Among the health legislation Gov. Newsom signed into law at the close of the 2021-2022 legislative session were 2 bills regarding physician licenses in sexual assault cases and health plan coverage of COVID-19 treatments. Assembly Bill 1636, sponsored by Asm. Akilah Weber (D – San Diego), will authorize the denial of a physician … Read more
Gov. Gavin Newsom wrapped up the 2021-22 legislative session by signing numerous bills into law. These newly signed bills include key health measures concerning patient health information, e-prescriptions, physician licenses, and health plan coverage of COVID-19 treatments. Senate Bill 1419, sponsored by Sen. Josh Becker (D – Menlo Park), will expand the existing … Read more
A bill improving access to biomarker testing was enrolled and sent to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk on Sept. 6th. Senate Bill 912, sponsored by Sen. Monique Limon (D – Santa Barbara), requires health plans to provide coverage for biomarker testing for the diagnosis, treatment, management, or ongoing monitoring of an enrollee’s disease or … Read more
With Gov. Gavin Newsom’s CARE Court proposal currently placed on the legislative suspense file, conversations surrounding the bill remain contentious. Senate Bill 1338, introduced by Sens. Tom Umberg (D–Santa Ana) and Susan Talamantes Eggman (D–Stockton), would establish the CARE Court Program to provide treatment, housing, and support services to Californians with complex behavioral … Read more
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s long-awaited May Revision of his proposed budget for FY 22-23 was released on Friday, proposing a total of $227.6 billion ($67.4 billion General Fund (GF)) for all health and human services programs. This is a $10 billion increase from Newsom’s January proposal. The image below is a breakdown of allocations … Read more
With the prospect of the US Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, California leaders have been vocal about their determination to maintain the state’s status as a safe haven for individuals seeking abortion and other reproductive health care. The California Legislative Women’s Caucus released a 13-bill package in March seeking to strengthen and … Read more
Governor Gavin Newsom today announced $181 million in funding for 13 new Homekey projects across the state. When fully operational, the projects will provide 605 housing units for people experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, homelessness. Today’s announcement, when added to recent Homekey Round 2 awards, means the state has funded 39 projects statewide so far … Read more
We recently hosted the Convening Panel meeting for our upcoming 2022 Northern California State of Reform Health Policy Conference. Using the valuable input of our stakeholders, the State of Reform team is currently building a Topical Agenda for the event on March 23rd. So, keep your eyes out for a breakdown of the day’s panels in the coming … Read more
Among the numerous bills vetoed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in his final decisions on 2021 legislation signings on Saturday, Senate Bill 524, authored by Sen. Nancy Skinner, was one of them. The “Choose Your Own Pharmacist” bill would have helped ensure that patients can use the pharmacy they prefer by prohibiting health care plans and … Read more
The modeling for COVID suggests that California is going to do relatively well against the Delta variant compared to other states. The early mask mandate in LA probably helped. At 42%, California has the highest proportion of residents in any state saying they are “always wearing a mask when leaving home.” California has the lowest rate of … Read more