Julia Vassey

State legislators work on bill to establish single-player healthcare system

As Californians brace for a possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act and the state’s marketplace, Covered California, legislators are working on an alternative healthcare bill that would establish a single-payer healthcare system in the state. The Healthy California Act, or Senate Bill 562, is a measure that proposes a premium tax towards a public fund, which would finance all healthcare services. State residents would pay into this fund, instead of paying a monthly premium to their insurer for a…

State legislators push bill to limit emergency room closures

California has one the nation’s lowest number of hospital emergency rooms per capita, and Bay Area legislators are calling this shortage a crisis, as the number of people who need urgent care services keeps growing. They are pushing for a bill that would require non-profit hospitals to obtain approval from the state Attorney General.

East Bay drinking water reservoirs reach full capacity

The East Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD)’s recent announcement that its drinking water reservoirs have reached full capacity might sound alarming after the spillway crisis in Oroville, but staffers say that is actually good news. It means a steady water supply to over a million of its customers in the East Bay, including Oakland and Richmond.

Possible repeal of Obamacare arouses local concern

As Californians, along with the rest of the nation, brace for a possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act, Marshawn Harris, an Oakland-based health care insurance broker, had been trying to sign up as many people as possible. “My goal is to get everyone enrolled and make sure they understand that Covered California [the state’s version of the Affordable Care Act] will be around at least until the end of 2017,” Harris said, referring to the state’s version of the Affordable…

High school students take to Richmond streets, protesting a Trump presidency

High school students across the East Bay walked out of class Wednesday and marched in protest of Donald Trump’s election, carrying signs and chanting. In Richmond, students from Leadership Public Schools, Kennedy High School and Richmond High School walked to City Hall, shutting down traffic on MacDonald Avenue along the way.