Samantha Young

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syoung@kff.org
@youngsamantha

Surge In Enrollment As Californians Avoid Penalty, Receive State Aid

KFF Health News Original

Although a new state tax penalty and state financial aid motivated people to sign up for health insurance this year, Covered California is reopening enrollment for those who said they weren’t aware of them.

California Gov. Newsom Proposes Penalty To Fund Health Insurance Subsidies

KFF Health News Original

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to help an estimated 850,000 Californians pay their health insurance premiums and would fund his plan with a tax penalty on people who don’t have coverage. If he succeeds, California would be the first state to subsidize middle-income people who make too much to qualify for federal financial aid.

A Plan To Cover Immigrants Would Divert Public Health Dollars

KFF Health News Original

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to provide health coverage to unauthorized immigrants ages 19 to 25 would siphon money that four counties currently use for public health efforts such as battling contagious diseases.

Newsom: California Leads On Prescription Drugs

KFF Health News Original

California Gov. Gavin Newsom claims that his state is “leading the nation in holding drug companies accountable and fighting prescription drug prices.” Is that really the case?

Big Soda Pours Big Bucks Into California’s Capitol

KFF Health News Original

The soda industry spent $11.8 million to influence policy statewide in 2017 and 2018. As politicians once again consider bills that would tax and label sugary drinks, more big money is expected to flow.

States Push For Caregiver Tax Credits

KFF Health News Original

Families often spend thousands of dollars caring for ailing loved ones at home. Lawmakers in California and at least seven other states want to provide some financial relief with state income tax credits.

Can California Beat The Federal Government In Lowering Drug Prices?

KFF Health News Original

Unwilling to wait for federal action, California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he has a plan that could extract discounts from drugmakers and save the state money — one he hopes other states can join.

For California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, Resistance Is Personal

KFF Health News Original

Xavier Becerra, the state’s first Latino attorney general, is one of President Donald Trump’s most relentless adversaries. He attributes his legal values — and his opposition to the current administration — to his upbringing as the son of Mexican immigrants.

California Attorney General And Santa Clara County Face Off Over Sale Of Two Hospitals

KFF Health News Original

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is trying to prevent Santa Clara County from buying two local nonprofit hospitals unless it pledges to maintain certain critical health care services. County officials warn the hospitals will close if the attorney general succeeds, leaving area residents with fewer health care choices.

California’s Top Lawyer Cements His Role As Health Care Defender-In-Chief

KFF Health News Original

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra scores a win for California and other states in his effort to block Trump administration birth control rules. It is one of many suits he has filed to defend the Affordable Care Act from efforts to erode it.

Newsom Diverges Sharply From Washington With Health Care Budget

KFF Health News Original

California Gov. Gavin Newsom made health care a priority in his proposed state budget, asking lawmakers to authorize state-funded financial aid for health insurance, impose a penalty on uninsured Californians and expand Medicaid coverage to unauthorized immigrants.

Newsom Comes Out Swinging On Day One For Single-Payer, Immigrant Coverage

KFF Health News Original

Just hours into his tenure as California’s new governor, Democrat Gavin Newsom proposed major plans to insure more Californians, including state-funded financial aid for health insurance and a requirement for Californians to have coverage.

En Route To Congress, California Democrats Hit Wall On ‘Medicare-For-All’

KFF Health News Original

California’s incoming congressional delegation will be the largest in the U.S. House of Representatives to support progressive health care policies such as “Medicare-for-all.” But the political reality of a Republican Senate and president means that they will need to pursue ideas that “aren’t pie in the sky.”

Health Care Industry ‘Pays Tribute’ To California’s Influential Lawmakers

KFF Health News Original

The leaders of California’s legislative health committees who wield power over state health policy have been showered with money from the health care sector, with drug companies, health plans, hospitals and doctors providing nearly 40 percent of their 2017-18 campaign funds.

Feds Join Lawsuit Alleging Sutter Health Padded Revenue With False Patient Data

KFF Health News Original

The whistleblower complaint says that Sutter, one of the largest health systems in the U.S., exaggerated how sick certain Medicare patients were in order to collect higher payments from the government-funded program.