Health and consumer advocates praise new staff recommendations of the Office of Health Care Affordability to set a statewide health growth target at 3% OHCA’s Health Care Affordability Board to make final decision in coming months SACRAMENTO, CA – California’s ambitious effort to rein in the skyrocketing cost of care enters a new phase this […]
2023 in Review
In 2023, Health Access advocated to provide real relief and remove financial barriers to California health consumers—successfully helping increase access to and/or reduce the cost of coverage, care, prescription drugs, and even ground ambulance services. We supported major investments in Medi-Cal to improve access and continue the commitment to expand coverage to all those who […]
Premiums Remain Low and New Reductions in Deductibles and Co-pays
Today marks the start of the 11th open enrollment period of Covered California and the most affordable year ever for enrollees, with new, significant state and federal financial assistance available. The Inflation Reduction Act continues major premium assistance for the nearly 2 million Californians in Covered California through 2025. Funding included in this year’s state […]
Health Access Joins New National Coalition: Consumers for Fair Hospital Pricing
Health Access California is proud to be a part of a new national coalition of health consumer advocates that are taking on skyrocketing hospital costs as a main driver of our growingly unaffordable health system. Consumers for Fair Hospital Pricing is about standing up to the big hospitals that have become big business, and fighting […]
California Consumer Goals & Guiding Principles for the Office of Health Care Affordability
Health Access, the statewide health care consumer advocacy coalition, urges that the Office of Health Care Affordability seek to do the following: 1) Slow Unchecked Health Care Cost Growth to Benefit Californians & California as a Whole Set a cost growth benchmark that meaningfully reduces the rate of growth—because we will never meet a goal […]
Covered California Announces More Affordable Plan Options, Despite Rising Rates
California’s health benefit exchange, Covered California, announced today its plan options in 2024, including that premiums will increase on average 9.6%. However, even with rising premium rates, federal and state affordability assistance will ensure that Covered California will be more affordable than ever. The Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act caps premium costs for all Covered […]
Covered California Votes to Lower Health Care Cost-Sharing for Hundreds of Thousands
The 2023-2024 California state budget guaranteed that funds raised from the individual mandate tax penalty will be used to lower costs for Californians who purchase care on their own through Covered California. Covered California’s Board voted today to use the funds to implement new 2024 benefits that will significantly reduce deductibles and co-pays for over […]
Californians Share Their Surprise Ambulance Bill Stories
In a medical emergency, you may be thinking a lot of things – am I ok? Do I need help? Can I get to a hospital? The things you should not be thinking are “can I afford the ambulance ride I need?” or “is this ambulance provider in my network?” Yet many Californians have received […]
Covered California Cost-Sharing Help: Budget Proposal
Statement Responding to Governor Newsom’s CalRX Announcement Saturday
SACRAMENTO, CA – Below is a statement by Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California, the statewide health care consumer advocacy coalition on Governor Newsom’s CalRx announcement today. Health Access served as the leading supporter of Governor Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal and SB 852, Senator Richard Pan’s related legislation to directly contract to manufacture prescription drugs. […]