The early bird registration rate for the 2019 North American Cannabis Summit has been extended to September 30. The summit will be held on January 28-30 in Los Angeles and will feature science-based conversations and information sharing among public health, environmental health, research, and policy stakeholders. The summit is co-sponsored by the California Department of…
Read More »Covered California on Thursday announced an expected average 8.7 percent increase in individual market health insurance premiums in 2019. Covered California noted, however, that consumers will likely be able to avoid any increase in premiums if they switch to the lowest cost plan within the same coverage tier. Thursday’s announcement described how federal policy actions,…
Read More »The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) this week released a report examining health care coverage expansions under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and their impact on the utilization of emergency department services. After controlling for factors such as patient age and health status, PPIC determined the odds of being a frequent emergency department user,…
Read More »After weeks of negotiations, Congressional leaders this week emerged with a $1.3 trillion omnibus budget bill that will fund the federal government through the remainder of the 2018 fiscal year, with funding expiring on September 30. The expansive 2,232 page bill featured significant increases in both defense spending, which was widely supported by President Trump…
Read More »Late this week, Congress passed another short-term government funding measure, once again narrowly avoiding a government shutdown. Recall, Congress passed a two-week funding measure on December 7 that extended current federal government funding levels through today, December 22. Congressional Republicans were left scrambling to piece together a funding measure earlier this week after placing much…
Read More »Given a surge in consumer interest, Covered California extended the enrollment deadline through today, December 22, for health coverage that will begin on January 1, 2018. Over the last two weeks, Covered California has experienced a significant increase in new consumers signing up for coverage. Overall open enrollment figures compared to last year are also…
Read More »On Wednesday, Senate and House Republicans struck an agreement on a consolidated sweeping tax reform bill. Recall, Congressional Republicans entered into conference last week to reconcile the differences between the Senate and House tax reform measures that were recently passed by both houses. Full details of the agreed-upon measure were not available at the time…
Read More »This week, House Committee on Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-New Jersey) introduced a continuing resolution to extend government funding through January 19, 2018. Recall, last week Congress passed a two-week government funding measure that expires next Friday, December 22. In addition to extending overall government funding, H.J. Res. 124, which is currently in the House…
Read More »After a series of fast-paced negotiations this week, U.S. Senate Republicans are poised to pass their sprawling $1.4 trillion tax reform measure with a vote expected yet this evening. On Tuesday, the Senate Budget Committee advanced the tax measure on a 12-11 partisan vote, clearing the way for a full Senate vote on the floor….
Read More »This week, Congressional Republicans pushed forward with tax reform measures that could end up having a significant impact on public health. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a sprawling tax bill, while the Senate continues work on their own proposal. This week’s actions are detailed below: House Passes Measure, Could Result in Impacts to Public…
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