Latest California Healthline Stories
CMS, State Officials Halt Participation of CalOptima in Dual-Eligible Plan
Federal officials found “widespread and systemic” violations in an audit of Southern California insurer CalOptima, causing state officials to exclude Orange County residents — at least temporarily — from the Cal MediConnect conversion of dual-eligibles to Medi-Cal managed care.
California Works To Help Small Businesses Navigate State Exchange
Rep. Ami Bera from Sacramento County, David Chase of the Small Business Majority, San Francisco business owner Virginia Donohue and Anne Gonzales of Covered California spoke with California Healthline about the growth and benefits for small businesses to enroll in the state’s health benefit exchange.
Blue Shield Disagrees With Jones’ Assessment of Premium Rate Hike
Blue Shield of California officials say a 9.8% premium rate hike — which Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones recently rebuked — is justified because of rising health care costs and new taxes and fees.
Three of the Most Over-Hyped Health Care Reform Stories of 2013
This edition of “Road to Reform” explores three Affordable Care Act news stories that got more attention than they deserved in 2013, including the debate over the fairness of delaying the employer mandate but not the individual mandate.
Majority of Uninsured Plan To Get Coverage by 2014, New Poll Suggests
A new poll suggests most Californians know about Covered California, the state’s new health benefit exchange, and a majority of the uninsured say they’re planning to be covered by 2014.
Early data suggest that customers are using the new health insurance exchange to pick plans from large, familiar companies like Anthem and Kaiser, even if plans from smaller companies are comparable in price.
When Health Plans Drop Your Doctor: Are Narrow Networks a Bad Idea?
Many health plans on Covered California and other insurance exchanges exclude some prominent doctors and hospitals. The trade-off — less access for lower prices — has raised concerns and even spurred lawsuits, but experts say it’s the likely direction for the nation’s health system.
Insurance Commissioner Explains Reasons Behind Reversing Anthem Cancellations
Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones discussed the reasons behind the 104,000 Anthem Blue Cross policy cancellations and what led to the temporary reinstatement of those policies.
How Many People Are Losing Their Plans Under Obamacare, Really?
The swirl of political attention around “Obamacare cancellation letters” has tended to ignore the policy realities — including that most people receiving cancellation letters are being offered other plans. Here’s a closer look at how many plans are being canceled and four other key questions dogging the Affordable Care Act’s latest hot-button issue.
Campaign Advocates Health Coverage for Undocumented Immigrants in California
On the heels of three new state laws making life easier for undocumented immigrants, the California Endowment is launching a campaign urging the state to find a way to get health coverage for the estimated one million undocumented Californians left out of the Affordable Care Act.