Latest California Healthline Stories
How Should California Respond if Part or All of ACA Is Struck Down?
California, which has embraced and prepared for reform more aggressively than most states, might have the most to lose if the rules change. We asked policymakers and stakeholders how California should respond if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down part or all of the Affordable Care Act.
Advocates Hope ACA Will Knit Children’s Patchwork
Hoping the Affordable Care Act will knit together a patchwork of protections, advocates for children’s health coverage await the Supreme Court’s ruling with an uncomfortable mixture of worry and optimism.
A Second Opinion on Medicare ‘Double Counting’
Myth or fact: There’s no such thing as an honest Medicare budget. Why the latest blow-up over health care accounting is symptomatic of a larger problem.
Essential Health Benefit Bill Clears Committee
Bill Monning, chair of the Assembly Committee on Health, knew the moment was a big one.
“We are serving as policymakers in extraordinary times,” Monning (D-Carmel) said yesterday at the health committee hearing. “For up to 5 million Californians, we have the opportunity before us to set essential health benefits.”
Monning introduced AB 1453, which laid out a plan for what essential benefits will be covered in California under the Affordable Care Act. The proposed set of benefits is modeled on the Kaiser small group HMO plan.
Health IT: The Common Ground in Health Care Reform?
Arguments inside and outside the Supreme Court building last month reaffirmed the nation’s sharp divide over the federal health reform law. But one aspect of the law is likely to continue drawing support from both sides of the aisle: health information technology.
Should California Reconsider Health Care Districts?
With the Affordable Care Act poised to dramatically change the state’s health care system, should California be reconsidering special health care districts that generate and consume millions of dollars every year? We asked experts to weigh in.
Where Would Consumers, Insurers Land if ACA Is Struck Down?
If the Supreme Court strikes down part or all of the Affordable Care Act, what might it mean for consumers who support the changes promised in reform? And what might it mean for insurers who were promised millions of new customers?
‘We’ll Deal With it Then’: The State of Play if ACA is Struck Down
Most states — even some that have sued the government over the Affordable Care Act — are preparing contingency plans whether the law is upheld or struck down. But not all states are equally ready to respond.
Experts: Medicaid Expansion Will Stand; Mandate’s Fate Unclear
Legal and health policy experts were divided in their predictions about how specific challenges to the Affordable Care Act may play out in the Supreme Court, but all agreed that substantive changes to the law could have profound effects in California.
Does Obama Deserve Blame for Mandate’s Troubles?
Candidate Obama opposed health reform’s individual mandate; President Obama signed the mandate into law. Why did the president shift his thinking — and will the decision haunt his signature legislation?