In addition to passing AB 1602 (Perez) & SB 900 (Alquist/Steinberg), California’s monumental Health Benefit Exchange bills, the state Legislature also passed a series of important healthcare bills this year, many of which directly implement or are closely related to implementation of federal health reform. Each of the bills below… more

Tomorrow, September 30th, is the constitutional deadline by which Governor Schwarzenegger must sign or veto any bills that the Legislature passed this year. Two of the most talked-about pieces of legislation still on the Governor’s desk are SB 900 (Steinberg) and AB 1602 (Perez), sister bills that would establish the… more

The Governor has until September 30th (just two days away!) to decide whether or not to sign into law more than a dozen health care bills sitting on his desk. Arguably, the most significant of these are SB 900 (Alquist & Steinberg) and AB 1602 (Perez), sister bills that would… more

As we reported yesterday on the blog, California’s attempt to draw down more than $3 billion in new federal funds through a new “hospital quality assurance fee” looks to be on track. The original plan was outlined in last year’s AB 1383 (Jones) and this year’s AB 1653 (Jones). I… more

Last week, California’s attempt to draw down more than $3 billion in federal funds took a large step forward. Assembly Bill 1383 (Jones) was a bill last year that called for the state to assess a “quality assurance fee” on all California hospitals. The amount collected would then be matched… more