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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.

Medi-Cal Will Soon End Some People’s Benefits. What This Means For You

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in earnest, low-income Californians who enrolled in Medi-Cal — California’s version of the government-funded Medicaid health insurance program — have been able to keep their coverage without having to prove every year that they still qualified for it. That’s because the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which President Trump signed ...

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Joint Statement from California Health & Human Services Leaders on Affordable Care Act Federal Ruling

“California has taken action proactively to enact strong consumer protections into state law, including requirements on health plans to cover preventive care with no cost sharing to enrollees.

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Medi-Cal Will Soon End Some People’s Benefits. What This Means For You

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began in earnest, low-income Californians who enrolled in Medi-Cal — California’s version of the government-funded Medicaid health insurance program — have been able to keep their coverage without having to prove every year that they still qualified for it. That’s because the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which President Trump signed ...

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There’s Now Only One Official COVID Protocol Left In California — And It’s Unlikely To Change Soon

Beginning Monday, California will no longer require masks for COVID-19 prevention in health care settings — leaving isolation for those who test positive as the last vestige of the state’s formerly mandatory COVID rules. California lifted its COVID-19 state of emergency in February, nearly three years after it was put in place, and President Biden indicated last week he won’t ...

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Fight Over Pay For L.A. Hospital Execs Could Hinge On What President Biden Makes

Should Los Angeles clamp down on how much hospital executives are paid? That decision could be put to Los Angeles city voters, under a ballot measure supported by a union representing healthcare workers. But whether that happens may hinge on another question: How much does the president of the United States make? The California Hospital Assn. has ...

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California Supreme Court To Offer Guidance For COVID-19 Coverage Cases

Courts at the state and federal levels continue grappling with the application of California insurance law to COVID-19 business interruption claims. Much uncertainty remains as to how California law applies in a number of scenarios presented by the pandemic.

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Prescription for Housing? California Wants Medicaid to Cover 6 Months of Rent

Gov. Gavin Newsom, whose administration is struggling to contain a worsening homelessness crisis despite record spending, is trying something bold: tapping federal health care funding to cover rent for homeless people and those at risk of losing their housing. States are barred from using federal Medicaid dollars to pay directly for rent, but California’s governor is ...

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California’s COVID Battle Hits Another Promising Milestone

California has hit another major milestone in its fight against COVID-19, with all of the state’s residents now living in areas with a “low” community transmission level for the first time since last fall. This puts California’s 58 counties in line with approximately 93% of others across the U.S. that meet the Centers for Disease Control ...

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After ambitious single-payer healthcare plans sputter, a new California bill tries an incremental approach

Gov. Gavin Newsom would face new deadlines on his administration’s work to revamp the state’s health care system under a bill scheduled to be introduced Tuesday in the state Legislature.

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California Will Produce Its Own $30 Insulin. Next Up: A Drug To Reverse Fentanyl Overdoses

Four years after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order vowing to reduce prescription drug costs in California, the state is bringing $30 insulin to Californians — and working to create its own overdose-reversing drug.

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