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)
Blue Shield tops on Covered Cal
May 22, 2017 Leave a Comment
Blue Shield of California has the largest number of enrollees in the Covered California health insurance exchange, widening its lead over rivals Anthem Blue Cross and Kaiser Permanente, according to recently released data. The data, from Covered California, show that Blue Shield had 389,480 enrollees in the exchange as of December 2016, about 31 percent of the market. Anthem was next with 310,690 members, for a 25 percent share. ... (More)
Covered Cal: Insurance chaos ahead
April 27, 2017 Leave a Comment
Californians' health insurance premiums could rise by almost 50 percent if the Trump administration succeeds in gutting the Affordable Care Act, the state's marketplace warns. As many as 340,000 Californians could lose health coverage under proposed changes to Obamacare, Covered California warned April 27. "This specter of uncertainty could lead to dramatically higher rates," said Peter Lee, chief of the state Obamacare ... (More)
Lara details single-payer plan
March 30, 2017 Leave a Comment
Saying it's time "to make universal healthcare a reality," state Sen. Ricardo Lara provided some detail for his Healthy California Act, a single-payer proposal. Previously and deliberately left vague, the legislation from Lara, left, and co-author Sen. Toni Atkins now seeks to cover all Californians for all medical care, including inpatient, outpatient, emergency care, dental, vision, mental health and nursing home care. "With ... (More)
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