About: Enne Mae Guerrero, Graduate Research Fellow
AB 2080: A Statutory Solution to Addressing Anticompetitive Transaction & Behavior in the Healthcare Market
Enne Mae Guerrero, Graduate Research Fellow May 16, 2022
Consistent research has shown that consolidation in the health industry leads to an increase in healthcare costs without improved quality of care. Though many healthcare mergers have previously gone unchecked, antitrust enforcers are increasingly using their statutory and regulatory authority and the court system to address healthcare consolidation concerns.[1] In California, the attorney general has had the statutory authority to review non-profit hospital mergers for decades but the limited oversight does not extend over all anticompetitive transactions and behavior. This session, the legislature introduced AB 2080 aimed to broaden existing …
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California’s 2022-23 Budget Proposal Builds Upon Enduring Goals of Healthcare Access and Affordability
Enne Mae Guerrero, Graduate Research Fellow April 14, 2022
In January, Governor Gavin Newsom unveiled California’s 2022-23 state budget proposal—dubbed the California Blueprint—which proposes spending $286.4 billion in total state funds.[1] As the California Blueprint acknowledges, “[t]oo many Californians find themselves on the wrong end of income inequality – crushed by the rising costs of the most basic expenses like healthcare.”[2] With proposed investments to tackle health care issues facing the state, the Governor’s 2022-23 budget proposal addresses healthcare inequality, access, and affordability in a number of ways—such as in establishing an Office of Health Care Affordability; creating universal …
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California Pushes Ahead the Office of Health Care Affordability with Renewed Budgetary Support
Enne Mae Guerrero, Graduate Research Fellow March 15, 2022
Healthcare costs have grown exponentially in California[1], and Californians have indicated that it is a core issue they want the Governor and Legislature to address and remedy. In a 2021 poll, Californians expressed almost unanimous demand for action, as 82% of Californians said it is “extremely” or “very” important for the Governor and Legislature to make health care more affordable.[2] While rising healthcare costs seem to be a national problem, Californians pay more for common health services than the rest of the country, with an additional cost disparity between northern …
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The Unfinished Story of Single-Payer Universal Health Care in California
Enne Mae Guerrero, Graduate Research Fellow February 15, 2022
California’s 2021-2022 legislative session reconvened on January 3, 2022, and the Assembly had the opportunity to pass critical single-payer, universal health care legislation, AB 1400, on January 31, 2022. Unfortunately, the measure did not even proceed to a vote due to the author of the bill citing a lack of necessary support. Had the measure passed the Assembly and successfully made its way through the legislative process, California could have been the first state in the country to offer comprehensive universal health care to its residents. In this post, we …
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What’s Ahead for 2022: Promising Healthcare Bills Pending in the California Legislature
Enne Mae Guerrero, Graduate Research Fellow December 13, 2021
The California legislature has passed nearly 800 bills in the 2021 session. As part of the two-year term, the legislature still has the opportunity to enact more meaningful healthcare legislation in the second year of the 2021-2022 legislative term. In the last issue of the California Legislative Beat, we recapped the 2021 legislative session and detailed the enacted and vetoed bills that enhance healthcare delivery, ensure healthcare access and coverage, promote price transparency, and reinforce competition and enforcement. In this post, we summarize some of the key pending legislation in …
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The Source Roundup: December 2021 Edition
Enne Mae Guerrero, Graduate Research Fellow December 1, 2021
This month’s Roundup focuses on articles highlighting market consolidation and healthcare affordability, which can both have important implications for patient outcomes. First, we examine articles and reports that study 1) the need for a robust administrative review process for all healthcare transactions, 2) post-merger outcomes for hospital system and patients, and 3) consolidation in the dialysis industry. Next, we highlight articles and reports focusing on growing healthcare costs and affordability that specifically examine 4) the impact of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, 5) changes in employer healthcare benefits …
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Recapping the 2021 Session: Healthcare Legislation Passed in California
Enne Mae Guerrero, Graduate Research Fellow November 14, 2021
In the 2021 legislative session, California’s democratic-held legislature has passed roughly 800 bills, 770 of which have been enacted after approval by Governor Newsom.[1] A number of bills impacting the healthcare industry passed overwhelmingly in both houses, yet a couple of critical bills were vetoed. Notably, the COVID-19 pandemic, which shifted legislative focus away from healthcare costs in 2020, has amplified the various pitfalls of the healthcare system. This session, the legislature returned to propose several bills to mitigate these shortcomings and address healthcare costs and access. This post summarizes …
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