IVN recently examined AB 955, by Assemblymember David Alvarez. The bill seeks to expand a healthcare service program I created in 1998 as the author of SB1658.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom is reviving efforts to regulate the powerful and often opaque intermediaries at the center of the prescription drug supply chain. In a proposal unveiled as part of his revised May budget, Newsom calls for stringent oversight of pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), companies he says are driving up patient costs.

In less than a month, President Donald Trump has signed two major executive orders to overhaul the nation’s prescription drug pricing system. These orders have placed Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) at the center of the president’s ire and revived a controversial “Most Favored Nation” pricing policy that ties US drug prices to those abroad.

While healthcare in California has seen massive investments in coverage and access, these gains often mean little to border residents who split time, family, or even residency across two countries