UPDATE: The hearing for these bills has been pushed backed to a later date. Stay tuned for more information. (3/25/2016) When the Legislature comes back from Spring Break next week, the Senate Health Committee will be hearing two consumer protection bills, SB 908 and SB 1135 on Wednesday, March 30. Both of these bills are […]
2015 Legislative Scorecard Evaluates CA Legislators’ Votes on Key Health Issues
Today, Health Access California released our 2015 Legislative Scorecard which evaluates and scores California legislators’ voting record on critical health care policies. The scorecard rates legislators based on how they voted on key health care consumer issues during the last legislative session. The scorecard reports on key pieces of legislation sponsored and supported by Health Access […]
Covered CA Unveils Next Stage of Delivery System Reform: Highlights from January 21, 2016 Board Meeting
Thursday’s Covered CA Board meeting featured an overview of certification parameters for Qualified Health Plans (QHPs) to be offered in 2017, proposed changes in benefit design, and new data-driven initiatives to improve quality and equity over time. As Governor Brown said proudly in his State of the State address earlier that day, California has “wholeheartedly […]
Prescription Costs Transparency Bill Fails in Assembly Health Committee, But Fight Continues
Earlier today the California Assembly Health Committee failed to pass AB 463 (Chiu), a bill introduced last session that would have required greater transparency around the pricing of high-cost medications. Bill author David Chiu pulled the bill because he did not have enough votes, like last year, to get it through committee. But, as he […]
Covered CA Board Meeting November 19, 2015: Highlights for Consumer Advocates
This week’s Covered California Board meeting, the last for 2015, focused on the Covered CA bus tour and related OE3 campaigns; early results from Open Enrollment 3 or OE3; how the Section 1332 waiver (an option within the Affordable Care Act to waive certain ACA provisions to demonstrate a new principle or model at the […]
Q & A with the California Office of the Patient Advocate OPA: 2015-16 Report Cards Release
Background Last week the California Office of the Patient Advocate released the newest edition of its 2015/16 Quality Report Cards. The Report Cards provide a tool to assist Californians in comparing quality scores for health plans and medical groups in order to make fully informed health care decisions based on the latest quality data and not […]
Covered California Board Meeting: Highlights from August 20, 2015
This Covered California board meeting featured a discussion of a vision benefit proposal and agents’ payments and responsibilities, both for action next month; the release of rates for 2016, an update on the redesigned navigator program; and a hearty welcome to new Board member and former Senator and Democratic Party Chair Art Torres (see his […]
Health Reform 2.0: New Efforts on Value-Based Health Care
Health Access, California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN), and Consumers Union and other groups are teaming up to improve health and health equity for California consumers through transparency, benefit design, and Medi-Cal reforms. Through our new Value-Based Health Care initiative, supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and working with the national group Community Catalyst, Health Access and CPEHN […]
Legislative Recap at Halfway Point: Key Bills Pass Floor Votes
In this article… SB 4 Would Take Historic Steps to Cover Remaining Uninsured Patient Protection Bills to Limit Out-of-Pocket Costs Other bills on transparency, Medi-Cal, and more This blog entry was written by Sawait Hezchias-Seyoum, Health Care Policy Advocate, Health Access. The Senate and Assembly adjourned yesterday, one day ahead of the June 5th deadline to […]
Legislative Re-Cap: After the First Deadline…
Last Friday was the deadline for all policy committees in the California legislature to hear and report on all bills with fiscal implications–and the good news is that many key bills of interest to health care consumers have passed their first critical hearing. While some bills stalled (including almost all of those Health Access opposed but […]