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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.

Newsom Boosted California’s Public Health Budget During COVID. Now He Wants To Cut It.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom had agreed to allocate $300 million each year for the state’s chronically underfunded public health system. Two years later and facing a $45 billion deficit, Newsom proposes to slash the funding entirely.

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Why Newsom’s Allies In Health Care Are Slamming His Budget

One of Newsom’s proposals is to sweep up an extra $7 billion from the state’s renewed tax on some health plans, called managed care organizations. These funds were initially promised to go toward pay raises for some health care workers and other health care investments.

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Public Health Leaders Push Back Against Gavin Newsom’s Budget Cuts: ‘We Cannot Go Back’

Public health leaders raised alarm at proposed cuts to California’s state and local health departments Monday, calling the proposal from Gov. Gavin Newsom “devastating” and “a step backwards.”

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Doctors Vs. Hospitals: A Bid To Regulate Hedge Funds Is Dividing California Medical Groups

Some of the most influential and wealthy groups in California politics are squaring off over legislation that would give California’s attorney general oversight of private equity firms and hedge funds acquiring major health care institutions.

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Newsom’s $12 Billion Medicaid Makeover Banks on Nonprofits’ Buy-In

For much of his young life, Jorge Sanchez regularly gasped for air, at times coughing so violently that he’d almost throw up. His mother whisked him to the emergency room late at night and slept with him to make sure he didn’t stop breathing. “He’s had these problems since he was born, and I couldn’t ...

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California Floats Extending Health Insurance Subsidies to All Adult Immigrants

The same health advocates who fought for the Medi-Cal expansion say the next step in achieving health equity is expanding Covered California, the state’s ACA marketplace, to all immigrant adults by passing AB 4.

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California To Receive Settlement From The Same Company It’s Partnering With On Overdose Reversal Drug

California announced a tentative settlement agreement Friday with a pharmaceutical company over its alleged role in perpetuating the opioid addiction crisis battering the state — the same company Gov. Gavin Newsom is partnering with to produce lower-cost opioid overdose reversal drugs. That means the state could hand any funds it receives from the settlement right ...

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‘Breaking a Promise’: California Deficit Could Halt Raises for Disability Workers

Families of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities say Gov. Gavin Newsom is reneging on a scheduled raise for the workers who care for their loved ones, and advocates warn of potential lawsuits if disability services become harder to get. Citing California’s budget deficit, the Democratic governor wants to save around $613 million in state funds by ...

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New California Rule Aims To Limit Health Care Cost Increases To 3% Annually

Doctors, hospitals and health insurance companies in California will be limited to annual price increases of 3% starting in 2029 under a new rule state regulators approved Wednesday in the latest attempt to corral the ever-increasing costs of medical care in the United States.

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Kaiser Permanente Reports Data Breach Impacting 13.4M Health Plan Members

Kaiser Permanente has begun notifying millions of its health plan members that the company was hit with a data breach in mid-April, according to a filing with the feds.

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