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Is Rate Regulation Good for California?

Today’s guest blogger is Micah Weinberg, PhD, Senior Research Fellow at the New America Foundation. The California legislature is considering AB 52 (Feuer), a bill that would allow state regulators to reject excessive health insurance rate increases. Ultimately, this legislation is about social justice since access to healthcare is a… more

Basic Health Plan in California?

Senate Bill 703 (Hernandez) would establish a Basic Health Plan (BHP) in California. Background In addition to an expanding Medi-Cal eligibility and establishing health benefit exchanges, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides an option for states to establish a BHP, a separate program for persons with incomes between 134% –… more

Draft ACO Rules – Summary and Analysis

On March 31, 2011, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released these proposed rules that will, when final, facilitate the operation of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) under the ACA. I, along with my ITUP colleagues Sara Watson and Erica Brode, just produced this brief report that (a) provides… more

CaliforniACA: A Monthly Implementation Update

Earlier today, we sent out the first edition of CaliforniACA — ITUP’s monthly update of ACA implementation efforts in California. Because there are so many parts to the ACA, tracking the implementation of these changes in a state with communities and markets as diverse as those in California is too… more

Exchange Board Meets for the First Time

Earlier today, the Board of the California Health Benefit Exchange — now being abbreviated “CHBX” — met for the first time in Sacramento. Even though only 4 of 5 board members were present (the 5th board member, to be appointed by the Senate President Darrell Steinberg, has yet to be… more

CaliforniACA – April Newsletter

California’s Uninsured About 4.7M of California’s 7M uninsured will have access to subsidized coverage in 2014. 3M will qualify for Medi-Cal, and 1.7M will be eligible for refundable tax credits in the Exchange.  About 0.9M  persons with individual coverage and incomes under 400% of FPL ($89,000 for a family of… more

The Waiver, CPE’s & County Funding

On Tuesday, May 10 from 1:00 to 3:00 p.m., the Western Center on Law & Poverty (WCLP) and the National Health Law Program (NHeLP) are co-sponsoring a training on the waiver. Led by Jonathan Freedman of the L.A. County Department of Public Health, the meeting will focus on county decisions… more

Time for an All-Payer Claims Database in CA?

[The following post was written by Erica Brode, ITUP intern.] Recently, one of my health policy professors complained to her primary care physician about serious discomfort in her knee. Her doctor referred her to an in-network orthopedic surgeon who performed a MRI and then referred her to the in-network hospital… more

Federal Aid for States to Invest in Health IT

Also today, CMS issued this final regulation that will help states develop and upgrade their Medicaid internet technology (IT) enrollment systems. The new rule implements Section 1903(a)(3)(A)(i) of the ACA which increases Medicaid’s federal match — to 90 percent! — of the cost for states to develop systems to help… more

CA to Receive $1M for Medi-Medi Coordination

Earlier today, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that California will be one of 15 states to receive federal funding to develop better ways to coordinate care for people with both Medicare and Medicaid coverage, also known as “dual eligibles” or “Medi-Medi’s.” Dual eligibles are often people… more