Tougher Vaccine Exemption Bill In Calif. Clears First Hurdle
The state Senate health committee passed the bill after a debate that drew several hundred protesters to Sacramento.
Insurance Choices Dwindle In Rural California As Blue Shield Pulls Back
Blue Shield of California stopped selling individual plans on the state health insurance exchange in about 250 zip codes, leaving nearly 30,000 residents with only one insurer to choose from on the exchange.
Limited Insurance Choices Frustrate Some Patients In California
California is seen as an Obamacare success story, but about 30,000 people there are stuck with only one choice of insurer on the exchange.
A Single Insurer Holds Obamacare Fate In Two States
Where did the insurance marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act struggle the most? The answer lies in commerce, not politics.
Calif. Bill Would Protect Estates Of Many Who Received Medicaid
Federal law allows states to seize assets, such as homes, after a Medicaid enrollee has died to help cover the costs of the program’s spending on basic health services for people 55 years and older.
Fast Track For Primary Care Docs At One Calif. University
Some doctors in the state of California will soon be able to practice after three years of medical school instead of the traditional four. The American Medical Association is providing seed money for the effort in the form of a $1 million, five-year grant to the University of California at Davis. Student Ngabo Nzigira is in […]
Covered California Rates Up Modest 4.2 Percent
Covered California says health care premiums will go up modestly for most people buying coverage on the state exchange next year by an average of 4.2 percent. “We enrolled a lot of people, they’re healthy, and that’s kept rates down,” Covered California Executive Director Peter Lee said at a press conference on Thursday in Sacramento […]
Washington And Other States See New Insurers On Exchanges
This story is part of a partnership that includes Capital Public Radio, NPR and Kaiser Health News. It can be republished for free. (details) SEATTLE — Washington State’s health insurance exchange is looking to be an attractive marketplace for new health insurance carriers, according to an early analysis of insurer premium rate filings by McKinsey […]
Patients Often Win If They Appeal A Denied Health Claim
The health law set national rules for appealing a denied claim, and advocates say consumers should take advantage of them.
Health Workers’ Union Pushes Hospital Cost Control In California
The SEIU is gathering signatures to put two hospital questions to voters in November. The union wants hospital charges capped at 25 percent above costs and CEO salaries at nonprofit hospitals capped at $450,000 per year.
Some California Insurance Plans Narrow Doctor, Hospital Choices
In an effort to reduce costs, Blue Shield sent thousands of cancellation notices informing customers that the company will begin to offer newer, more limited plans at the beginning of the year.
A Nevada Health Plan — Without The Insurance
A novel medical discount plan negotiates lower prices at the doctor’s office or hospitals for members who aren’t insured.
Nevada Quietly Moves Ahead On Health Law
Nevada was one of the 27 states that challenged the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act in court. But now GOP Gov. Brian Sandoval is moving forward on a key part of the law.
As California Prepares To Expand Medicaid, Only the Poorest Will Benefit In Sacramento
This month Sacramento rolls out the Low Income Health Program, but it will only be serving the poorest of the poor in the county.
Branding Health Insurance Exchanges To Make The Sale
Just the word “exchange” sounds to many like off-putting government-speak, so California, like many other states, is eager to come up with a more appealing name for these new marketplaces.
California Bullish On Health Exchange-No Matter What
California Democratic lawmakers have been introducing legislation that would replicate key pieces of the federal law, so the state will continue to develop its health insurance exchange even if the Supreme Court overturns the law.
California Lawmakers Move Bills To Guarantee Health Coverage
Pre-existing conditions would not prevent a Californian from buying health insurance on the individual market in 2014, if state lawmakers succeed with a push to make sure the main tenets of the national health law survive in the state – no matter how the U.S. Supreme Court rules later this month. Last week lawmakers put […]
