About Holding Insurers Accountable
Patients deserve access to health care without unnecessary barriers from their insurance companies. But with 94% of the commercial health insurance market controlled by just six companies, health insurance companies have enormous power in California — and they increasingly use that power to deny enrollees access to care or even refuse to pay for care that’s already been delivered, all while padding their bottom lines. CHA is advocating for increased oversight and accountability to ensure commercial insurers meet their basic responsibilities to patients.
In 2023, CHA filed a lawsuit against Anthem alleging that it failed to ensure timely care for its beneficiaries. Read the latest here.
CHA also participates in the American Hospital Association’s Vitality Index, a key advocacy tool that tracks claims data. Learn more.
Healing Happens Here – at California Hospitals
This week, during the 73rd annual celebration of National Hospital Week, we are reminded to pause to consider the special role that hospitals play in our own lives and in the lives of our loved ones.
Battling Back Against Anthem’s Unlawful Hospital Penalties
CHA is taking the fight against Anthem’s new and harmful reimbursement penalty policy to the courts.
New Anthem Payment Policy Hurts Patients, Violates CA Law: CHA Lawsuit
SACRAMENTO (May 4, 2026) — The California Hospital Association (CHA) has filed a lawsuit against Anthem Blue Cross to prevent the insurance giant from penalizing hospitals when Anthem enrollees choose a doctor that is out of network, a choice explicitly allowed by their health insurance plan.
New Anthem Policy Driven by Profits, Not Patients
Earlier this week, CHA sent a pointed letter to the president of Anthem Blue Cross of California, calling out the insurance behemoth’s new multistate payment policy — an unjust and harmful practice that will penalize California hospitals for providing care to patients involving non-participating physicians or providers.
Anthem to Impose 10% Penalty on Hospital Claims Involving Non-Participating Providers
What’s happening: Anthem Blue Cross of California announced in a provider bulletin that, on June 1, it will implement a controversial policy that applies a 10% payment penalty on facility claims when hospitals provide care to patients involving non-participating physicians or providers.
Insurance Companies Play Blame Game, But They Have Much to Answer For
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.
National News Shines Spotlight on Horrors of Insurance Company Denials
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.
Issue Brief: All Californians Deserve Timely Access to Medical Care
Current California standards require health plans to ensure that their enrollees have timely access to medical care — such as being within 15 miles or a 30-minute drive from a hospital. Unfortunately, many people covered by Medi-Cal still face significant hurdles to access care.
Key Messages: All Californians Deserve Timely Access to Medical Care
California standards that ensure timely access to care for Medi-Cal enrollees will expire in less than a year.
Creators of the Vitality Index Payer Scorecard Announce Partnership with HFMA
What’s happening: Hyve Health, the creator of the CHA-endorsed Vitality Index Payer Scorecard, has entered into a national partnership on payer accountability with the Healthcare Financial Management Association. What else to know: CHA continues to encourage members to enroll in the scorecard tool, which will provide critical information to support CHA’s advocacy to hold insurers...