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Industry Updates

This broad category includes articles concerning health insurance costs, carrier and health plan news, changing benefits technology, and surveys by the Kaiser Family Foundation and others on employee benefits.

Without Enough Boots on the Ground, California’s Vaccination Efforts Falter

Gov. Gavin Newsom routinely boasts that California has “one of the highest vaccination rates in the United States of America.”

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Business Groups Urge: Restore Tax Credits, Net Operating Loss Deduction

The California Chamber of Commerce and a coalition of business groups are urging state legislators to restore the net operating loss deduction and business incentive tax credits that were suspended and capped by AB 85 last year. The action was taken as part of last year’s strategy to close an estimated $54.3 billion budget deficit ...

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California Jury Clears CVS In Generic Drug Overpayment Case

A California jury has cleared CVS in a years-long lawsuit alleging the pharmacy giant overcharged them by more than $121 million for generic drugs. A group of insured pharmacy customers in six states filed suit against CVS Pharmacy in 2015, claiming that the company overcharged them and their insurers for generic drugs while charging low, ...

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LA County Recommends Indoor Masks, Regardless Of Vaccines

Health officials in Los Angeles County now strongly recommend that people wear masks indoors in public places — regardless of their vaccination status — to prevent the spread of the highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus. The move comes two weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom reopened California and lifted the statewide mask mandate. The LA ...

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California Businesses May Have To Pay More For Workers’ Compensation As Benchmark Rates Are Under Review

Over the next month, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara will review rates recommended by the Workers Compensation Insurance Rating Bureau, a nonprofit which evaluates trends, including the costs of potential claims.

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California Law Banning Copay Coupons Didn’t Boost Generic Drug Use, Study Finds

A 2017 California law that banned drugmaker copay coupons failed to increase the use of generic drugs, according to a study from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. The study, published June 15 in JAMA, found that the law did not meet its goal to boost use of generic drugs instead of patients’ relying on copay coupons ...

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Delta Coronavirus Strain Is Growing Fast In California, With Risk For Unvaccinated People

The highly infectious delta coronavirus variant is rising fast in California, with cases more than doubling in the past month and tripling in one Bay Area county, according to genomic sequencing results reported by state and local public health departments. The first California cases of delta, a variant that emerged in India, were reported in ...

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New COVID-19 Workplace Rules Align with CDC, State Health Dept. Guidelines

This week, the Standards Board of the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) adopted revisions to the COVID-19 emergency workplace rules. The changes approved at the Standards Board’s June 17 meeting make Cal/OSHA’s COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) more consistent with face mask guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and California ...

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California Fully Reopens After Being 1st To Shut In Pandemic

California, the first state in America to put in place a coronavirus lockdown, has turned a page on the pandemic. The nation’s most populated state lifted most of its restrictions Tuesday, meaning no more state rules on social distancing or capacity limits at restaurants, bars, supermarkets, gyms, stadiums or anywhere else.

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California Could Ease Mask Rules For Fully Vaccinated Workers This Week

Fully vaccinated workers in California may be able to remove masks at work this week if a state safety board approves a proposal by the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, or Cal/OSHA.

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