The Wall Street Journal’s recent piece examining job growth nationally and in California (“Forget Tech and Hollywood. California Is Powered by Healthcare Jobs.” – May 11, 2026) noted that, “without [the health and human services sector], the state hosting the nation’s high-tech and entertainment hubs would have lost jobs … This gap between health-related and other parts of the economy proved greater in California than in any other U.S. state.”
What’s happening: On Wednesday, CHA issued an alert asking members to press the Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) to set a reasonable enforcement structure that gives hospitals a chance to improve before imposing penalties so severe that hospitals would have no choice but to cut services, reduce staff, or close outright.
What's happening: The Office of Health Care Affordability’s (OHCA) board met on Wednesday and continued deliberations over the monetary penalties for violating the spending targets. The office also introduced draft regulations to implement Assembly Bill (AB) 1415 (Statutes of 2025), which expands OHCA’s authority to review certain types of health care market transactions.
What’s happening: A recording of CHA's April 23 webinar on the Office of Health Care Affordability’s (OHCA) planned reassessment of the “high-cost” hospital list is now available for members who many have missed it.
What’s happening: Yesterday, the Office of Health Care Affordability board convened to discuss financial penalties for exceeding the spending targets, a baseline analysis of hospital spending growth between 2022 and 2023, and updates for the cost and market impact review program.
What’s happening: Today, CHA submitted a letter to the Office of Health Care Affordability board urging it to account for all health care workers — not just those covered by collective bargaining agreements — in setting and adjusting the spending targets, or risk undermining broader workforce stability.
A recent commentary from an academic whose primary source of funding is a national profit-focused insurance company takes unjust aim at hospitals and the vital care they provide to Californians throughout the state.
“California hospitals will be facing severe funding losses.”
“If hospitals are starved for the funds they require to operate, they will be forced to cut back on services.”
“OHCA’s actions threaten the viability of the entire health care delivery system.”
These quotes from CHA’s latest legal filing in our lawsuit against the Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) underscore what’s at stake for hospitals across California.
What’s happening: On March 20, CHA participated in a health care roundtable hosted by Sen. Catherine Blakespear (D‑Carlsbad) and Scripps Health. The event, which was held at Scripps Memorial Hospital Encinitas, brought together California lawmakers and health care leaders from the San Diego region to discuss key issues hospitals are facing.
What’s happening: The Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) board met on March 25, where it pushed the office to create a process to revise “high-cost” hospital determinations if based on faulty data. The board also deliberated over the process for providers to obtain adjustments to their spending targets related to the growth in non-supervisory organized labor costs.