California Watch Category Banner

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’s Uninsured Rate Continues to Decrease

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey shows California's uninsured rate is down to 8.1 percent.

Read More

Obama Administration Backs California Health-Plan Tax

President Barack Obama’s administration is approving California’s plan to restructure health-plan taxes to generate money for Medi-Cal, which provides health coverage to the poor.

Read More

Billionaire-backed Campaign Launched to Raise California’s Tobacco Tax

A coalition of health groups has launched a new campaign to ask voters in November to increase California's tax on cigarettes by $2 per pack, this time enlisting deep-pocket supporters to counter a tobacco industry that blocked several attempts in the past.

Read More

Undocumented Youths Qualify for Government Health Care

A California law that kicks in Monday makes immigrant children without legal documentation eligible for comprehensive, government-paid health care.

Read More

Obamacare Premiums In California May Rise 8 Percent Next Year, State Predicts

California’s health insurance exchange estimates that its Obamacare premiums may rise 8 percent on average next year, which would end two consecutive years of more modest 4 percent increases.

Read More

Medical Bills May Soon Be As Easy to Read As Credit Card Statements

There are few things as flat out baffling as a medical bill.

Read More

Study: Expanding Generic Drug Use Could Save Billions

Health insurers and patients could safely save many billions of dollars annually by swapping out a more expensive drug for a less expensive generic in the same class of drugs, according to a study published Monday.

Read More

Will People Comparison-Shop for Health Care?

If patients know how much their medical care costs, they’ll shop around for the cheapest option — and over time, health care costs will go down. At least, that’s the idea behind the drive to improve price transparency, a strategy embraced by Donald Trump, among others.

Read More

Group Doctor Visits Gain Ground

WANT to spend more quality time with your doctor? Maybe you should try joining a group.

Read More

Advocates Urging Immigrant Parents to Sign Up Children for Medi-Cal

About 170,000 children and teens are expected to qualify for coverage when Medi-Cal, California's version of Medicaid, is expanded on May 16. California is the first state in the nation to extend coverage to children in the U.S. illegally.

Read More
arrowcaret-downclosefacebook-squarehamburgerinstagram-squarelinkedin-squarepauseplaytwitter-squareyoutube-square