What’s happening: On May 20, CHA staff and hospital leaders convened about 40 legislative staffers for a discussion of policies coming out of Washington, D.C., and Sacramento that seriously threaten access to affordable care.
What’s happening: The first Hospital Equity Measures Report under Assembly Bill (AB) 1204 (2021) is due to the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) by Sept. 30. The reports must also include a plan to prioritize and address disparities for vulnerable populations identified in the submitted data.
What’s happening: On May 15, the U.S. departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury announced that they will not enforce the 2024 mental health parity final rule that aimed to improve access to mental health services by requiring health plans to make changes when inadequate access is provided.
What’s happening: Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed changes to Medicaid health care-related tax rules that pose significant risks to California’s managed care organization (MCO) tax and Hospital Quality Assurance Fee Program.
What’s happening: At its May 19 meeting, the Proposition (Prop) 35 “Protect Access to Health Care Act” Stakeholder Advisory Committee heard stakeholder concerns about Gov. Gavin Newsom’s May budget revision, which redirects Prop 35 funding rather than allocating it for provider payment increases as intended.
What’s happening: CHA DataSuite has issued a hospital-specific analysis of the Medicare hospital federal fiscal year (FFY) 2026 wage index and occupational mix data. It is important that hospitals review these wage data and submit disputes and/or correction requests by May 30.
What’s happening: Registration for CHA’s 2025 Disaster Planning Conference, taking place Sept. 9-10 in Sacramento, is open. Early bird pricing for both members and nonmembers expires on Aug. 7.
What’s happening: The American Hospital Association (AHA) is giving hospitals extra time to complete its Annual Survey, which will help health care leaders, policymakers, and researchers describe and understand hospital operations. The deadline has been extended to Aug. 11.
Over the past couple of weeks, as federal and state budget proposals have come into sharper focus, the details are shaping up to be grim for hospitals and the patients who rely on them.
What’s happening: Yesterday, Gov. Gavin Newsom released the May budget revision, which included proposals to pull away $1.6 billion in funding dedicated to health care organizations through last year’s Proposition 35. This came just days after the House Energy and Commerce Committee released a proposal to cut more than $715 billion from Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California).