On his 100th day in office, Governor Gavin Newsom announced a partnership with Los Angeles County on prescription drug purchasing, putting together the power of the country’s biggest state and county for the biggest discounts and lower prices needed for medications. The State of California and Los Angeles County buy drugs for similar purposes and […]
Last Week in CA Health: Coverage and Affordability Expansions Pass Key Policy & Budget Committees
California’s movement towards universal health care took a major step forward last week when California legislators advanced a number of major proposals to expand health coverage and increase affordability for hundreds of thousands of Californians. The bills and budget proposals that were passed would reduce costs in our health care system while also improving quality […]
Momentum on a Statewide Solution to End Surprise Emergency Room Bills
On Tuesday, April 16th Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital announced a proposal to be considered by the San Francisco Health Commission to end the practice of “balance billing,” where insured patients get billed the remaining balance after insurer payment of an emergency room bill. This practice can leave patients with bills in the tens of […]
Thank You to Nancy Gomez’s Decade of Health Care Consumer Advocacy
In early 2008, before there was an Affordable Care Act or even a clear indication of who the candidates for President would be, Health Access joined the national effort to pass comprehensive health reform: Health Care for American Now (HCAN). We knew we couldn’t win health reform with President Bush still in office, but we […]
Legislation to Deter ‘Pay for Delay’ Agreements Passes Key Judiciary Committee
A first-of-its-kind state legislation to prevent “pay-for-delay” pharmaceutical company pricing practices passed the Assembly Judiciary Committee today with bipartisan support. The California bill seeks to prevent brand name drug manufacturers offering patent settlements to pay generic companies to delay the introduction of lower-price medication to the market. The bill, AB 824 authored by Assemblymember Jim […]
New DOJ Position to Strike Down ACA in Full Puts The Health Coverage of Millions at Risk
The U.S. Justice Department filed a letter earlier this week indicating a major shift in position, agreeing with a December 2018 ruling by Judge Reed O’Conner in Texas vs. United States to strike the entirety of the Affordable Care (ACA), due to the supposed unconstitutionality of the individual mandate in the law and its inseparability from […]
California Legislative Committees Consider Major Health Coverage Expansions
Last week, California legislators heard and considered major proposals to expand access and increase affordability for hundreds of thousands of Californians, and which together would cut the state’s uninsured rate in half. One proposal, SB 29 (Durazo), to expand Medi-Cal to all income-eligible Californians regardless of immigration status, received 7-1 vote in the Senate Health […]