#Health4All Bills Introduced in California State Legislature on First Day of Session
Elevating the urgency of health care access for all communities, Senators Ricardo Lara and Maria Elena Durazo, and Assemblymembers Dr. Joaquin Arambula, Rob Bonta, and David Chiu introduced two #Health4All bills on the first official day of the new 2019 legislative session. The two bills, SB 29 and AB 4, are a top priority for […]
Health Access 2018 Legislative Scorecard: Health Consumer Champions Revealed
After a productive year in Sacramento where progress was made on health care, Health Access California released its 2018 Legislative Scorecard. The report details how policymakers voted on key bills to protect patients, expand coverage, and increase oversight on insurers, the health industry, and prescription drug prices. Coming off an election focused on health care, […]
New Report: California’s Historic Health Coverage Gains at Risk Without State Action
Today, the UC Berkeley Labor Center and UCLA Center for Health Policy Research released a report titled “California’s Health Coverage Gains to Erode Without Further State Action” detailing the negative state-level impacts of the elimination of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) individual mandate. Researchers find that because of the removal of the requirement to have health insurance, […]
Merger Watch Update: Dignity Health-Catholic Health Initiatives and CVS-Aetna
Consolidation in the health industry often means fewer choices and less competition, with little to no benefit for patients or the public. Health care companies should not be allowed to get bigger unless they get better. In California, the top five insurers already control over 90% of the market. Health Access closely monitors mergers and advocates […]
Midterms 2018: The Health Care Election
Voters prioritized health issues, supported candidates that vow to protect our health care, and elected a Governor that campaigned on a plan to expand access to care On Tuesday, voters sent a clear, unambiguous message to their elected officials: protect our health care against the repeals and rollbacks attempted over the last two years, and […]
CVS-Aetna Merger Approved With Conditions, As California Seeks Stronger Oversight
Today, the U.S. Department of Justice approved the merger of CVS Health and Aetna, continuing the trend of “diagonal” mergers, and the further consolidation of mega-health care corporations. CVS, a major pharmacy chain and one of the nations largest independent pharmacy benefit managers (PBM), and Aetna, one of the nations largest insurers, consolidates the health […]
HAC Letter on Cigna Express Scripts Merger
Proposition 5 is Bad For Our Health
Proposition 5 on the November 2018 ballot is a grave threat to Californians health care. According to the independent Legislative Analyst’s Office, Prop 5 will result in an initial cut of hundreds of millions of dollars to California counties, and ultimately a billion dollars per year. Our counties are a major provider many vital services. […]
Governor Brown Signs Key Health Bills from the Care4All CA Campaign
As California Governor Jerry Brown wraps up the end of the bill-signing period at the Capitol, the Care4All California campaign announced and celebrated eight priority bills signed by Governor Brown that get California closer to the goal of a more affordable, accountable, and universal health care system. Under California’s implementation and improvement of the Affordable Care […]