California Governor Candidates Offer Vague Plans on Healthcare Costs
KFF Health News reports that California's gubernatorial candidates have offered few concrete proposals to address rising healthcare costs, even as 4 in 10 adults in the state report carrying medical debt and employer family premiums have climbed 24% since 2022. Democrat Xavier Becerra, the frontrunner, has pledged to negotiate lower drug prices, pursue antitrust action against hospital consolidation, and has called for Congress to restore an estimated $900 billion in federal Medicaid cuts and reinstate expired enhanced ACA tax credits, though both are federal rather than gubernatorial matters. Republican Steve Hilton wants to build on state price-transparency and PBM laws and proposes partially replacing Medi-Cal with personal healthcare accounts of up to $10,000 a year, an idea unlikely to advance in the Democrat-controlled legislature. Neither candidate agreed to interviews on their health policies, leaving voters without detailed funding or implementation plans ahead of the election.