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.
Local pharmacies and patient groups like it. Health insurance and benefits groups predict it will drive up costs.
Dr. Mark Ghaly is stepping down as head of the California Health and Human Services Agency after an eventful tenure that included the eruption of the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday. Newsom called Ghaly “a driving force for transformative changes to make healthcare more affordable and accessible,” whose leadership during the pandemic “saved ...
The Word & Brown Companies today was named in the annual Best Places to Work in Insurance program, which recognizes employers for their outstanding performance in establishing workplaces where employees can thrive, enjoy their work, and help their companies grow.
The summer surge of the coronavirus subvariants nicknamed FLiRT has given way to ever more contagious strains, a key reason behind the current high levels of COVID in California and nationwide. And doctors and scientists are keeping an eye on yet another subvariant — XEC — that could surpass the latest hyperinfectious subvariant, KP.3.1.1, now thought to be the most ...
California lawmakers are debating whether to go where Congress won't and pass legislation that would give the state the ability to block private equity acquisitions of health care facilities or providers.
The California Legislature is in its (sometimes) frantic final week, racing to pass bills by the Saturday deadline. Monday, lawmakers pulled some last-minute maneuvering to extend the time allowed for floor amendments.
The Bay Area’s largest county announced plans Wednesday to buy a private hospital that had been slated for major cutbacks — a move that county officials say will preserve critical medical care for the low-income community it serves. Santa Clara County has reached a tentative agreement with the owner of Regional Medical Center, a 250-bed ...
Altogether, more than 50 percent of eligible Medicare recipients are on the private plans, but a new report from health policy research firm KFF found drastic differences between Medicare Advantage enrollment in California regions.
A bill pending in California’s legislature to ratchet up oversight of private equity investments in health care is receiving enthusiastic backing from consumer advocates, labor unions, and the California Medical Association, but drawing heavy fire from hospitals concerned about losing a potential funding source. The legislation, sponsored by Attorney General Rob Bonta, would require private equity groups ...
Hospitals must promptly report to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health every time they try to collect medical debt from patients, under an ordinance backed Tuesday by county supervisors. The ordinance, which requires a second vote to be adopted, requires hospitals to tell the county within a month or two of initiating debt ...