‘Legislative Analysis’ Archives
CA Lawmakers Moving Forward With New Health Rules
California lawmakers have taken their first step toward passing new consumer protections under the federal health care overhaul, such as guaranteeing coverage even with pre-existing conditions. Both houses of the Legislature passed bills Thursday dealing with individual insurance regulations that would prevent insurers from discriminating and [...]
Healthcare Overhaul Could Threaten California’s Safety Net
Millions of uninsured Californians will gain medical coverage under the national healthcare overhaul beginning in January. An estimated 3 million to 4 million Californians — about 10% of the state's population — could remain uninsured even after the healthcare overhaul law takes full effect. The burden of their care will fall to public [...]
New Health Care Bills Introduced
One source of funding for pediatric trauma care could get a boost from a new bill being introduced in the state Senate, according to the author of SB 191, Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima). "Pediatric trauma care is still not widely available in California," Padilla said, referring to the 14 pediatric trauma care centers in the state. "SB 191 would [...]
Darrell Steinberg Pushes for Mental Health Care Funding
California Senate President Pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) is advocating for increased funding for mental health care services nationwide. In the wake of a December 2012 shooting at a Connecticut elementary school, Steinberg announced plans to push for a $10 billion investment in preventing and treating mental health conditions [...]
Health Reform Benchmarks Linked to FQHCs
Federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) already have shown some of the results pursued by the Affordable Care Act, according to a study released this week by the California Primary Care Association. The CPCA commissioned researchers to compare high-cost factors, such as hospital stays and emergency department use, as well as total cost of [...]
DOL Slams ING Life and Annuity With $5.2M Fine
The Department of Labor announced Monday that it had reached a settlement agreement with ING Life Insurance and Annuity Co. (ILIAC) that provides for a $5.2 million payment to certain retirement plan clients adversely affected by ILIAC’s failure to disclose investment gains achieved when the company failed to process requested transactions in a [...]
New Annuity Guarantees Raise Questions
The latest products from insurers are less expensive. But regulators—and consumers—remain wary. With millions of baby boomers headed to retirement without old-fashioned pension plans as safety nets, here is a product that would seem to have big appeal: a guarantee of lifetime income from a portfolio of ordinary mutual funds—however long the [...]
California Under the Microscope on Health Reform
The November election ensured that the most ambitious health care reform since the creation of Medicare in 1965 will take full effect come January 2014. California, like other states, is gearing up to ensure that affordable insurance is available when the individual mandate kicks in next January, requiring Americans to maintain health [...]
How Might Immigration Reform Influence Health Care Reform?
Almost half the documented immigrants in the U.S. do not have health coverage, according to 2011 Employee Benefit Research Institute statistics. In California, which has one of the country's largest immigrant populations, immigration policies influence health care policies. Some contend that health care policies influence immigration. Some [...]
Rate Shock Looms for California Consumers
As the 2014 deadline for full implementation approaches for subsidized health care coverage, health care premiums are rising and uncertainty remains over insurance cost and availability. Many states and state-based organizations have analyzed how the ACA will affect health insurance premiums for small groups and individuals. According to [...]
