Background Health care costs for consumers are rising faster than inflation, taking up bigger and bigger chunks of consumers’ incomes. Californians are facing a health care affordability crisis, and that’s why the Legislature and Governor created the Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) in 2022. The Legislature and Governor established OHCA with the triple aim […]
2025–26 State Health Policy Priorities
Learn more about the critical bills we’re working on this year in California to improve our health system California has made incredible progress in expanding health care access and we’re proud that we have a more robust health care system than ever before. While we fight to protect this progress at the federal level, we […]
Office of Health Care Affordability Takes Major Action to Rein in Health Care Spending
In a big win for consumers facing ever-growing health care cost burdens, the Board of the Office of Health Care Affordability voted today to set a 3% health care cost growth spending target over five years, with a phase-in starting at 3.5% in 2025. SACRAMENTO, CA – After a long debate, the board of California’s […]
New Office of Health Care Affordability Proposal Would Limit Health Cost Growth, Offering Real Relief to Californians
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 […]
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 […]
Consumer Advocates Release Key Goals for New Office of Health Care Affordability
The full list of principles can be found here, ahead of first meeting of the Board on Tuesday SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, health consumer advocates are releasing their key goals and principles for the California Office of Health Care Affordability, a new state agency which will have its first board meeting on Tuesday, March 21st. […]
CA Health Care Affordability Board Selected
Governor Newsom announces final board appointees that will lead the implementation of the state’s newly created Office of Health Care Affordability to help control the cost of health care SACRAMENTO, CA – Governor Newsom today announced his selections for the board that will lead implementation of the Office of Health Care Affordability, newly established within […]
CA Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA)
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.