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.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature mental health policies allow the involuntary treatment of more Californians with severe mental illnesses. Some fear the new laws will infringe on the civil liberties of people confined against their will.
California workers will be entitled to five paid sick days, up from the current three, under a new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Wednesday. The state’s powerful labor unions lobbied heavily for the legislation, which stalled at the Capitol in previous years but gained momentum after the COVID-19 pandemic cast new light on public health ...
For the first time, California pharmacies must report every prescription error under legislation signed by the governor Sunday. The measure — Assembly Bill 1286 — is aimed at reducing the estimated 5 million mistakes pharmacists make each year. The Times detailed last month how Californians have been harmed by the errors, most of which happen ...
New COVID-19 hospital admissions have decreased for a second consecutive week in California, signaling a modest but reassuring trend as the state emerges from a late-summer swell of infections.
A deal more than a decade in the making came to fruition on Sept. 29, when CEOs for both Sansum Clinic and Sutter Health announced the finalization of a partnership between the two nonprofit health care entities. Based in Santa Barbara, Sansum is now part of Sutter Health, a Sacramento-based organization that operates a network ...
Under the new system, family members and first responders can ask county judges to order people with psychotic illness into treatment, even if they are not unhoused or haven’t committed a crime. A judge will then determine if a person meets criteria for the program and may oversee a care agreement or compel a treatment plan.
California lawmakers endorsed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s latest plan to address the state’s worsening homeless crisis. Now, it’ll be up to voters.
A proposal by a Bay Area lawmaker that would cap the cost of insulin to $35 is heading to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk after being unanimously approved by state legislators. Senate Bill 90 by State Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) passed the Assembly with a 63-0 vote and the State Senate on a 39-0 vote. The ...
The coalition that secured a $36 billion tax deal to pump more money into Medi-Cal wants to make it harder for future administrations to spend that revenue elsewhere. The Coalition to Protect Access to Care — an amalgam of monied health care interests that includes representatives for doctors, hospitals, health plans and other key players ...
California health care workers could get a $25 minimum wage as a key labor union and employers close in on a sweeping deal. The emerging agreement between SEIU State Council and health care industry players would secure the $25 pay rate and impose a truce on recurring ballot fights over dialysis clinics. The industry agreed to ...