Covered California will waive deductibles for many patients, and continue generous subsidies, but a projected 9.6% rate hike signals that runaway health care costs are back after five years of low premium increases.

As the state verifies eligibility for its Medicaid program after a pandemic pause, up to 2.8 million Californians could be kicked off the rolls.

After weeks of negotiations, state legislators will start voting today on a budget deal that sets spending and policy across a wide range of issues affecting Californians.

After years of record California budget surpluses, Gov. Newsom outlined a plan to deal with a deficit he projects at $22.5 billion and said he can keep his big promises despite the shortfalls.

The agency also warned premiums may double for some enrollees if Congress does not renew federal aid.

New tax credits are also expected to lower premiums by an average of $180 per month for roughly 280,000 Bay Area residents.

The real question we should be asking is: “how can we afford not to adopt a single-payer system?”

Santa Clara County more than doubled its enrollment targets for the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare, driving up revenue for the Valley Health and Hospital System.

Valley Health Plan has managed to capture about 3 percent of the Santa Clara County market under Covered California, which is slightly below state levels. Though this figure pales in comparison to enrollment figures reported by the top four major healthcare providers, and it’s not as strong a figure as county officials expected two months away from the end-of-March enrollment deadline, it does represent a comparable market share to other small, local health plans, according to county officials.

It’s been nearly four years since I fought on the front lines of the health care reform battle, eventually resulting in the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a. Obamacare). But that feels like a lifetime ago, as the landmark policy now serves as a punchline. Not long from now, though, the joke will be on the critics.