California Legislative Beat
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 …
Continue Reading Download PDF
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 …
Continue Reading Download PDF
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 …
Continue Reading Download PDF
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 …
Continue Reading Download PDF
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 …
Continue Reading Download PDF
A Record Final Budget for California Brings Funding for Medi-Cal Expansion and the Office of Health Care Affordability
Mallory Warner, Health Policy Research Fellow August 18, 2021
California’s new fiscal year began on July 1 after the legislature approved a record state budget of $262.6 billion on June 28. The record budget was made possible by a $76 billion budget surplus and $27 billion in federal aid. This year’s budget process was especially confusing, as the California constitution requires the state legislature to pass a budget by June 15. This year, however, the legislature passed a placeholder budget on June 15 that allowed the state to spend the record sum, but the budget bill did not provide …
Continue Reading Download PDF
California Health Care Quality and Affordability Act (AB 1130) Passes Assembly, On Path to Creating Healthcare Cost Commission in California
Mallory Warner, Health Policy Research Fellow July 15, 2021
In February of this legislative session, California Assemblymember Jim Wood introduced AB 1130, titled the California Health Care Quality and Affordability Act. Wood was prompted to draft AB 1130 when a 2020 California Health Care Foundation poll found that 84% of Californians surveyed cited health care affordability as an extremely or very important issue to them.[1] The bill would establish the Office of Healthcare Affordability (the “office”) within the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) and be tasked with analyzing health care markets for cost trends and drivers …
Continue Reading Download PDF
The May Revise: Budget Surplus Enables Push to Expand Healthcare Coverage
Mallory Warner, Health Policy Research Fellow June 14, 2021
A year ago, Governor Newsom had projected a budget deficit of about $54.3 billion for California, resulting in a scramble to balance the precarious budget by cutting and deferring proposals. In a complete reversal, the May Revision to the Governor’s proposed budget, originally released in January, projected an unprecedented surplus of $75.7 billion this year. The Legislative Analyst’s Office reports that only about half of this surplus, about $38 billion, will be available for discretionary spending.[1] The updated spending plan proposed $267.8 billion in spending, an increase from $227 billion …
Continue Reading Download PDF
2021 California Healthcare Bills Part 2: Prescription Drug Pricing and Price and Quality Transparency Initiatives
Mallory Warner, Health Policy Research Fellow April 14, 2021
Last month, we highlighted California’s proposed healthcare bills from this legislative session that focus on healthcare market and system reform measures. This month, we’re covering more proposed healthcare bills that focus on prescription drug pricing regulation and price transparency. The bills outlined in this post were designed with the health care consumer in mind and are attempts to curtail excessive health care bills and pharmaceutical pricing, while increasing transparency around consumer’s healthcare plans. Prescription Drug Pricing Regulation Americans spend more on prescription drugs than any other country. In response …
Continue Reading Download PDF
2021 California Healthcare Bills Part 1: Healthcare Market and System Reform Proposals Lead the Way
Mallory Warner, Health Policy Research Fellow March 15, 2021
February 19th was the deadline for California legislators to introduce their proposed bills this session. In a two-part series, we highlight some of the notable healthcare bills on the table in 2021. In this post, we focus on a few ambitious reform efforts to the healthcare market and delivery system. Next month, we’ll turn our attention to proposed bills that aim to regulate the prescription drug market and bills that promote price and quality transparency. Healthcare system reform measures are those that change the structure of health care in a …
Continue Reading Download PDF