The newsroom includes access to CHA News, which provides timely information to members every Thursday and is at the core of CHA benefits. In addition, it is also home to resources such as toolkits and talking points designed to help member hospitals and health systems communicate with internal and external audiences on a range of current health care-related issues. Links to CHA media statements and press releases can also be found here.
Newsroom
State Budget Negotiations Continue as Legislature to Submit Its Version of the Budget
What’s happening: The Legislature will send its version of the 2024-25 state budget, possibly addressing the managed care organization (MCO) tax issue, to the governor by the June 15 constitutional deadline.
What else to know: A key issue to be resolved is whether to restore funding for Medi-Cal providers from the MCO tax with a delay from 2025 to 2026.
Financial Challenges Persist, Jeopardize Access to Care
The lifesaving and lifechanging hospital care upon which all Californians rely continues to remain at significant risk.
CHA Comments on IPPS Proposed Rule
What’s happening: CHA asked the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to increase the payment update in comments on the federal fiscal year 2025 inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule.
What else to know: Members are encouraged to use CHA’s letter as a template to submit comments, which are due on June 10.
News and Notes from CHA’s Communications Department
What’s happening: CHA’s campaign to shine a light on harmful insurance company practices is performing well with its Sacramento audience.
What else to know: As of the end of May, the digital campaign has yielded:
CHA Raises Concerns Over Board of Pharmacy Proposed Regulations
What’s happening: CHA submitted comments in response to the Board of Pharmacy (BoP) proposed regulations on nonsterile compounding, sterile compounding, and hazardous medications.
What else to know: In these comments, CHA raises concerns about the regulations’ benefit to patients, the significant financial impact to hospitals, and the lack of evidence that pharmacies are not complying with current state and federal compounding standards.
Hospitals Can Require Change Healthcare to Make Breach Notifications
What’s happening: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that hospitals and health systems can require UnitedHealth Group to notify patients if their data was stolen during the Change Healthcare cyberattack on Feb. 22.
What else to know: CHA is urging the California Department of Public Health to make a similar clarification under state law.
MCO Funding Must be Restored
California’s Legislature has a little more than a week to finalize the state budget for the coming year — no small task given the multibillion-dollar, multiyear deficit at hand.
Hospital Leaders Press for Worker Protections, Seismic Extension
What’s happening: CHA members and staff visited state lawmakers on Wednesday to promote Assembly Bill (AB) 977 (Rodriguez, D-Pomona) that would increase protections for health care workers in emergency departments (EDs) and Senate Bill (SB) 1432 (Caballero, D-Merced) that would provide a time extension to hospitals from California’s 2030 seismic construction mandates.
What else to know: Both CHA-sponsored bills passed their respective chambers without a single negative vote. AB 977 moved forward on a 68-0 vote in January and SB 1432 by a 37-0 vote last week.
Updates for the Week of May 27
CHA Comments on Data Collection for MA Plans
What’s happening: CHA submitted comments to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to a request for information related to data collection for Medicare Advantage (MA) plans.
What else to know: CHA strongly encourages CMS to use the formal rulemaking process to implement additional data collection and reporting requirements.
