The Trump administration unveiled a plan Thursday that would dramatically revamp Medicaid by allowing states to opt out of part of the current federal funding program and instead seek a fixed payment each year in exchange for gaining unprecedented flexibility over the program.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom was a single-payer candidate. The Democrat campaigned hard for the creation of one public insurance program for all Californians. And within hours of taking office last year, he called on the federal government to allow California and other states to create single-payer programs.

Californians who do not receive health insurance through their jobs or public insurance programs have until Friday to sign up for health coverage for 2020 — or face a tax penalty.

China’s new coronavirus outbreak may never cause a significant number of health insurance or life insurance claims in the United States, but it’s already joined two other coronavirus outbreaks — Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) — as something that will shape how life insurance actuaries, investors and regulators see insuring people against the risk of dying for decades to come.

Commissioner Ricardo Lara today announced the Department of Insurance will use its discretion in deciding whether to issue licenses to those with cannabis-related convictions in support of Proposition 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act, approved by voters in 2016. This action will clear obstacles to becoming an agent, broker, or other licensee for those whose past convictions are eligible to be dismissed or reduced under the current law.

The debate over creating a single government health plan for all Americans may be dominating the Democratic presidential campaign, but most voters are focused on a more basic pocketbook issue: prescription drug prices.