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San Diego-based inewsource investigative reporter Jennifer Bowman has tracked policymakers’ responses to the region’s rising count of people with mental illness experiencing homelessness and the often futile efforts of family members to secure court orders involuntarily committing them to a medical treatment facility.
Two of the leading national journalism organizations that serve freelance writers, editors, photographers and visual journalists filed a lawsuit on Tuesday to challenge California’s new rules for independent contractors. Assembly Bill 5, or AB 5, takes effect on Jan. 1, so the American Society of Journalists and Authors and the National Press Photographers Association filed now to ask for an injunction.
The bill, which was drafted to curb unfair practices in the gig economy and signed into law in September, requires companies to take on contractors as employees if they meet certain requirements. Continue reading
The California State Capitol is the state’s working seat of government.
Lawmakers in several states have introduced — and in some cases, already approved — legislation that could restrict the way freelance writers operate next year.
In California, Assembly Bill 5 (AB 5) restricts employers from classifying workers as independent contractors rather than employees under certain conditions. Approved by Gov. Gavin Newsom in September, it goes into effect on Jan. 1. Similar bills in New York and New Jersey (S4204) will make waves during the 2020 legislative session. Continue reading
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In the years since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), California has employed Medicaid expansion and the state health insurance marketplace – Covered California – to dramatically increase health care coverage.
Still, roughly 3 million state residents, many of them vulnerable, poor, young, old and/or undocumented remain medically uninsured. And more – far more – are dentally uninsured. Continue reading
Photo: Elliot Margolies via Flickr
Health Affairs held an October event in Sacramento on California’s health policy landscape (also available as a podcast).
Here are some highlights from the panelists, all of whom are excellent potential sources for stories about health care policy in California and around the nation: Continue reading
