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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.

More Undocumented Immigrants in California Would Get Health Care Under Democrats’ Plan

Influential Democratic state lawmakers are re-introducing bills Monday to give immigrants without legal status access to Medi-Cal, California’s health care program for low-income people.

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Decline in California’s Uninsured Rate Among Kids has Stagnated, Raising Concerns

Los Angeles pediatrician Ilan Shapiro has seen a dramatic turnaround in how young patients get their health care since 2014, when the Affordable Care Act went into full effect.

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Dem Single-Payer Fight Set to Shift to Battle Over Medicare ‘Buy-In’

Momentum is building among House Democrats for a more moderate alternative to single-payer health-care legislation.

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Trump Administration Looks to Give Private Medicare Plans Negotiating Power on Drugs

Insurers that participate in Medicare’s prescription drug program would be able to exclude certain drugs if prices rise faster than inflation as part of a new proposal from the Trump administration.

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Amazon Private Label Healthcare Offerings Grow

It remains to be seen how disruptive Amazon will be in the prescriptions space now that it has its own online pharmacy. The company snagged PillPack, which focuses on delivering individualized rolls of presorted medicines to people who manage multiple daily medications.  

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IRS Issues New Tax Deductibility Limits for Long-Term Care Insurance

Traditional tax-qualified long-term care insurance policies now have new tax deductibility limits, according to the IRS.

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FDA Says it Will Overhaul Criticized Medical Device System

U.S. health officials said Monday they plan to overhaul the nation’s decades-old system for approving most medical devices, which has long been criticized by experts for failing to catch problems with risky implants and related products.

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With Federal Public Charge Rule Pending, California Braces For Possible Medi-Cal Exodus

A draft Trump administration rule that would penalize immigrants seeking green cards for accessing social services — including Medicaid — could cause thousands of kids to lose their health insurance, some advocates fear.

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HealthCare.gov Application Activity Improves

HealthCare.gov signup activity continued to improve during the third week of the open enrollment period for individual major medical coverage that starts Jan. 1, 2019. Managers of the Affordable Care Act public exchange enrollment and administration system report that 748,244 households selected plans during the third week of the 2019 open enrollment period, which ended Nov. 17.

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House Democrats Target DOJ Decision Not to Defend Obamacare

Democrats will scrutinize the Trump administration’s decision not to defend Obamacare in federal court, when Democrats take control of the U.S. House of Representatives next year, a leading Democrat said on Monday.

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