Governor Gavin Newsom today unveiled the 2021- 22 May Revision of the state budget, which includes some important investments to improve and expand our health care system, but also missed major opportunities for expansion and improvement. “The pandemic underlined the urgency of fixing the inequities in health care, and this proposed budget makes some important investments to expand and improve our health system, while missing other major opportunities to meet urgent ongoing needs, especially given the size of the surplus,” said Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California, the statewide health care consumer advocacy coalition.
Major Health Care Affordability Proposals to Be Heard Today in Senate Budget Subcommittee
Today, the California Senate Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services will meet to hear a number of key health care budget proposals, including two major efforts to make our health care system more affordable for consumers. The Office of Health Care Affordability as well as additional affordability assistance in Covered California will both be considered during the hearing which begins at 2:30pm today, May 4th, 2021. These efforts are among the most impactful of a number of health care budget proposals put forward by health care advocates this year.
Key Health Care & Coverage Issues in the 2021-2022 California State Budget Fact Sheet
AB 1400 (Kalra) Health Access Support Letter
CA Assembly Health Committee Passes AB 1130 to Contain Inflated Health Care Costs
On April 6th, the California Assembly Health Committee passed AB 1130 by Assemblymember Jim Wood on a 12-0 bipartisan vote. The bill will implement a statewide Office of Health Care Affordability, a new effort to address the rising cost of health care. As Californians face an affordability crisis on many fronts, the proposed Office is […]
CA Assembly Health Committee to Hear Key Bill to Contain Inflated Health Care Costs
Today, the California Assembly Health Committee will consider a key bill, AB 1130 by Assemblymember Jim Wood, to implement a new statewide Office of Health Care Affordability, a new effort to address the rising cost of health care. As Californians face an affordability crisis on many fronts, the proposed Office is a bold, far-reaching effort to address inflated health care costs that are taking a bigger and bigger bite out of workers’ wages and family finances, forcing many people to skip or ration their care. This Office would put in place a comprehensive strategy to contain health care costs, setting targets for affordability with accountability, and drive innovation in payment and delivery of care while still prioritizing quality and equity.
New Bill Helps Californians Track Out-of-Pocket Health Care Spending
Today, the Senate Health Committee will hear a key patient protection bill, Senate Bill 368 (Limón), that would require consumers to receive timely and accurate information about their progress over the course of a year in meeting their deductible, out-of-pocket maximum, and other spending limits. Our health care system requires many consumers to pay for a share of their health care through deductibles and other out-of-pocket spending.