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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.

CalPERS Enters Into Contracts With Blue Shield Of California, Included Health

Blue Shield of California will partner with Included Health to provide support and service to about 400,000 CalPERS PPO members.

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¿Cómo Se Dice? California Loops In AI To Translate Health Care Information

State health policy officials want to harness emerging artificial intelligence technology to translate a broad swath of documents and websites related to “health and social services information, programs, benefits and services,” according to state records.

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California Lawmakers Preserve Aid to Older, Disabled Immigrants

California lawmakers on Thursday passed a 2024-25 budget that rejected Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to cut in-home supportive services for low-income older, blind, and disabled immigrants lacking legal residency. However, the Democratic governor has not said whether he’ll use his line-item veto authority to help close the state’s $45 billion deficit. The legislature, controlled by Democrats, passed a ...

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California Telehealth Execs Charged In ADHD Prescription Scheme Amid Nationwide Med Shortage

As many as 50,000 U.S. patients’ access to treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder could be disrupted after two executives at Done, a California-based telehealth company, were indicted Thursday on healthcare fraud charges, federal officials said. The Justice Department alleges that Chief Executive Ruthia He and company clinical President David Brody schemed to provide easy ...

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Top Newsom Adviser Steps Away From Health Care Initiative Amid Standoff With Allies

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s growing discomfort with a proposed ballot initiative sponsored by leading health care groups is spilling out into the public amid tense discussions over the November ballot and state budget. Jim DeBoo, a top consultant in Sacramento and a former chief of staff to Newsom, confirmed to POLITICO on Thursday that he’s ...

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California Could Curb Private Equity Health Deals

Lawmakers in California are hoping that keeping private firms out of their health care market will help down the cost of health care there and maintain the quality.

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With Deadline Nearing, Newsom And Lawmakers Disagree Over Solutions To California Budget Crisis

With a deadline looming, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democrats in the state Legislature are working to settle their differences over access to public healthcare services, delaying minimum wage increases for workers and pausing tax credits for businesses.

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California Will Refund More Than $52 Million To Federal Government For Immigrant Care

California needs to repay more than $52 million to the federal government after improperly claiming reimbursement from the Medicaid program for some immigrant patients, according to a recently released report from federal inspectors.

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California Becomes Latest State To Try Capping Health Care Spending

California’s Office of Health Care Affordability faces a herculean task in its plan to slow runaway health care spending. California is the ninth state to set annual health spending targets.

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Get Your Health Care Through Covered California? Beware Of This Tax Peril

Every tax season hundreds of thousands of Californians are hit with an unexpected bill: They owe hundreds of dollars or more to the IRS because they accepted more money in subsidies for health insurance than they were allowed.

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