Latest California Healthline Stories
Medi-Cal Patients Flocking To ERs More Than Before ACA
Visits have surged 75 percent over five years. Obamacare proponents had argued that expanded health care coverage would reduce the use of emergency rooms.
Uncertainty Over Federal Money Could Spur Covered California Rate Hikes
The state exchange will tell insurers to proceed with significantly higher rates on some 2018 health plans if the feds do not commit by mid-August to continue subsidies that lower out-of-pocket expenses for many consumers.
If Insurance Market Crashes, Can Lawmakers Put The Pieces Back Together?
Actions by the Trump administration are putting pressure on the fragile market for individuals who buy their own coverage, but analysts say it should be able to rebound.
GOP Medicaid Cuts Would Hit Rural America Hardest, Report Finds
States like California, which substantially expanded Medicaid coverage to children and adults in rural counties and small towns, would be most affected.
Feds To Waive Penalties For Some Who Signed Up Late For Medicare
Medicare has not sent notice of the temporary penalty waiver to enrollees in exchanges run by the states. But Covered California plans to notify its members who are about to turn 65 — or already have — sometime this summer.
A Community Seeks Answers, Assurances About Health Care — In 10 Languages
A forum for Asian immigrants in Oakland draws a crowd so large some attendees had to be seated in an overflow room. Many immigrants are eager for information relevant to them as changes to the health care system are debated in Washington.
Covered California Tells Insurers To Plan For The Worst
The state health insurance exchange has instructed its participating health plans to submit alternative proposals for premium hikes that would offset the potential loss of an important source of federal funding.
Senators’ Dueling Web Shoutouts Echo Nation’s Partisan Divide On Obamacare
In the early stages of the Senate’s attempts to write a health care bill, a Republican and a Democrat each solicit constituents’ Obamacare experiences from opposite ends of the spectrum.
GOP Health Bill Pleases Most Republicans, But Not Many Other Americans
While nearly half of Americans support Obamacare, fewer than a third are in favor of the Republican replacement legislation.
California’s New Single-Payer Proposal Embraces Some Costly Old Ways
The legislation would revive the age-old practice of paying providers for every service they perform — a recipe for a busted budget, some experts say. Backers say the bill is a work in progress.