Health Access, the statewide health care consumer advocacy coalition, urges that the Office of Health Care Affordability seek to do the following: 1) Slow Unchecked Health Care Cost Growth to Benefit Californians & California as a Whole Set a cost growth benchmark that meaningfully reduces the rate of growth—because we will never meet a goal […]
California Consumer Goals & Guiding Principles for the Office of Health Care Affordability
Covered California Announces More Affordable Plan Options, Despite Rising Rates
California’s health benefit exchange, Covered California, announced today its plan options in 2024, including that premiums will increase on average 9.6%. However, even with rising premium rates, federal and state affordability assistance will ensure that Covered California will be more affordable than ever. The Biden Administration’s Inflation Reduction Act caps premium costs for all Covered […]
Covered California Votes to Lower Health Care Cost-Sharing for Hundreds of Thousands
The 2023-2024 California state budget guaranteed that funds raised from the individual mandate tax penalty will be used to lower costs for Californians who purchase care on their own through Covered California. Covered California’s Board voted today to use the funds to implement new 2024 benefits that will significantly reduce deductibles and co-pays for over […]
Major Health Care Affordability Help for Covered California Enrollees
The 2023-2024 state budget agreement announced between the State Legislature and Governor Gavin Newsom includes a major new agreement to improve health care affordability for hundreds of thousands of Covered California enrollees. Agreement will ensure that the majority of funds raised from the tax penalty for not having coverage goes back into a fund to […]
Major Bills to Expand Health Care Access and Lower Costs Pass CA Assembly
AB 716 (Boerner) to stop surprise ambulance bills and AB 4 (Arambula) to open up Covered California to all regardless of immigration status passed the Assembly floor with bipartisan votes. Bills to increase health industry accountability on costs pass including AB 1092 (Wood) and AB 616 (Rodriguez). Other key #Care4AllCA priorities to improve the health […]
Californians Share Their Surprise Ambulance Bill Stories
In a medical emergency, you may be thinking a lot of things – am I ok? Do I need help? Can I get to a hospital? The things you should not be thinking are “can I afford the ambulance ride I need?” or “is this ambulance provider in my network?” Yet many Californians have received […]
Covered California Cost-Sharing Help: Budget Proposal
AB 716 (Boerner) Protecting Consumers from Surprise Ambulance Bills
In a medical emergency, the last thing you should be thinking about is whether calling an ambulance will lead to a huge bill. It’s unfortunately been a common occurrence for a person to not know if the ambulance they are being transported in is out of their insurance company’s network. Someone experiencing an emergency has no choice […]
AB 1092 (Wood) Protecting Consumers When Health Plans Merge
Key Medi-Cal Commitments Continue; Improvements to Covered CA Needed
The May revision to the 2023-2024 state budget announced today by Governor Gavin Newsom continues key commitments to improve and expand health care, including removing barriers in Medi-Cal for all income-eligible Californians regardless of immigration status by January 2024, and improvements to CalAIM. A bigger “MCO tax” would provide more federal funds for new investments […]
Major Bill to Stop Surprise Ambulance Bills was Passed in Emergency Management Committee Today
AB 716 (Boerner) builds on California’s strong patient protections against surprise medical bills by extending them to also include ambulance bills Bill was heard in Assembly Emergency Management committee TODAY at 2:30pm, where it passed 6-0. ***Impacted consumer stories available upon request*** SACRAMENTO, CA – Building on nearly a decade of work to protect Californians […]
Statement on Biden Administration’s Expansion of Health Care Access to DACA Recipients
SACRAMENTO, CA – Below is a statement from Health Access California, the statewide health care consumer advocacy coalition, in response to President Biden’s announcement today to designate all DACA recipients as “lawfully present”, therefore giving them full access to health care coverage through Medicaid and ACA health insurance marketplaces like Covered California. California is home […]
Mark Your Calendars! Support Us on May 4th for Big Day of Giving
Start your plan to give! May 4th is the annual Big Day of Giving, a 24-hour giving event to raise funds for local nonprofits. We’re excited to be participating this year to support our work. At Health Access, we recognize that California’s diverse communities have distinct needs and issues. As a team, we work tirelessly […]
CA Assembly Health Committee to Vote on Bill to Open up Covered California Regardless of Immigration Status, as New Report Details Need for Coverage for All
Despite recent #Health4All Medi-Cal expansions, including the full removal of immigration-based exclusions in January 2024, over 520,000 undocumented Californians will remain ineligible for Medi-Cal and uninsured AB 4 (Arambula), up in Assembly Health Committee Today, seeks to remove immigration status as a barrier to buying a health plan through Covered California SACRAMENTO – To continue […]
AB 666 (Arambula) Nonprofit Hospital Community Benefits: Accountability & Transparency
Statement on ACA Ruling Putting at Risk Preventative Services for Millions of Californians
SACRAMENTO, CA – Below is a statement from Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California, in response to today’s ruling by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor striking down a major provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that requires no cost coverage of lifesaving preventive health care services, including: breast cancer screenings, colorectal and […]
2023 Care4all California Agenda for Health Reform Announced
Ten CA proposals unveiled today that will get California a more universal, affordable, and equitable health system SACRAMENTO, CA – On the eve of the 13th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, dozens of health care advocates gathered with legislative champions at the State Capitol today to highlight key health bills in the 2023 legislative session. The ten […]
Statement Responding to Governor Newsom’s CalRX Announcement Saturday
SACRAMENTO, CA – Below is a statement by Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California, the statewide health care consumer advocacy coalition on Governor Newsom’s CalRx announcement today. Health Access served as the leading supporter of Governor Gavin Newsom’s budget proposal and SB 852, Senator Richard Pan’s related legislation to directly contract to manufacture prescription drugs. […]
Consumer Advocates Release Key Goals for New Office of Health Care Affordability
The full list of principles can be found here, ahead of first meeting of the Board on Tuesday SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, health consumer advocates are releasing their key goals and principles for the California Office of Health Care Affordability, a new state agency which will have its first board meeting on Tuesday, March 21st. […]
AB 1091 (Wood) Expanding Health Care Merger Oversight
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