Gov. Brown Poised To Sign $139B Budget That Includes Boost In Medicaid Reimbursement Rates
The budget also includes expanded access to the treatment for hepatitis C and plans to fight the homelessness crisis.
The Associated Press:
Brown Takes Victory Lap As He Signs California Budget
Gov. Jerry Brown will take a victory lap Wednesday when he signs a $139 billion California budget that marks a stark turnaround from the financial crisis he inherited seven years ago. Nearing the end of his final term as governor, Brown has celebrated the state’s financial strength and thriving economy, even as President Donald Trump and his allies paint the nation’s most populous state as a place in decline. ... The budget boosts funding for higher education, staving off tuition increases, and increasing welfare grants that have been slow to return to their pre-recession levels. It creates more slots for subsidized child care and gives a raise to doctors and dentists who see low-income patients on the state Medicaid program, Medi-Cal, which covers one in three Californians. (Cooper, 6/27)
Sacramento Bee:
California Budget Includes $176 Million For Hepatitis C Treatment For Medi-Cal Recipients, Inmates
Nowadays, the treatment period for hepatitis C programs is typically eight to 12 weeks and existing drugs have a 95 to 98 percent success rate in curing the infection, according to several Sacramento-area medical professionals. However, access to treatment is limited for low-income patients covered by Medi-Cal and for state prison inmates. (Holzer, 6/27)
In other news from Sacramento —
San Francisco Chronicle:
California Bill Aimed At Lowering Health Care Costs Gets Shelved
A bill aimed at banning a hospital contracting practice that patient advocates say leads to higher health care prices for consumers has been withdrawn by its author, state Sen. Bill Monning, D-Carmel. The proposed legislation, SB538, sought to end so-called “all or nothing” contracting — a practice used by large health systems to require health insurers to contract with all their hospitals and affiliates, or none at all. (Ho, 6/26)