On his 100th day in office, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a partnership with Los Angeles County on prescription drug purchasing, putting together the power of the country’s biggest state and county for the biggest discounts and lower prices needed for medications. The State of California and Los Angeles County buy drugs for similar purposes and […] Read More
Last Week in CA Health: Coverage and Affordability Expansions Pass Key Policy & Budget Committees
April 16, 2019California’s movement towards universal health care took a major step forward last week when California legislators advanced a number of major proposals to expand health coverage and increase affordability for hundreds of thousands of Californians. The bills and budget proposals that were passed would reduce costs in our health care system while also improving quality […] Read More
Momentum on a Statewide Solution to End Surprise Emergency Room Bills
April 16, 2019On Tuesday, April 16th Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital announced a proposal to be considered by the San Francisco Health Commission to end the practice of “balance billing,” where insured patients get billed the remaining balance after insurer payment of an emergency room bill. This practice can leave patients with bills in the tens of […] Read More
Thank You to Nancy Gomez’s Decade of Health Care Consumer Advocacy
April 15, 2019In early 2008, before there was an Affordable Care Act or even a clear indication of who the candidates for President would be, Health Access joined the national effort to pass comprehensive health reform: Health Care for American Now (HCAN). We knew we couldn’t win health reform with President Bush still in office, but we […] Read More
Legislation to Deter ‘Pay for Delay’ Agreements Passes Key Judiciary Committee
April 9, 2019A first-of-its-kind state legislation to prevent “pay-for-delay” pharmaceutical company pricing practices passed the Assembly Judiciary Committee today with bipartisan support. The California bill seeks to prevent brand name drug manufacturers offering patent settlements to pay generic companies to delay the introduction of lower-price medication to the market. The bill, AB 824 authored by Assemblymember Jim […] Read More
New DOJ Position to Strike Down ACA in Full Puts The Health Coverage of Millions at Risk
March 26, 2019The U.S. Justice Department filed a letter earlier this week indicating a major shift in position, agreeing with a December 2018 ruling by Judge Reed O’Conner in Texas vs. United States to strike the entirety of the Affordable Care (ACA), due to the supposed unconstitutionality of the individual mandate in the law and its inseparability from […] Read More
California Legislative Committees Consider Major Health Coverage Expansions
March 25, 2019Last week, California legislators heard and considered major proposals to expand access and increase affordability for hundreds of thousands of Californians, and which together would cut the state’s uninsured rate in half. One proposal, SB 29 (Durazo), to expand Medi-Cal to all income-eligible Californians regardless of immigration status, received 7-1 vote in the Senate Health […] Read More
California Coalition & Legislators Unveil Care4All California Plan to Cut Uninsured Rate & Make Coverage More Affordable
March 11, 2019Care4All California, a campaign of more than 70 consumer, community, labor, progressive and health care organizations, unveiled a plan made up of a package of bills and budget items that together will move California closer than ever to universal coverage by eliminating many remaining coverage gaps, improving quality and equity, and reducing prices for health […] Read More
New Bill to Lower Drug Prices Targets Practice of “Pay-for-Delay”
February 20, 2019Consumer advocates cheered the introduction of a bill to address the outrageous pharmaceutical company practice of “pay for delay,” where drug manufacturers offer patent settlements to pay generic companies to delay the introduction of lower-price medication to the market. According to an FTC study, “these anti-competitive deals cost consumers and taxpayers $3.5 billion in higher drug costs […] Read More
More Californians To Stay Covered Under New Bill Introduced Today by Senator Hurtado
February 13, 2019Yesterday, State Senator Melissa Hurtado (D – Fresno) made health care coverage for Californians one of her top priorities by introducing SB 260. The new bill ensures more people can stay covered when their life circumstances change. When Californians undergo changes in their lives – like a marriage or divorce, moving to a new home […] Read More