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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.

AB290 is Needed to Protect Patients from Unscrupulous Treatment Providers

Looking back on my own fight with addiction, I now know that what I needed was long-term, qualified and safe care. A professional setting to be housed, receive medical care, and access peer support. However, too many patients fall prey to treatment facilities that are more interested in bilking insurance companies than in providing the support they need to enter and sustain long-term recovery.

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California Hospices Face Lax Oversight and Few Rules. The Sick and Dying Pay the Price

One day after her 80-year-old mother started hospice care at home last August, Tracy Sellers found herself racing into an emergency room, pushing a wheelchair carrying her mother.

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What Employers Should Know About California’s Proposed Worker Classification Bill

In May, the California State Assembly overwhelmingly passed a bill set to have a major impact on how companies classify their workers in the state. Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5) aims to codify the new standard expounded by Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court of Los Angeles for determining whether workers regulated by the 17 Wage Orders in California are employees or independent contractors.

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Ranks of In-Network Specialists Rose Following Passage of California Surprise Billing Law

California legislation to prevent surprise billing did not result in a reduction of in-network doctors, a new study from the top insurer group found. After California passed its surprise billing law in 2016—under which doctors are paid either the physician’s average contracted rate (ACR) or 125% of the Medicare reimbursement rate—officials at America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) found the number of in-network doctors increased by 16%.

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Insurance Lobby Chief says Biden, Sanders Health Plans ‘Similarly Bad’

The head of the nation’s health insurance lobby on Wednesday said he does not see much difference between “Medicare for All,” which is being championed by progressive Democratic presidential candidates, and the public option pushed by former Vice President Joe Biden.

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Obamacare Exchange Consumers Stick Around Longer. Does That Mean They’re Sicker?

More Americans who rely on the Affordable Care Act's exchanges for health insurance coverage are keeping their plans longer throughout the year, which raises questions about what's fueling that trend.

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California Sues Over Trump Move to Block Green Cards for Poor Immigrants

California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Xavier Becerra on Friday sued to block the Trump administration’s “public charge” rule, which would deny immigrants green cards if they are likely to rely on public benefits.

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As Families Drop Health Benefits Over ‘Public Charge’ Rule, Clinics Scramble to Respond

Soon after news broke last week of the Trump administration’s finalized “public charge” rule, benefit enrollers at the Eisner Health community clinic in downtown Los Angeles started getting phone calls.

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For the Sake of the Economy, California Legislators Must Fix the Flawed California Consumer Privacy Act

The Legislature must fix the California Consumer Privacy Act before it takes effect on Jan. 1, 2020.  The law is riddled with unclear definitions, overly broad mandates, and small errors that will lead to unnecessary costs and widespread confusion about compliance.

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Health Care Fight Among 2020 Democrats Shifts to Taxes

Taxes are playing a leading role in the health care debate that’s dividing the field of 2020 Democratic presidential candidates. Centrist candidates are criticizing their opponents on the left who support the single-payer proposal known as “Medicare for All” by arguing that it is too expensive and would require tax hikes for the middle class.

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