Year: 2019

Affordability, Legislation, Uninsured

California Coalition & Legislators Unveil Care4All California Plan to Cut Uninsured Rate & Make Coverage More Affordable

Care4All California, a campaign of more than 70 consumer, community, labor, progressive and health care organizations, unveiled a plan made up of a package of bills and budget items that together will move California closer than ever to universal coverage by eliminating many remaining coverage gaps, improving quality and equity, and reducing prices for health […]

Legislation, Prescription Drugs

New Bill to Lower Drug Prices Targets Practice of “Pay-for-Delay”

Consumer advocates cheered the introduction of a bill to address the outrageous pharmaceutical company practice of “pay for delay,” where drug manufacturers offer patent settlements to pay generic companies to delay the introduction of lower-price medication to the market. According to an FTC study, “these anti-competitive deals cost consumers and taxpayers $3.5 billion in higher drug costs […]

Affordability, Gov. Newsom, Uncategorized

In First State of the State, Governor Newsom Outlines Big Ideas on Health Care Affordability

In his first State of the State address, Governor Newsom outlined big ideas on health care.  Governor Newsom is right to focus on the affordability crisis in California, given the costs of health care, housing and other expenses in our state. From premiums to prescription drug prices, the Governor pinpointed the problem that Californians are struggling […]

Affordability, Covered California

New Covered California Report Outlines Options for Affordability Assistance for Health Insurance

Following the release of 2019 enrollment numbers earlier this week that show steady overall enrollment but a 23% drop in new sign-ups, Covered California today put out a new report detailing various options for increasing affordability assistance for low- and moderate-income Californians who buy health insurance as individuals. The report, commissioned by the Legislature in last year’s […]

Individual Mandate

New Covered CA Sign-Up Numbers Signal Need for More Affordability Assistance and Individual Mandate

Today, Covered California released its 2019 enrollment numbers, showing sharp declines in new sign-ups, but overall enrollees holding steady. The new report shows Covered California’s resiliency despite federal sabotage, with 1.2 million renewals and nearly 300,000 new enrollees, a total of 1.5 million enrollees. However, new sign-ups were down significantly – 23.7% – due to the elimination […]