About Affordability
Health care is a basic human need, one that Californians rely on to live, grow, and prosper. Unfortunately, the cost of care has become too high for many working families. For years, California’s hospitals have made headway toward controlling costs. To ensure care for every Californian, the entire health care field must tighten its belt — insurance companies, physicians, labor unions, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, and more.
Improving affordability is a priority for California hospitals — but with nearly two-thirds of health care spending occurring outside of hospitals, solving this challenge will take a combined effort from the entire health care system. To move toward our shared goals of affordable, equitable, and high-quality health care, hospitals work closely with the Office of Health Care Affordability.
California is Killing Its Golden Goose
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.”
CHA Alert: Tell OHCA Board ‘No’ On Exorbitant Penalties That Endanger Health Care
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.
Tell OHCA Board ‘No’ On Exorbitant Penalties That Endanger Health Care
CHA Urges OHCA Board to Reject Draconian Penalties
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.
Recording of OHCA ‘High-Cost’ Hospital List Reassessment Now Available
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.
CHA Pushes Back Against OHCA Board’s Desire to Fine Its Way to Affordability
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.
CHA’s Two Sponsored Bills Make It Out of Assembly Health Committee
What’s happening: Despite the concerns of Chair Mia Bonta, both CHA-sponsored bills —Assembly Bill (AB) 1923 (Soria, D-Merced) and AB 2353 (Pacheco, D-Downey) — moved out of the Assembly Health Committee on Tuesday. AB 1923 would expand the Distressed Hospital Loan Program (DHLP) and AB 2353 would allow for additional cost analysis of proposed legislation and regulations...
OHCA Must Protect Workforce Stability, CHA Argues Ahead of April 22 Board Meeting
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.
Setting the Record Straight: Another Misleading Commentary
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.
Continuing to Hold the Office of Health Care Affordability Accountable
“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.