Health Insurers Lose Silent Round In Medi-Cal Deal

Submitted by Carmen Balber on Tue, 03/01/2016 - 09:55

California taxpayers dodged a bullet yesterday with the passage of a high-stakes bill to help fund Medi-Cal.

Legislative Democrats and nearly a dozen Republicans approved a plan to trade existing taxes for a new tax on insurers to raise more than $1 billion in needed health care funding and preserve federal Medi-Cal matching funds.

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Capitol Watchdog: Upcoming Meetings to Watch

Submitted by Eddie Barrera on Mon, 02/29/2016 - 11:52

The Department of Managed Health Care will be reviewing Anthem's proposed acquisition of Cigna. While Cigna's footprint is small in California, it continues the rapid consolidation of the health insurance industry.

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Will Lawmakers Protect Doctors Or Patients In New Legislation?

Submitted by Eddie Barrera on Wed, 02/24/2016 - 15:02

If California lawmakers plan to move forward with creating a state-sponsored "diversion program" for treating substance-abusing doctors, it should not be a secret country club for addicted doctors who want to hide from the consequences. 

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Living Without Aliso Canyon's Natural Gas

Submitted by Liza Tucker on Tue, 02/23/2016 - 16:05

Lots of residents who live close to SoCalGas's Aliso Canyon natural gas storage facility want the place shut down. The blowout at well SS-25 went on for months, making people sick in communities like Porter Ranch, Northridge, Chatsworth, and Granada Hills. Senator Fran Pavley responded by introducing Bill SB 380  that won't let Aliso's 115 wells reopen until they are deemed safe or plugged. She's also weighing whether we can live without the facility altogether.

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What’s Behind The Sundown Showdown Over Natural Gas Drilling At Porter Ranch In Assembly?

Submitted by Jamie Court on Mon, 02/22/2016 - 07:39

 Today So Cal Gas, and other proponents of the aging natural gas storage infrastructure, face off against Senator Pavley’s proposed moratorium on natural gas drilling at a very- late-in-the-day hearing in the Assembly Utilities Committee ( 3 PM start  for SB 380 and other bills).  It’s hardly a made-for-media moment, scheduled post-newspaper print deadline.  And Pavley’s enemies have not shown their true faces, but their powerful grip has been felt.

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Capitol Watchdog: Upcoming Meetings to Watch

Submitted by Eddie Barrera on Fri, 02/19/2016 - 12:24

Aliso Canyon will be front and center at an Assembly Utilities and Commerce hearing today. Sen. Fran Pavley's bill, SB 380, would require state officials to immediately institute a moratorium on injections of natural gas into any wells located within and serving the Aliso Canyon storage facility.

The consolidation of the health insurance market continues as DMHC reviews Anthem's proposed acquisition of Cigna. Read those details and more, below.

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