Noah Schoenholtz

Shutdown Hasn’t Slowed State Leaders

With state health insurance exchanges in their first weeks of operation, health policy leaders were thinking about much more than the federal government shutdown during the National Academy for State Health Policy Conference last week in Seattle.

Brown Vetoes Pricing Transparency Bill

A bill aimed at Kaiser Permanente that would have required insurers to provide more health care cost data was vetoed by Gov. Brown, who said he has his own plans for cost transparency.

Statewide Health Data Gateway Opens

Politicians posturing over the federal budget and Californians looking for health insurance through the new exchange have generated much attention this month, but another milestone — the opening of a statewide electronic health information gateway — could have a bigger impact in the long run.

Bill Regulating Biosimilar Drugs Vetoed

Until FDA works out standards for biosimilar drugs, regulating them now would be premature, said Gov. Brown in vetoing a bill aimed at overseeing less-costly alternatives to biologic drugs.

Governor Signs Midwives Bill

Licensed midwives no longer need to be under the supervision of a physician and are restricted to attending to normal births under a bill signed into law Thursday.