CAHP Fact Sheet: New Health Care Mandates Would Drive Up Premiums By Nearly $634 Million, Jeopardizing Affordability
California’s health plans provide health care coverage for more than 28 million people and are dedicated to ensuring that everyone has access to high quality, affordable health care services. In 2026, California lawmakers are considering many new health care mandate bills that, as proposed, would altogether drive up premiums by nearly $634 million. This push by the legislature for new, expensive health care mandates comes at a time when California is trying to improve health care affordability.
CAHP Fact Sheet: California’s Health Care Dollar
The vast majority of health plan spending in California goes to pay for medical services for hospital and doctor visits, prescription drugs, lab tests, x-rays, and medical supplies. In 2024, health plans spent $256 billion, or 87 cents out of every health plan dollar, on medical care.
CAHP Fact Sheet: Why Rising Hospital Costs Matter for Health Care Affordability in California
California has set targets on how fast health care costs grow. These health care cost targets are set by the Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA)—and apply to hospitals, health plans, and providers. They are designed to slow rising costs and make care more affordable for Californians.
CAHP Press Release: CAHP and ACLHIC Issue Fact Sheet Highlighting Recent Study Finding High California Hospital Cost Growth May Jeopardize Affordability Efforts
The California Association of Health Plans and the Association of California Life and Health Insurance Companies today released a new fact sheet highlighting a recent University of Chicago study finding that cost growth at many California hospitals is far above targets set by the state’s health care affordability agency, the Office of Health Care Affordability, raising serious concerns about whether California can meet its affordability goals.
Your Plan Your Advocate Press Release: ICYMI: California Black Chamber President Jay King Calls for Legislature to Oppose Costly Health Care Mandates in Sacramento Bee Opinion Editorial
With Californians clamoring for relief from high prices and businesses facing rising costs on all fronts, California Black Chamber of Commerce President Jay King has called for legislators to heed calls for affordability by suspending “any proposals for costly new health care mandates” in
the Sacramento Bee.
Your Plan Your Advocate Fact Sheet: Where does your monthly health care premium dollar go?
Follow the money to see how your dollars are spent delivering care.
CAHP Press Release: CAHP Urges Legislative Leaders to Prioritize Health Care Affordability by Opposing New Health Care Mandates
The California Association of Health Plans has sent a letter to key legislative leaders, including Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limon, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, and Senate and Assembly Health Committee chairs, urging them to make health care affordability a top priority for all Californians.
CAHP Press Release: California Association of Health Plans Releases Fact Sheet on AB 298
The California Association of Health Plans today released a new fact sheet outlining affordability concerns about Assembly Bill 298 (Bonta) and its impact on health care costs for Californians
CAHP Fact Sheet: Vote NO on AB 298
AB 298 Fails the Affordability Test
As currently written, Assembly Bill 298 (D Bonta) would drive up health care premiums by $711,200,000, according to the non-partisan California Health Benefits Review Program (CHBRP).
At a time when Californians are struggling with the cost of living, lawmakers should focus on lowering health care costs, not passing bills like AB 298 that drive premiums higher for families, workers, and employers statewide.
CAHP Press Release: CAHP Issues Statement on Governor’s January 2026-2027 State Budget
California Association of Health Plans President and CEO Charles Bacchi today issued a statement in response to California Governor Gavin Newsom’s release of the 2026-27 state budget proposal.