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.
Lawmakers in California are hoping that keeping private firms out of their health care market will help down the cost of health care there and maintain the quality.
With a deadline looming, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Democrats in the state Legislature are working to settle their differences over access to public healthcare services, delaying minimum wage increases for workers and pausing tax credits for businesses.
California needs to repay more than $52 million to the federal government after improperly claiming reimbursement from the Medicaid program for some immigrant patients, according to a recently released report from federal inspectors.
California’s Office of Health Care Affordability faces a herculean task in its plan to slow runaway health care spending. California is the ninth state to set annual health spending targets.
Every tax season hundreds of thousands of Californians are hit with an unexpected bill: They owe hundreds of dollars or more to the IRS because they accepted more money in subsidies for health insurance than they were allowed.
It’s important to be on the lookout for scams every day of the year, but during Medicare Fraud Prevention Week June 3-9, Blue Shield of California warns its Medicare beneficiaries about scammers who want their personal, financial, and health plan information. Healthcare fraud in the U.S. is an enormous, expensive problem — costing up to $300 billion, according to the National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association. ...
An increase in flu viruses detected at wastewater treatment plants in California in recent weeks has sparked concern that the H5N1 bird flu may be spreading more rapidly than anticipated, potentially putting the state’s 1.7 million dairy cows at risk for infection. Health officials have observed multiple spikes in influenza A viruses, which include the H5N1 avian flu ...
Gov. Gavin Newsom contends his budget maintains core health care services for Californians. Doctors and other providers are alarmed by his proposed cut to Medi-Cal, a state insurance program used by millions.
For over a year, the nation’s most populous county has worked on a comprehensive plan to track patient debt and hospital collection practices; boost bill forgiveness for low-income patients; and buy up and forgive billions in medical debt — an effort helmed by its Department of Public Health.
The latest attempt to bring a single-payer healthcare system to California failed in the state Legislature on Thursday, undercut by its steep price tag as lawmakers struggle with a mounting budget shortfall.