This Tuesday, August 1, Covered California released the proposed rates for the 2018 individual market. It is estimated that rates will increase by an average of 12.5% across the state to keep the states’ individual market stable. Covered California adopted a policy...
Health Matters
ACA Repeal Plans Have Failed in the Senate
It has been an especially intense week for healthcare advocates watching to see if the Senate would successfully pass a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Despite Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-KY) efforts to pass...
CHC Releases New Reports on Sweetened Beverage Tax, Fast Food Restaurant Policy, and Community Health Workers
CHC is excited to release the following in-depth reports pertaining to issues in our current Health Systems and Built Environment landscape: California's Sweetened Beverage Tax: A Health Impact Assessment The “California’s Sweetened Beverage Tax: A Health Impact...
Transforming the Healthcare Infrastructure to Counter the Workforce Shortage
The healthcare workforce shortage has been worsening over time with critical effects on hospitals, health centers, clinics, and ultimately the residents. Nationwide trends show a lack of adequate distribution of primary care practitioners and it is projected that...
CEO’s Corner – Health Matters Summer 2017
Where is the Collective Humanity of our Leaders? This past week I was intrigued by an interview I heard on NPR about a rare condition known as mirror-touch synaesthesia, where a person empathizes with others through a process of simulation. Much of the literature on...
Federal Savings by Cutting Patient Protections
According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report, the Senate’s Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) of 2017 would cause 22 million individuals to lose health care coverage over the next 10 years. This includes 68.2% who depend on Medicaid, with 15 million...
South and Southeast Los Angeles Community Plan Updates Approved by Planning Commission
In a city as large as Los Angeles, it would be nearly impossible to dictate land use policy at the General Plan level. As such, the city has been divided into 35 Community Plan Areas. The South and Southeast Los Angeles Community Plans are adjacent to each other and...
California Single-Payer Health Bill Not Moving Forward at this Time
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D- Lakewood) is delaying the progress of protecting and preserving the right to healthcare for all Californians. The Healthy California Act (SB 562) proposes that the state shifts to a single-payer system to provide all medically...
Proposition 64, Marijuana Legalization – Los Angeles City Implementation Policies Being Developed
In November 2016, California voters passed Proposition 64, Marijuana Legalization for recreational use for people aged 21 and over. The proposition also imposed a 15% sales tax, cultivation taxes, and will require a state licensing system, however it allows for local...
Flawed Budget Attacks Public Health & Wellbeing
This week, as with many of the weeks in 2017 has generated a lot of news, much of it bad news. First, on Tuesday the White House released President Trump’s proposed budget which intends to balance the federal budget within the next ten years. Unfortunately, this...