Last night, Jimmy Kimmel hosted a special late night show, his first since the birth of his new son, Billy. Kimmel recounted how a nurse at the hospital saw the baby turn purple, and the story of identifying the congenital heart defect, and the amazing efforts that led to a successful surgery. The whole monologue […]
STATEMENT: Californians Coverage Safe for Now, As #Trumpcare Bill Pulled From Vote
Statement by Anthony Wright, executive director, Health Access California, the statewide health care consumer advocacy coalition on the pulling of the GOP’s American Health Care Act which would have left 24 million more uninsured Americans within a decade.
California’s Uninsured Rate Hits New Record Low
The Centers for Disease Control released new numbers this week showing a new record low in the uninsurance rate for California and the nation. Just 8.8% of the country is uninsured, down from 14.4% in 2013, but in California, the uninsured rate is even lower, dropping to 7.1%, from a high 17%, when California […]
2016 CA County Safety Net Report: Profiles of Progress
Key Patient Protections Pass Legislature, Now On Governor’s Desk
With the California Legislature adjourning after midnight last Saturday, most of the action on priority bills for health consumers moves to the Governor’s desk. Most of the Heath Access-sponsored bills protecting consumers from unfair out-of-pocket costs are now one Governor’s signature away from enactment. There were disappointments in the final days of this year’s legislative […]
Senate Health Committee Passes AB 248 (Health Insurance Minimum Value) Out on 6-1 Vote
Today, the Senate Health Committee heard AB 248 (R. Hernández) and passed it out on a 6-1 vote, with Senator Nielsen voting no and Senator Nguyen abstaining. Sponsored by Health Access, AB 248 would close a loophole created by federal guidance that allows insurers and health plans to sell subminimum coverage to large employers. Specifically, AB248 protects […]
Closing a Loophole on Subminimum Coverage
California Healthline this week is hosting a discussion on our bill, SB248 (Hernandez) to prohibit subminimum coverage. We sponsored this bill to close a loophole in the ACA that allows such coverage–prohibited in the individual and small group markets–to be offered by large employers, and if taken up could prohibit workers from getting subsidies for […]