About: Rachel Ng, Student Fellow
2023 California Healthcare Bills Part 2: System Reform, Transparency, and Prescription Drug Costs
Rachel Ng, Student Fellow May 12, 2023
In the previous issue of the California Legislative Beat, we examined healthcare bills introduced in the 2023-2024 legislative term that target healthcare consolidation and competition in California (see 2023 California Healthcare Bills – Part 1). In this second part of the two-part series, we explore some newly proposed bills that seek to increase access to care, control costs, and improve transparency in data and prices. System Reform and Access California is a leader in innovative healthcare policy and initiatives, particularly to increase patients access to care while lowering overall …
Continue Reading Download PDF
2023 California Healthcare Bills Part 1: Healthcare Consolidation and Competition
Rachel Ng, Student Fellow May 11, 2023
In the 2023-2024 legislative term, the California legislature has introduced a multitude of legislation targeting consolidation and competition in health care, system reform and price and quality transparency. In a two-part series, we highlight some of the noteworthy legislation proposed this session. Part 1 focuses specifically on the State’s efforts to promote a more competitive healthcare market by targeting restraints of trade and consolidation. In Part 2, the focus will shift to proposed bills targeting system reform, price and quality transparency, and prescription drug prices. Health Care Consolidation California …
Continue Reading Download PDF
The Source Roundup: May 2023 Edition
Rachel Ng, Student Fellow May 1, 2023
As we prepare to transition to the summer, this month is an opportune time to examine the impacts of potentially a new season in the health care market. Researchers noted that not only is there a rise of geographically distant mergers even as rural hospitals struggle to maintain profitability, but also that private equity is a new major financier of the health care market. On the other hand, California hopes to increase competition with Golden Choice, a state-run public option. Federally, price transparency efforts could be a step towards creating …
Continue Reading Download PDF
The Source Roundup: April 2023 Edition
Rachel Ng, Student Fellow April 3, 2023
With the healthcare market at the most consolidated it has ever been, both federal and state action is needed to ensure health care systems provide high-quality, affordable care that is accessible. In this month’s roundup, we begin with several publications authored by The Source team on the ramifications of consolidation and the role of federal and state antitrust enforcers. Researchers also considered whether health care providers and insurers have returned to pre-pandemic performance levels. With the rise of health care spending and health care costs, understanding these trends becomes especially …
Continue Reading Download PDF
Revolutionizing Medi-Cal: The Potential Impact of California’s CalAIM Initiative
Rachel Ng, Student Fellow March 15, 2023
California’s Medi-Cal program is the largest Medicaid program in the country. It is tasked with providing care for approximately 15 million enrollees, or one third of California’s population. To ensure affordability while maintaining quality and improving health care outcomes, CalAIM was created as California’s newest approach to reform Medi-Cal, including changes to managed care plans and reimbursement of behavioral health plans. Although many of these objectives under CalAIM are still in the initial implementation stages, the potential ramifications of this multi-year, billion-dollar investment in changing how millions of people receive …
Continue Reading Download PDF
The Source Roundup: March 2023 Edition
Rachel Ng, Student Fellow March 1, 2023
This month’s Roundup focuses on articles and reports examining price transparency efforts at both the state and federal levels as well as new recommendations for policymakers on effective healthcare cost containment strategies. States continue to address the lack of knowledge available to the public with all-payer claims databases. Federally, the implementation of new price transparency rules requiring reporting from health care providers and insurers have been examined for compliance and limitations. In addition to price transparency, to get to the bottom of healthcare affordability concerns, researchers and experts are suggesting …
Continue Reading Download PDF
Governor Newsom’s Healthcare Budget Proposal for 2023-2024
Rachel Ng, Student Fellow February 15, 2023
On January 10, California Governor Gavin Newsom released his proposed budget of $296.9 billion in total state funds for the 2023-2024 fiscal year.[1] Even with the anticipated $22.5 billion shortfall in the budget and 7% decrease in last year’s implemented and revised budget, the Governor did not propose any cuts towards health care coverage for all Californians. The proposed budget sought to maintain Medi-Cal expansion, reduce prescription drug costs, and bolster mental and behavioral health services as key healthcare priorities for the state.[2] Health and Human Services expenditures were the …
Continue Reading Download PDF
The Source Roundup: February 2023 Edition
Rachel Ng, Student Fellow February 1, 2023
Articles and reports published in the first month of 2023 saw an increased focus on the impact of consolidation as well as private equity investment in health care. Researchers also continued to examine factors impacting health care pricing and explored potential policy options available to the states to address provider prices, including a specific call for legislative intervention in the Western Pennsylvania market. Healthcare Consolidation Recent years saw an interesting shift in healthcare consolidation: mergers and acquisitions are becoming increasingly low-volume but high-value and cross-market. In Kaufman Hall’s report …
Continue Reading Download PDF
Office of Health Care Affordability: California’s Healthcare Cost Commission Gears Up for Implementation
Rachel Ng, Student Fellow and Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor December 14, 2022
In the 2022 session, California enacted legislation to create the state’s healthcare cost commission, the Office of Healthcare Affordability (OHCA). As part of the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI), OHCA is authorized to analyze the health care market for cost trends and drivers of spending and set and enforce cost-growth benchmarks for the state. It also has the authority to review and assess the impact of mergers, acquisitions, affiliations, and other healthcare transactions on price and competition. As OHCA prepares for its launch, the California Health Care Foundation …
Continue Reading Download PDF
The Source Roundup: December 2022 Edition
Rachel Ng, Student Fellow December 1, 2022
As the end of the year approaches, there’s no better time to catch up and reflect upon new research and findings from the past year. The articles and reports in this month’s Roundup examine the latest trends in consolidation including (1) the rise of cross-market hospital systems and (2) concentration in the insurance markets. We also highlight articles that explored (3) the current state and future of telehealth regulation and (4) quality impact for hospitals that switch to a value based payment model. Consolidation and Competition Although 2022 has …
Continue Reading Download PDF