infractions.