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California鈥檚 health insurance program for low-income people grew 78% between 2010 and 2019 to 12.8 million enrollees. The federal Affordable Care Act spurred the increase, aided by state policies broadening eligibility.
A new state law limits what consumers owe if they鈥檙e transported by an air ambulance that鈥檚 not part of their insurance network to the amount that they鈥檇 be charged if they used an in-network provider. But the law won鈥檛 protect millions of consumers whose health plans aren鈥檛 regulated by the state.
California now will pay pediatricians to screen Medi-Cal patients for traumatic events known as adverse childhood experiences, or ACEs. The program is based on research showing that children who endure chronic stress have an increased risk of developing serious health problems. Here are five things to know about the new program.
Jane Garcia is CEO of La Cl铆nica de La Raza, which operates more than 30 clinics in the San Francisco Bay Area serving a high percentage of immigrant patients. She has challenged state and federal immigration policies in court, including the Trump administration鈥檚 recent attempt to expand the 鈥減ublic charge鈥 rule.
Californians must have health insurance starting next year or face a hefty tax penalty. But, as with the now-defunct federal tax penalty for being uninsured, some people will be exempt.
California will become the first state to allow unauthorized immigrant adults to receive full Medicaid coverage when it expands eligibility to people ages 19 to 25 in January. But health officials and immigrant rights advocates wonder whether fear of federal immigration policy combined with a youthful sense of not needing health insurance will keep those young adults from joining.
Dozens of frail nursing home residents have been informed by their Medi-Cal managed care plans that they are no longer eligible for long-term care. Some health care advocates and legal aid attorneys fear that such terminations will increase as the state implements mandatory managed care for nursing home residents.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed off on an array of health care bills that will significantly affect the lives of Californians, including many college students, pregnant women, schoolchildren and dialysis patients.
As you enter college this fall, health insurance may not be at the top of your mind. But it鈥檚 important to have coverage if you have a chronic condition or if something unexpected happens. Luckily, college students have several options.
A proposed state law would require on-campus health centers to provide students with the medicines that allow them to end an unwanted pregnancy. Former Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed a similar bill last year, but Gov. Gavin Newsom has said he would sign it.
Throughout her young life, Sylvia Colt-Lacayo has been told her disability didn鈥檛 need to hold her back. She graduated near the top of her high school class. She was co-captain of the mock trial team. In April, she learned she had been admitted to Stanford University with a full scholarship. Now, the struggle to fund the caregivers she needs to leave home is proving her toughest battle yet.
Confusion about a new federal rule to restrict legal immigration based on the use of public benefits may dampen sign-ups for health care, housing and food aid even among immigrants not directly targeted by the rule. Here are some answers to frequently asked questions that will help clear up some of the misunderstanding.
States increasingly expect to see insurers enter or re-enter ACA marketplaces next year. That鈥檚 a critical sign that these exchanges are growing less risky for insurers despite ongoing political and legal battles over the ACA.
The proportion of money that California hospitals spent on free and discounted care for low-income people dropped by more than half from 2013 to 2017 鈥 even for nonprofit hospitals. Hospitals say there鈥檚 less demand for charity care because more people now have health insurance, but consumer advocates counter that people still need help.
California is the first in the nation to expand Medicaid to young adults living there without legal permission.
Enrollment among undocumented immigrant children in California鈥檚 Medicaid program started strong before stagnating and then falling. Although this decline is similar to an enrollment decline among all children in Medicaid nationwide, experts believe there are different reasons behind it.
California lawmakers spent big on Medi-Cal in the 2019-20 state budget, voting to cover more older residents and people with disabilities, restore benefits cut during the recession and open the program to eligible young adults who are in the country illegally.聽
Buprenorphine is becoming an increasingly popular choice among doctors in California for treating opioid addiction. Use of methadone, while still more common, has not gained ground in recent years.
California鈥檚 governor Friday scuttled his plan to siphon public health money from four counties to help provide health coverage for unauthorized immigrants ages 19 through 25.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom鈥檚 proposal to provide health coverage to unauthorized immigrants ages 19 to 25 would siphon money that four counties currently use for public health efforts such as battling contagious diseases.
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