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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.

California Supreme Court To Offer Guidance For COVID-19 Coverage Cases

Courts at the state and federal levels continue grappling with the application of California insurance law to COVID-19 business interruption claims. Much uncertainty remains as to how California law applies in a number of scenarios presented by the pandemic.

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Prescription for Housing? California Wants Medicaid to Cover 6 Months of Rent

Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose administration is struggling to contain a worsening homelessness crisis despite record spending, is trying something bold: tapping federal health care funding to cover rent for homeless people and those at risk of losing their housing. States are barred from using federal Medicaid dollars to pay directly for rent, but California’s governor is ...

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California’s COVID Battle Hits Another Promising Milestone

California has hit another major milestone in its fight against COVID-19, with all of the state’s residents now living in areas with a “low” community transmission level for the first time since last fall. This puts California’s 58 counties in line with approximately 93% of others across the U.S. that meet the Centers for Disease Control ...

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After ambitious single-payer healthcare plans sputter, a new California bill tries an incremental approach

Gov. Gavin Newsom would face new deadlines on his administration’s work to revamp the state’s health care system under a bill scheduled to be introduced Tuesday in the state Legislature.

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California Will Produce Its Own $30 Insulin. Next Up: A Drug To Reverse Fentanyl Overdoses

Four years after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order vowing to reduce prescription drug costs in California, the state is bringing $30 insulin to Californians — and working to create its own overdose-reversing drug.

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California Moves To Cap Insulin Cost At $30

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) on Saturday announced the state is manufacturing its own insulin and capping the cost at $30. California’s CalRx initiative has partnered with nonprofit generic drug manufacturer CIVICA to make the drug and bring the price down by around 90 percent, according to the governor’s office. “California will be manufacturing some of America’s most affordable ...

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Gov. Newsom Proposal Would Add Billions For Mental Health Treatment Beds

In a major legislative proposal to combat the state’s growing homelessness crisis, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Sunday an effort to push billions of dollars toward building a vast network of treatment beds to help California’s mentally ill and drug-addicted residents find care. Through a bond measure that could reach up to $5 billion, the governor ...

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After A Pandemic Pause, The State Will Restart Checking Medi-Cal Eligibility

California will soon restart its annual eligibility review for people enrolled in Medi-Cal, a process that has been suspended since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. This means that starting in mid-April, residents enrolled in Medi-Cal, the state’s insurance program for low-income people, will start to receive renewal notices in the mail. The process will ...

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California To Alter COVID Rules In Healthcare Settings: Masks And Vaccinations Not Required

With the COVID-19 state of emergency a thing of the past, California health officials on Friday unveiled plans to relax guidance on masking in high-risk settings and to end vaccination requirements for healthcare workers.

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COVID-19 States Of Emergency Are Ending. Here’s What’s Changing.

California’s state of emergency declaration, a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, ends on February 28. The federal state of emergency also ends this spring, on May 11.

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