Posts Tagged: ACA

Opinion

California a key player in federal health care debate

A photo illustration of the California flag presented as a medical mask. (Image: kovop58, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: Health care is once again front and center in Congress. And once again Californians will play a critical role in the federal budget debate that could result in the biggest expansion of help to access, afford, and improve health coverage since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act.

Opinion

Protecting the ACA is crucial for California, nation

A sign at a downtown San Francisco rally urging support for the Affordable Care Act. (Photo: Kim Wilson, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death has placed the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) back in the headlines because the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments in November in a case, California v. Texas, that seeks to repeal it. The widely publicized prospect of eliminating health care coverage for more than 20 million Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic should be enough to give our elected leaders and the high court pause.

Opinion

‘Stranger Things,’ the ACA and a federal appeals court

A photo illustration of the Affordable Care Act. (Image: Jon Schulte, via Shutterstock)

OPINION: Anyone binge watching “Stranger Things,” will be struck by the similarities with the real-world drama playing out before the federal appeals court in New Orleans. The question before the three-judge panel is whether the Affordable Care Act should be struck down in its entirety. In Stranger Things, the deadly threat comes from an upside-down parallel universe in which things aren’t what they seem, the rules of logic don’t apply, and nothing makes sense.

Opinion

My hope for health care in 2019

Hundreds of people advocating for improved health care rally outside San Francisco City Hall, 2017. (Photo: Kim Wilson, via Shutterstock)

As a physician in California, I am so grateful to see preserving people’s access to health care at the top of our state’s New Year’s resolution list. Although a federal judge in Texas has ruled the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional (in a state where five million people could be directly affected, no

News

California slaps surcharges on some health care policies

Illustration: Logo of Covered California

California’s health exchange said Wednesday it has ordered insurers to add a surcharge to certain policies next year because the Trump administration has yet to commit to paying a key set of consumer subsidies under the Affordable Care Act. The decision to impose a 12.4 percent surcharge on silver-level health plans in 2018 means the total premium increase for them will average nearly 25 percent, according to Covered California.

News

Budget: Brown warily eyes federal impact

Gov. Jerry Brown, unveiling his revised state budget, is flanked by a chart showing billions of dollars of Medi-Cal cuts. (Photo: Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press)

Gov. Jerry Brown’s state budget draft is a no-frills document reflecting fears about the policies of the Trump administration, a Republican-led Congress and the likelihood of an economic recession. “The potential of a federal reduction in aid to California is real enough,” Brown noted, as he unveiled his revised $180 billion spending plan for 2017-18.

News

A California fight for universal health care

Thousands attend a Jan. 17 rally in San Francisco to demonstrate for affordable health care. (Photo: Kim Wilson Photography, Shutterstock)

With the Affordable Care Act facing an uncertain future, could California set up its own universal health care system as an alternative?

Podcast

Capitol Weekly Podcast: Anthony Wright

Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California. (Photo: Scott Duncan)

Capitol Weekly’s John Howard and Tim Foster sit down with Anthony Wright of Health Access California to talk about the impact of the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, AKA Obamacare. Is it happening? If so, when? How much will it cost Californians? And, what’s the significance of February 20? All this and more on the latest Capitol Weekly Podcast.

News

CA prepares for health care battle

A physician prepares a syringe for use. (Photo: Shutterstock)

The results of a presidential election won by Republican Donald Trump has some in a panic. And with GOP majorities in both houses of Congress, Trump presumably can do just about anything. But California health advocates are not talking about abandoning the state’s healthcare system. They’re preparing for a fight.

News

A conversation with Planned Parenthood’s Kathy Kneer

Kathy Kneer, president and CEO of California Planned Parenthood. (Photos: Planned Parenthood)

Capitol Weekly Interview: Kathy Kneer is the president and CEO of California Planned Parenthood. CW’s Alex Matthews caught up with Kathy recently for a detailed discussion that included health care, family planning, meeting the needs of low-income Californians and the challenges of the Affordable Care Act.

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