Latest California Healthline Stories
Did the Democrats Miss Chance To Protect Reform Law?
The 11th Circuit Court’s decision to strike down the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate raises questions for the law’s future, but also its past. Could the White House have better constructed its sweeping health law to avoid constitutional challenges?
Should State Consolidate Health Plan Regulation? How, When?
California is the only state with two bureaucracies keeping tabs on health insurers. Should California consolidate health care regulation in one agency? If so, how and when? We asked experts and stakeholders to weigh in.
Should State Regulate Health Insurance Premiums?
What will it mean for Californians if the Legislature passes and the governor signs a bill giving state government the authority to reject health insurance premium increases it deems unjustified?
Are Legal Challenges to Reform Actually Making it Stronger?
Opponents of health reform rushed to challenge the law in court — but the flurry of anti-overhaul cases may have helped the government build its own case to defend it. Lawyers explain the Obama administration’s rare approach to the unprecedented legal battle.
Insurers Flip the Script: Making Sense of Givebacks
Blue Shield of California pledged to cap its income. Aetna requested to cut its premiums in Connecticut. The moves aren’t unprecedented. But will they set a precedent?
Where Do Brokers Fit in New Health Insurance Picture?
We asked experts and stakeholders to weigh in on a bill in Congress that would exempt insurance brokers’ fees from being classified as administrative costs under the Affordable Care Act’s medical loss ratio provisions.
Sequels to ObamaCare: ScottCare, ShumlinCare and More Take Stage
As states implement the federal health care law, three new governors are carrying out bold health reforms of their own — and possibly setting a template for similar decisions across the nation.
Insurance Agents Try To Broker Deal on MLR
Few stakeholders have been as quickly affected by the health reform law as insurance brokers — and few have pushed back against the law as speedily. Brokers’ battle to change medical-loss ratio rules is a microcosm of the broader fight to shape the overhaul’s implementation.
Taking Stock of Three Major Health Reform Laws on Their Birthdays
Last year’s federal health overhaul, the Massachusetts health reform law and the groundbreaking EMTALA all marked significant anniversaries in recent weeks. “Road to Reform” looks back on how the laws affected the nation’s health policy — and each other.
How March Madness Can Help Explain Health Reform
The constitutional battle over health reform shares unusual parallels with the nation’s college basketball tournament. Here’s a scouting report as the legal fight moves to the next round of courts.