Developments in California Health Care Law in 2014

H. Thomas Watson, Carol Scott, David Johnson, and Ellin Davtyan

The pace of change in California health care law slowed during 2014, allowing health care consumers, providers, payors, and regulators to absorb and react to the sweeping legislative changes enacted at the state and federal levels from 2010 to 2013. In November, California voters rejected two propositions that would have given the State Insurance Commissioner the right to review and reject health insurance rate increases (Proposition 45) and raised the cap on non-economic personal injury damages against health care providers (MICRA) from $250,000 to $1.1 million (Proposition 46). However, the Legislature passed, and the Governor signed, approximately 50 bills that made incremental changes to individual areas of health care law. California appellate courts also handed down important decisions affecting such things as the valuation of services by non-contracted providers and the tort damages and defenses available to health care providers and patients.

2014 Legislation

Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly Reform Act of 2014