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.
Nearly 500,000 new consumers signed up for insurance and picked a health plan through Covered California through Feb. 22, executive director Peter Lee announced at the exchange board meeting Thursday.
Gov. Jerry Brown has appointed a Latino health activist and long-time labor leader who's worked at top levels of state government to the board at Covered California, the state health benefit exchange.
The legal campaign to destroy President Obama's health care law may be nearing its conclusion, but as the Supreme Court deliberates over the law's fate, the search for a replacement by Republican lawmakers is finally gaining momentum.
A bill in the California Legislature that would require pharmaceutical manufacturers to explain the prices for their expensive products is thought to be the first legislative attempt of its kind in the country.
California's uninsured rate fell by as much as 40% in 2014, in large part because of expanded coverage under the Affordable Care Act, according to a fact sheet by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, Payers & Providers reports.
Adults hoping to purchase dental insurance through Covered California will have to wait until at least next year because of problems with the health exchange's computer system.
The rollout of Medi-Cal's new case management computer system is at risk of facing significant delays, according to an audit presented to lawmakers Tuesday by State Auditor Elaine Howle, the Sacramento Bee's "The State Worker" reports.
Take it or leave it. That's the message to a Southern California for-profit company from Attorney General Kamala Harris who late last week laid out a dozen requirements for Prime Healthcare Services' $843 million deal to buy six cash-crunched nonprofit hospitals.
California lawmakers are considering a bill (AB 339) that aims to keep prescription drug costs down by limiting which medications insurers can include in the highest-cost drug tier, Capital Public Radio's "KXJZ News" reports.
Covered California will allow consumers to apply for health coverage from Feb. 23 to April 30 if they claim to have been unaware of the new tax penalty for foregoing insurance, the health benefit exchange announced Friday.