With the state Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) barreling toward singling out hospitals for even lower spending growth targets than the statewide goal — and federal legislators debating budget proposals that would decimate Medicaid and Medicare funding — CHA has developed two opportunities for hospitals to prepare for engagement on both of these critical issues.
Late last month, California’s Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA) established a statewide hospital sector, an expected vote that now enables the OHCA board to impose stricter spending targets on hospitals as soon as 2026.
A recent presidential executive order related to birthright citizenship (which has been temporarily blocked by a federal court) and a directive to remove a layer of protection for certain locations (including schools, churches, and hospitals) from immigration enforcement have raised many questions about the appropriate response and requirements for hospitals.
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th president of the United States. In his inauguration speech, Trump touched only lightly on health care, noting chronic disease prevention and treatment as priorities.
Following last week’s release of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed $322 billion budget for 2025-26, work will now focus on ensuring allocations from a recently approved managed care organization tax are delivered in accordance with the intent of the ballot measure passed in November.
The eyes of California and the nation are fixed on Los Angeles, as the city races to contain devastating wildfires that have already claimed five lives, destroyed more than 2,000 structures, and forced the evacuation of more than 180,000 people.
As we start the new year, many new faces will be coming to Sacramento and Washington, D.C. Here in California, some three dozen new legislators have been sworn in and will take state office for the first time. In our nation’s capital, President-elect Trump is preparing to bring a different approach to, and new priorities for, health care policy than that of the Biden administration.
As 2024 comes to a close, it’s a good time to pause to reflect on the work we’ve done together to help improve the lives of all Californians.
Last week, CHA held its Behavioral Health Care Symposium, attended by hundreds of clinical professionals, hospital leaders, policymakers, and community stakeholders. This annual gathering highlights the important work hospitals are doing alongside many others to improve behavioral health care across the state. Sessions at the symposium highlighted successful collaborations among hospitals, counties, and health plans.
As 2024 begins to come to a close, CHA’s advocacy attention will be focused on advancing priorities in Washington, D.C. We’ll be pushing to ensure federal approval for two critical state issues while also focusing on some key federal issues likely in play in the lame duck session.