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.
Fortina Hernández is called “the one who knows it all.” For more than two decades, the community health worker has supported hundreds of families throughout southeast Los Angeles by helping them sign up for food assistance, sharing information about affordable health coverage, and managing medications for their chronic illnesses. She’s guided by the expression “an ...
Oakland, Calif.-based Kaiser Permanente plans to lay off 42 nurses at two outpatient clinics, attributing the decision to shifting volume patterns and patient care needs, according to July 18 reports from local news outlets. The job cuts are set to take effect in 60 days and will affect nurses at clinics in San Rafael and ...
Blue Shield of California is conducting a second round of layoffs this year, with 138 more employees being laid off in September. The majority of the layoffs affect employees in Oakland and El Dorado, with the remaining cuts taking place in Long Beach, Woodland Hills, Rancho Cordova, San Diego, Lodi and Redding, according to regulatory ...
In late June 2025, the California legislature approved a delay to the new fertility benefit mandate for fully insured group health plans — including coverage for In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and other specified services. Originally set to take effect July 1, 2025, under Senate Bill 729 (signed in Fall 2024), the mandate will now apply ...
Trump’s sweeping plan slashes Medicaid and food aid, putting millions of Californians at risk — especially low-income residents, undocumented immigrants and rural communities.
After weeks of contract negotiations that threatened to disrupt medical care for tens of thousands of Californians, UC Health and Blue Shield of California have reached a new agreeme
California is one of the most affordable states for buying health insurance through marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as “Obamacare,” according to a new analysis. The personal finance company WalletHub found that the average California household spends 5.84% of its income on these types of health insurance premiums. That’s among the ...
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed on Friday a budget that pares back a number of progressive priorities, including a landmark health care expansion for low-income adult immigrants without legal status, to close a $12 billion deficit. It’s the third year in a row the nation’s most populous state has been forced to slash funding or stop some ...
UC Health and Blue Shield of California, which are at an impasse over the terms of a new contract that could disrupt health care for thousands of Californians, have extended the deadline for reaching a new agreement from July 9 to Aug. 9. This means the thousands of Californians who get medical care at UC ...
Blue Shield of California is cutting broker commissions for new enrollments into Medicare Advantage PPO plans in Alameda, Orange and San Diego counties, effective July 1. The new policy does not affect commission payments of existing membership, according to a June memo sent to brokers. Several large insurers have cut MA commissions recently, including UnitedHealthcare, Elevance Health ...