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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.

Businesses Luring Employees Along With Customers This Season

The Hampton Inn in Folsom, California, has 147 rooms, but General Manager Enid Baldock could only rent 117 of them recently because she did not have enough workers to clean them.

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Enforcement Begins Today For L.A.’s COVID-19 Vaccine Requirements

After a multi-week ramp-up, Los Angeles will now enforce its mandate that patrons prove they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of entering a host of indoor businesses. The city’s requirement — which applies to indoor restaurants, movie theaters, hair and nail salons, coffee shops, gyms, museums, bowling alleys and performance venues, among other ...

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Business Owners Say Enforcing LA COVID Vaccine Mandate Came With A Smooth Start

The city of Los Angeles began its enforcement of the SafePassLA ordinance – one of the strictest COVID-19 vaccine mandates of its kind in the nation – as state health officials watch closely for the omicron variant of the virus. If you find yourself in L.A., be prepared to show proof of full vaccination against ...

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Supply Chain Woes Mean Shortages Of Critical Medical Devices In California

When Henry Genung was 4 months old, doctors cut a hole in his windpipe and inserted a tube to help him breathe. Born with a rare genetic mutation that blocked his upper airway, Henry, who is now 18 months old, will need the tube for several more years. For three months, Henry hasn’t had a ...

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California Joins States Trying to Shorten Wait Times for Mental Health Care

When Greta Christina fell into a deep depression five years ago, she called up her therapist in San Francisco. She’d had a great connection with the provider when she needed therapy in the past. She was delighted to learn that he was now “in network” with her insurance company, meaning she wouldn’t have to pay ...

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Becerra Says Surprise Billing Rules Force Doctors Who Overcharge to Accept Fair Prices

Overpriced doctors and other medical providers who can’t charge a reasonable rate for their services could be put out of business when new rules against surprise medical bills take effect in January, and that’s a good thing, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told KHN, in defending the regulations.

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With Fed Vaccine Mandate On Hold, What Now?

On Nov. 5, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published nearly 500 pages of emergency temporary standards (ETS) that, among other things, would have required employers with 100 or more employees to require their employees to be fully vaccinated days into the new year.

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California COVID: Good Case Numbers but Surge Threat Remains

California now has one of the lowest coronavirus infection rates in the country, with 1.9% of people testing positive for the disease in the last week as the nation’s most populous state has so far avoided the uptick feared heading into the end-of-year holidays.

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Americans Can Wait Many Weeks To See A Therapist. California Law Aims To Fix That

When Greta Christina fell into a deep depression five years ago, she called up her therapist in San Francisco — someone she’d had a great connection with when she needed therapy in the past. And she was delighted to find out that he was now “in network” with her insurance company, meaning she wouldn’t have ...

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No Sanctions Over Deficiencies At California Virus Test Lab

California’s new coronavirus testing laboratory won’t face sanctions for what state officials had called “significant deficiencies” that a whistleblower said threatened the accuracy of its results, authorities said Monday. The Valencia Branch Laboratory was found to have problems with training and record-keeping but authorities couldn’t substantiate reports stemming from a whistleblower that the lab destroyed ...

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