New California Gov. Gavin Newsom is proposing significant support for the Affordable Care Act at the state level, with increased levels of subsidies for consumers and a return of the "individual mandate" for health coverage. Newsom's plan would hike the size of subsidies for those who already receive them, and make California the first state to make subsidies available to middle-income families. "No state has more at stake on the ... (More)
7.5 million could lose insurance
September 25, 2017 Leave a Comment
Republicans' latest effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act could lead to 7.5 million Californians losing their health insurance over the next decade, a study shows. "The effect on California would be devastating," Covered California chief Peter Lee said in sharing the report by the organization's chief actuary. The GOP-backed plan, which has been losing key support in the past week, is sponsored by Sens. Lindsey ... (More)
Covered California delays rate news
July 19, 2017 Leave a Comment
Covered California has postponed its annual rate announcement by at least several weeks as the political chaos surrounding health care policy swirls in the nation's capital. "This decision (to delay) is based on the ongoing federal uncertainty around the repeal and replacement attempts of the Affordable Care Act and the dramatic potential impacts such uncertainty has on the rates and on California consumers," the state Obamacare ... (More)
Obamacare exchanges in limbo
July 19, 2017 Leave a Comment
Covered California might not wrap up negotiations with insurers and announce 2018 premiums for its 1.4 million customers until mid-August -- about a month later than usual. The move came as California's Obamacare exchange scrubbed its annual rate announcement in mid-July, the latest sign of how the ongoing political drama over the Affordable Care Act is roiling insurance markets nationwide. Similar scenarios are playing out ... (More)
Lots of boos in Calif. for health bill
June 23, 2017 Leave a Comment
California politicians, medical providers and consumer advocates served up harsh critiques of the newly unveiled Senate health care bill, arguing that the proposed legislation could make coverage inaccessible for poor residents while cutting taxes on the rich. "This bill is not a health care bill," said Ed Hernandez, a Democrat and chair of the state Senate Health Committee. "This is a tax bill that will benefit the most wealthy ... (More)
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