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.
California this year took the final step in opening Medi-Cal, its Medicaid program, to every eligible resident regardless of immigration status. It’s a significant expansion for an already massive safety net program.
Governor Gavin Newsom recently vetoed an Assembly bill opposed by the California Chamber of Commerce that would have harmed access to health care by cutting off needed private funding for health care providers. The bill, AB 3129 (Wood; D-Santa Rosa), would have required private investors to obtain the consent of the California Attorney General before acquiring ...
As open enrollment begins this month at Covered California, state residents shopping for health insurance through the agency can take advantage of more financial help than at any time since the Affordable Care Act went into effect. In 2024, 1.5 million Californians received an enhanced premium tax credit from the U.S. government that they were ...
Legislation signed into law by California Governor Gavin Newsom on September 24, 2024 will subject commercial debt collectors to new compliance requirements starting in 2025.
California Health Insurers: 2024 Edition provides a snapshot of the insurance market in California at the end of 2022. Data from the state’s two insurance regulators, the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) and the California Department of Insurance (CDI), and other sources were used to examine market share, enrollment, financial performance, and consumer satisfaction. Key ...
California’s mental health commission on Thursday announced its executive director would resign amid revelations that he traveled to the U.K. courtesy of a state vendor while he sought to prevent a budget cut that would have defunded the company’s contract. Toby Ewing, executive director of the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission, will step down effective ...
The California legislative season drew to a close September 30th, with Governor Newsom signing several Senate and Assembly Bills that increase the benefits fully insured health plans in California must cover, focusing on maternal healthcare, preventive care, and AI protections.
On September 30, Governor Gavin Newsom concluded review and action on more than 1,200 bills sent to his desk as part of the 2024 regular legislative session. This year represented many major legislative wins for the California Chamber of Commerce working on behalf of California employers.
More than half of the 410 hospitals in California have at least one building that likely wouldn’t be able to operate after a major earthquake hit their region, and with many institutions claiming they don’t have the money to meet a 2030 legal deadline for earthquake retrofits, the state is now granting relief to some ...
A major California health insurer is set to offer one of the world’s top-selling drugs for free in a bid to show the medicine can reach Americans affordably without going through the middlemen that typically control its flow.