Pauline Bartolone
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After two years of moderate rate hikes, a double-digit increase in the cost of insurance premiums in California is likely to resonate across the U.S. in the debate about the benefits of Obamacare.
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Healthcare.gov accepts any insurance plan on its marketplace that complies with minimum standards. It's now considering strengthening those standards, and it's looking to California to see how.
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Private insurers billed California $387.5 million to treat just 3,624 patients with new medications for hepatitis C. The people are covered by the state's Medicaid program.
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The state is often a step ahead of the status quo when it comes to environmental policy, and climate change is no exception. New legislation includes a plan to cut gasoline use in vehicles by half.
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A measure that would require more children to get vaccinated is moving ahead in the California Legislature. Though the state saw a large measles outbreak this year, final passage may be tough.
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Many Christian denominations officially oppose legislation that would legalize medically assisted suicide. But some individual churches, pastors and congregants are lending support to the cause.
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When Blue Shield of California stopped selling individual health policies in many zip codes in 2014, even insurance agents were surprised. Blue Shield says it dropped out to keep premiums low.
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California is seen as an Obamacare success story. But tens of thousands of people in the northern part of the state have only one insurer available on the health plan exchange.
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Where have the insurance marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act struggled the most? The answer lies in commerce, not politics.
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Medical school is now one year shorter for aspiring doctors. An initiative at the University of California, Davis aims to produce more primary care doctors with less med school debt.