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.
States are racing to have their Medicaid requests approved before the Trump administration takes power. The new administration is expected to have a very different view of Medicaid than the Biden administration, and GOP lawmakers in Congress are eyeing major changes.
When it comes to healthcare, California is now open for enrollment. Covered California, the state’s marketplace for health insurance is now open for residents, regardless of immigration status to shop for affordable health care. For this session it launched the “Let’s Talk About Health” initiative, as it hopes to get more people engaged when it ...
A California agency charged with slowing health costs has set a lofty goal for insurers to direct 15% of their spending to primary care by 2034, part of the state’s effort to expand the primary care workforce and give more people access to preventive care services. The board of the state Office of Health Care ...
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.