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.
For years, the state has conducted something of a shell game to help finance Medi-Cal, its health insurance system for the poor that now covers nearly a third of Californians.
One of healthcare advocates' unspoken fears is being voiced by state lawmakers who worry a projected multibillion-dollar budget surplus could weaken political resolve to revamp a soon-to-disappear tax that helps fund healthcare for low-income Californians.
Three years after launching the state's health-benefit exchange, Covered California wants to help consumers sign up for vision coverage as well.
On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) unveiled an updated plan to dismantle the Affordable Care Act
Irvine-based St. Joseph Health System and Renton, Wash.-based Providence Health & Services – both nonprofit Catholic hospital groups – have signed a definitive agreement to combine their operations
The latest turmoil in health insurance marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act has emboldened advocates on both sides of the political spectrum, providing ammunition to conservatives who want to shrink the federal role and liberals who want to expand it.
California lawmakers are staring down a $1.1 billion hole in next year’s health budget after failing to come up with a way to replace the state’s “managed care organization tax” on health insurance plans that serve Medi-Cal managed care recipients.
Officials with Gov. Jerry Brown’s (D) administration say that efforts to rework the expiring managed care organization tax are ongoing, Capital Public Radio’s “KXJZ News” reports (Orr, “KXJZ News,” Capital Public Radio, 11/19). Background The current MCO tax expires in June 2016. In July, federal officials said they would not reauthorize the formula California uses. ...
UnitedHealth Group’s announcement this week that it may pull out of Affordable Care Act exchanges is not expected to have much of an impact on Covered California, experts said, but the move could have serious repercussions in other exchanges. Although the for-profit company hasn’t been a major player in most exchanges and is a late-comer ...
The biggest U.S. health insurer said it has suffered major losses on policies sold on the Affordable Care Act’s exchanges and will consider withdrawing from them, adding to worries about the future of the marketplaces at the heart of the Obama administration’s signature health law. The disclosure by UnitedHealth Group Inc., UNH 0.92 % which ...