On Monday, March 14, the Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Health and Human Services heard the Governor’s health care workforce budget proposals under the Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI). Representatives from the HCAI, the Legislative Analyst’s Office, Vision y Compromiso, and CHEAC were invited to participate in the panel discussion. While…
Read More »Governor Gavin Newsom on Monday announced a change in his legislative leadership in the Office of the Governor. Legislative Affairs Secretary Angie Wei, serving in her role since December 2020, will depart to serve as a member of the State Compensation Insurance Fund. Governor Newsom, in Wei’s place, has appointed Christy Bouma. Bouma has served…
Read More »The California Department of Finance (DOF) this week issued its March finance bulletin, providing a statewide economic update and detailing labor and revenue conditions. Notably, preliminary General Fund cash receipts for the first eight months of 2021-22 fiscal year were $17.534 billion above the 2022-23 Governor’s Budget forecast of $117.301 billion. Cash receipts for the…
Read More »This week, the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) made public its fiscal analysis on AB 1400 by Assembly Member Ash Kalra. Recall, the measure would have created a single-payer health care delivery system known as “CalCare.” A companion measure, ACA 11, would establish a financing mechanism for CalCare by imposing a excise tax, payroll tax, and…
Read More »On Monday, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra visited Butte County to host a roundtable session focused on pediatric vaccinations against COVID-19. Secretary Becerra, during his visit, met with Butte County Public Health, Enloe Medical Center, and local pediatricians to discuss strategies for promoting sound data and facts on vaccines, vaccinating children and…
Read More »This week, the White House sent a letter to Congress reiterating the need for additional emergency COVID-19 response funds and outlining consequences of a lack of funding. According to the White House, if funds are not appropriated by Congress soon, the U.S. will be unequipped to handle a future pandemic surge. Specifically, if immediate funding…
Read More »This week, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. announced a leadership change in his Administration’s COVID-19 response team. White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Jeff Zients will be stepping down from his role after serving the Administration for the past 14 months. President Biden applauded the work and expertise of Zients, coordinating strategies and infrastructure to deliver…
Read More »This week, both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna each announced they have formally requested authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for booster doses of their COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. On Tuesday, Pfizer-BioNTech submitted a request to the FDA for an emergency use authorization (EUA) for an additional booster dose for adults 65 and older who…
Read More »The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) recently issued a fact sheet on the federal government’s COVID-19 Test-to-Treat initiative. Recall, the U.S. Government unveiled the initiative to promote rapid access to free treatment for COVID-19. Beginning March 7, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) began distributing oral antivirals Paxlovid and Molnupiravir directly…
Read More »Today, the California Department of Public Health announced a change to its COVID-19 guidance for mega events. Effective April 1, 2022, requirements for vaccine verification or proof of a negative test for indoor mega events will be lifted and move to a strong recommendation. Additional information is available here.
Read More »