Last Friday marked the deadline to introduce bills for the 2026 state legislative session. While the focus for this year will be on CHA’s two sponsored bills, there are several concerning pieces of legislation that will demand intensive engagement. (All told, about 1,800 bills have been introduced this year.)
In the perpetual game of whack-a-mole where the aim is to debunk nasty myths about hospitals that keep popping up just about everywhere you look, yet another mole poked out its head last week in CalMatters.
Late last month, the chief executives of some of the nation’s largest insurance companies — UnitedHealth, CVS, Cigna, Elevance, and the California Blues — trekked to Capitol Hill for a day of hearings where federal lawmakers probed one of the most pressing issues of the day: health care affordability.
Hospitals and health systems are getting some financial relief and operational predictability, thanks to a bipartisan health care spending bill signed by President Trump earlier this week.
Earlier this week, the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced it would delay adopting emergency regulations for acute psychiatric hospital staffing until June 1, rather than its original deadline of Jan. 31.
A dangerous and detrimental staffing ratio mandate for freestanding psychiatric hospitals that would make it harder for Californians to get treatment for mental health disorders is careening toward approval.
Over the weekend, CBS News aired an important and timely segment examining the challenges millions of Americans face in accessing health care services due to insurance companies denying coverage for necessary tests and treatments.
Federal lawmakers are back in Washington, D.C., this week with just over three weeks left to finish funding the government before current spending laws run out on Jan. 30.
“We all get the exact same 365 days. The only difference is what we do with them.” — Hillary DePiano
As California hospitals continue to face strong financial headwinds — soaring inflation, the pending effects of nearly $1 trillion in nationwide federal health care cuts, increased regulatory pressures, and more — all eyes are on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), where California’s submission for the next Hospital Fee Program is currently under review.
