WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court seemed likely Tuesday to leave in place the bulk of the Affordable Care Act, including key protections for pre-existing health conditions and subsidized insurance premiums that affect tens of millions of Americans. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh, among the conservative justices, appeared in...
GOP Tries Again to Get High Court to Ax Health Care Law
WASHINGTON — A week after the 2020 election, Republican elected officials and the Trump administration are advancing their latest arguments to get rid of the Affordable Care Act, a long-held GOP goal that has repeatedly failed in Congress and the courts. In arguments scheduled for Tuesday, the Supreme Court will hear its...
Walters: Newsom’s High-Stakes Medi-Cal Overhaul
The old adage about tiny acorns growing into mighty oak trees is not confined to dendrology. It applies as well to governmental programs and there’s no better example than Medi-Cal, California’s program of health care for the poor. An addendum to the landmark federal legislation creating Medicare coverage for the...
Budget Deficit to Break $1 Trillion Despite Strong Economy
WASHINGTON — An annual congressional report says the U.S. budget deficit is likely to burst through the symbolic $1 trillion barrier this year despite a healthy economy. Tuesday's Congressional Budget Office report follows a burst of new spending last year and the repeal in December of several taxes used to...
Watch New 2020 Law #7: Health Insurance About to Be Mandatory in California
By Byrhonda Lyons, CalMatters In 2020, California will make health insurance mandatory — and charge a tax people to people without. For people who lack it now, there’s an upside: The state also will began giving subsidies to those who don’t qualify for assistance through the federal Obamacare program. In 2018,...
Debate Takeaways: Democratic Divisions Intensify
DETROIT — From the beginning, Joe Biden knew he would take heat at Wednesday's presidential debate. He was right — but he was not alone. The evening marked some of the toughest attacks California Sen. Kamala Harris has faced as a candidate. The exchanges were part of a broader ideological fight...
How to Help Small Business Owners Afford Health Care
Alma Beltran owns a successful small business, but that doesn’t mean she can afford health care for herself and her family. In fact, the Chula Vista entrepreneur, who is president of Graphic Image Label Inc., is facing a hard choice between the health of her loved ones and the health...
Biden Aggressively Defends Health Law Known as Obamacare
Joe Biden is taking an aggressive approach to defending the Affordable Care Act, challenging not just President Donald Trump but also some of his rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination who want to replace the current insurance system with a fully government-run model. The former vice president will spend much of the...
Dems Not Giving up on Russia Probe; Trump Visits Republicans
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump headed to Capitol Hill for a victory lap Tuesday, emboldened by the end of the government's Russia probe, even as Democrats continued to battle for release of special counsel Robert Mueller's full report and intensified their focus on other issues including efforts to save the...
My Turn: Here’s How to Avert California’s Next Health Care Crisis
California has never been shy about taking bold steps to tackle the most pressing issues affecting our nearly 40 million residents—from efforts protecting and expanding health care coverage to paving the way for more affordable health services. Now we must turn our attention to the next big health care challenge: a growing shortage of...