After years of decline after the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), new 2018 Census data released today shows the first national increase in the uninsured rate since 2013, with the rate going up from 7.9% to 8.5%, or by 1.9 million Americans to 27.5 million. By contrast, California’s uninsured rate has held steady at 7.2%, lower than […] Read More
Trump Launches New Attack on Our Care
August 13, 2019The Trump Administration’s Department of Homeland Security has released a final rule penalizing lawfully present immigrants and their families for seeking needed health care. This harmful rule, which will go into effect on October 15th barring any legal action, will have major impacts across our entire health care system. This cruel attack isn’t just on […] Read More
In a Win for Consumers, AG Becerra Announces $70 Million Pay-For-Delay Settlement
July 29, 2019California’s Attorney General Xavier Becerra today announced four settlements totaling nearly $70 million in payments against pharmaceutical companies for participating in harmful “pay-for-delay” deals that keep lower-priced generic medications off the market for longer, reducing competition and arbitrarily keeping life-saving medications more expensive for consumers. According to the AG, this is the largest settlement of […] Read More
CoveredCA Regional Rates for 2020 Show Substantial Savings Available with New Subsides & Shopping Around
July 23, 2019Last week, Covered California released a detailed breakdown of rate changes in 19 regions across the state. Earlier this month, Covered California announced that Californians will only see an average premium rate increase of less than 1% – the lowest change in the exchange’s history. This new detailed information shows that at least three regions […] Read More
CoveredCA Announces Minimal Rate Increase Due to State Steps to Shore Up and Expand Upon the ACA
July 9, 2019Covered California announced today that 2020 individual insurance premiums will see a minimal average rate increase of less than one percent. The announcement also highlights the expected increase in health insurance enrollment of over 225,000 Californians due to the new financial help that was included in the 2019-2020 state budget negotiated last month. These minimal […] Read More
#CABudget Votes This Week Include Major Health Investments and Expansions
June 25, 2019This week, the Assembly and Senate are poised to pass key health expansions as part of the overall 2019-20 Budget. The votes taken today and this week will advance health care reforms that were negotiated by the Governor and legislative leaders. Governor Newsom has until July 1 to sign the budget, which will make official […] Read More
New #CABudget Deal To Help Hundreds of Thousands with Health Coverage
June 10, 2019Last night, the California Budget Conference Committee voted on a budget proposal that reflected a deal between the Governor and Legislature, including investments in health services with additional steps to universal coverage. As a result of this budget, hundreds of thousands of Californians will get more help to access and afford health coverage, preventing premium […] Read More
Legislation Protecting Patients From Surprise Emergency Room Bills Passes CA State Assembly
May 30, 2019The California State Assembly passed AB 1611 by Assemblymember David Chiu and Senator Scott Wiener to end surprise emergency room bills on a 48-9 vote. AB 1611 is a key patient protection that would also lower the costs of health care for California consumers. The bill faced opposition from industry lobbyists who argued that the status quo […] Read More
Advocates Encourage Lawmakers to Make Budget Investments that Help the Most Californians
May 22, 2019Last week the Assembly voted on its proposed budget investments in health and human services, while the previous week, the Senate proposed to expand Medi-Cal and to help middle-income Californians better afford premiums in Covered California and the individual insurance market. Both build on Governor Newsom’s 2019-2020 May Revision that includes first-in-nation steps toward universal coverage. See […] Read More
State Senate Includes Greater Affordability Assistance in Budget
May 21, 2019Last week the Assembly has voted on its proposed budget investments in health and human services, while last week, the Senate proposed to expand Medi-Cal and to help middle-income Californians better afford premiums in Covered California and the individual insurance market. Both build on Governor Newsom’s 2019-2020 May Revision that includes first-in-nation steps toward universal coverage. After […] Read More