With the Governor’s final actions on bills last week, health consumer advocates applauded a major year in health reform, where California continued its leadership on health care access, affordability, and equity. Californians will see both short and long-term benefits from the bills and budget items adopted by Governor Newsom and the state legislature this year […]
Major Health Care Consumer Wins this CA Legislative Session
With the Governor’s final actions on bills last week, health consumer advocates applauded a major year in health reform, where California continued its leadership on health care access, affordability, and equity.
Governor Newsom Signs Bill to Raise Fines on Health Plans for Patient Protection Violations
Governor Newsom today signed SB 858 (Wiener) which will increase the level of fines for health plans who violate patient protections and modernizes outdated standards.
Bill to Raise Fines on Health Plans Heads to Governor’s Desk
Today the Legislature approved passage of SB 858 by Senator Scott Wiener which updates penalty amounts that the state can levy on health plans that don’t meet state consumer protection standards. It now goes to Governor Newsom for final signature.
SB 858 (Wiener)
Consumer Advocate Reaction to $55M Fine on LA Care Health Plan
Today, the California Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) and the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) fined the L.A. Care health plan $55 million dollars for tens of thousands of violations that resulted in delayed or denied care. Going back several years, L.A. Care systematically failed to handle grievances timely, by not giving consumers authorization for timely care, and by failing to ensure that LA County Department of Health Services provided timely access to care, especially specialty care.
Governor Newsom Picks New California Health Agency Leaders
In response to new appointments of key California state health agencies by Governor Newsom, here is a statement from Anthony Wright, executive director, Health Access California, the statewide health care consumer advocacy coalition: “Health and consumer advocates are excited to work with these new experienced and impressive leaders of state health agencies, who will be critical in the effort to confront the challenges brought by COVID-19, but also to protect patients and improve access, quality, and equity in our health system, now and post-pandemic.”
Top Leaders Announce Broad, Diverse Coalition in Support of Governor’s New Office of Health Care Affortability
Today, a large and unlikely coalition of health care stakeholders came together to announce their support of Governor Gavin Newsom’s plan for a new Office of Health Care Affordability, leading up to the proposal’s first hearing in the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Health & Human Services this afternoon.