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CMS Proposes Changes to Medicaid Provider Tax Rules

What's happening: The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a proposed rule implementing the provider tax provisions included in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), while also proposing additional policy changes that would strengthen federal oversight of Medicaid provider taxes.

CHA Signs on to Second Letter on Cal/OSHA’s Proposed Changes to Walkaround Rule

What’s happening: CHA has signed on to a second coalition letter on the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health’s (Cal/OSHA) proposed rulemaking for Employer Representative and Representative Authorized by Employees During Workplace Inspections (walkaround rule). It would govern when employer representatives and employee-authorized representatives may accompany Cal/OSHA personnel during workplace inspections.

EMSA Pausing Audit Tool Compliance Activities Through August

What’s happening: The Emergency Medical Services Agency (EMSA) is pausing some activities associated with Assembly Bill 40 compliance and the ambulance patient offload time (APOT) Audit Tool. All APOT audits, compliance evaluations, and ongoing biweekly calls with participating facilities exceeding their APOT standard will be paused through August 2026.

DHCS to Host July 30 Town Hall on Enrollment Requirements for Pharmacy and Medical Billing Claims

What’s happening:  The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) will host a town hall on July 30 at 9:30 a.m. (PT) to explain Ordering, Referring, and Prescribing (ORP) enrollment requirements for claims across both pharmacy (Medi-Cal Rx) and medical (CA-MMIS) billing systems. While event registration is currently full, interested members should join the waitlist — CHA...

The Other Half of the Affordability Conversation

A pair of recent articles by nationally renowned health care policy experts — one in Health Affairs and one in The New York Times — underscores points that CHA has been making for years around the unintended consequences of artificially capping spending on health care services without adequately considering the impact on access to care, jobs, and patients’ experience.

A Burn Survivor’s Journey to a Nursing Career

After surviving severe burns from a flash fire, Lauren Polzin found her calling in one pivotal moment during a difficult hospital stay. While enduring a painful bandage change, she watched a Torrance Memorial Medical Center Burn Center nurse comfort her distressed mother with a spontaneous hug. The nurse’s act of compassion left a lasting impression, inspiring Polzin to pursue a career in nursing so she could provide the same support and comfort to patients and families facing traumatic experiences.

SB 934 (Wiener, D-San Francisco)

SB 934 would expand California's existing prohibition on conversion therapy to include a prohibition on efforts to change an individual's gender identity. Recent amendments taken at CHA’s request delete the provisions that undermined the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act. CHA is now neutral.