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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.

Blitz Against ObamaCare ‘Cadillac Tax’ Launches

A coalition of K Street health giants are teaming up to fight the ObamaCare tax on high-cost insurance plans known as the “Cadillac tax."

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Medi-Cal Beneficiaries See Gaps In Access to Health Care

Medi-Cal beneficiaries face "significant" gaps in access to care compared with individuals who are enrolled in employer-sponsored health plans, according to a study published by the California HealthCare Foundation, Payers & Providers reports. CHCF publishes California Healthline.

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Uninsured Rate Hits Lowest Level to Date, Boosting ObamaCare

The uninsured rate has dropped to its lowest level since Gallup began tracking the statistic in 2008.

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States Line Up To Scrutinize Aetna’s $33 Billion Humana Deal

U.S. insurance regulators and state attorneys general are lining up to scrutinize Aetna Inc's proposed $33 billion takeover of rival Humana Inc for potential harm to consumers, complicating what is already expected to be a tough and lengthy review by federal antitrust authorities.

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Health Insurer Mergers Will Pressure Pharma Over High-Cost Drugs

As the nation’s biggest health insurers jockey for supremacy, drug makers should brace for added pressure because doctors are likely to face stingier reimbursement over the next few years.

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Assembly To Consider Bill Capping Out-of-Pocket Rx Drug Costs

The Assembly this month will consider a bill (AB 339) that aims to cap out-of-pocket costs for prescription medications, Modern Healthcare reports

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California Advocates Hail Coverage Of Children In State Illegally, Seek Inclusion of Adults

When Fabiola Ortiz heard California had granted health coverage to poor children lacking legal immigration status, she felt grateful. Since arriving in the U.S. illegally 12 years ago, she has taken her two youngest children to the doctor only for required school physicals and relied on home remedies for everything else.

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Special Session on Health Spending Opens

State lawmakers last week convened the first hearing of a governor-ordered legislative special session on health care funding.

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California Insurers Received $1.2B Under ACA Reinsurance Program

California insurers have received nearly $1.2 billion through the Affordable Care Act's reinsurance program, according to a Covered California analysis of a recent CMS report, Business Insurance reports (Geisel, Business Insurance, 7/6).

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California Senate Passes Vaccine Bill on Second Vote; Now Heads to Governor

SACRAMENTO — The controversial bill that would give California one of the country’s strictest vaccination laws headed on Monday to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk, with supporters urging him to sign it and opponents promising to stand vigil around the clock to convince him to veto it. On Monday, a majority of the California state Senate ...

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