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.
In California, health insurance is already thoroughly regulated by the state.
Gov. Jerry Brown signed a law Wednesday morning to provide at least three days of paid sick leave annually to every worker in California, extending the benefit to some 6.5 million employees, or about 40 percent of California's workforce.
If most consumers who bought health insurance through Covered California this year sit back and do nothing, they'll be automatically enrolled in the same plan next year.
The price of employer health insurance rose a modest 3% this year, a major survey shows, but workers will be paying more when they get sick as deductibles soar.
Support for a pair of health-related ballot initiatives is eroding, though a large portion of voters remain undecided eight weeks before the Nov. 4 election, according to the latest Field Poll.
Some Californians who purchased individual health coverage through the state's insurance exchange are suddenly being dropped or transferred to Medi-Cal, the state Medicaid program for the poor that fewer doctors and providers accept.
President Obama's healthcare law has provided an economic case study on the tradeoffs between cost and access.
Anthem Blue Cross of California on Monday asked Stanford Health Care to agree to a two-week extension of its terminated contract at existing rates so both sides can continue negotiations.
About 98,000 California families must verify their immigration status by Sept. 30 or lose their health coverage, the state's insurance exchange announced Thursday.
The Legislature this week gave its final approval to a bill designed to help families understand health care options and gain access to coverage when they enroll their children in school.