-
EAMS Modernization Moves Forward as DWC Issues New RFP
February 2, 2026 | Sacramento, CA —…
-
Medical-Legal Record Review Costs Surpass $93 Million as Utilization Rises
January 30, 2026 | Sacramento, CA —…
-
CMA Endorses AAP’s Evidence-Based Immunization Schedule Amid Federal Rollbacks
January 28, 2026 | Sacramento, CA –…
-
Supreme Court Redraws Federal–State Lines in Medical Malpractice Procedure
Jennifer BauderJanuary 26, 2026 | Washington, D.C. — MedLegalNews.com — A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision involving a Delaware medical malpractice statute is quietly recalibrating the balance between state medical liability frameworks and federal court procedure, a shift that may influence where cases are filed — but not how many are…
-
Healthcare Fraud Enforcement Accelerates Heading Into 2026
January 23, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — Federal scrutiny of healthcare fraud is intensifying as regulators enter 2026 with expanded investigative tools, renewed whistleblower incentives, and a growing reliance on data analytics. One year into the second Trump administration, enforcement agencies are continuing long-standing False Claims Act priorities…
-
Medi-Cal Full-Scope Enrollment Freeze Takes Effect in 2026, Reshaping Coverage Eligibility
January 21, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — California’s Medi-Cal program has entered a significant new phase as a full-scope enrollment freeze for certain adult applicants officially takes effect. Beginning January 1, 2026, adults aged 19 or older who are undocumented or lack satisfactory immigration status, and who are…
-
Medical Board of California Legislative Updates Signal Major Compliance Shifts for Physicians in 2026
January 19, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — California physicians and healthcare compliance professionals are entering 2026 under a reshaped regulatory framework as several Medical Board of California (MBC)–related legislative changes take effect. From Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) reporting exemptions to new license fees and physician wellness reforms, the updates…
-
Cal/OSHA Moves to Strengthen Workplace Violence Prevention Rules
January 16, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — California regulators are taking a significant step toward expanding employer responsibilities under the state’s workplace violence prevention framework. Cal/OSHA’s revised draft regulations would clarify and broaden how employers must comply with Labor Code §6401.9, signaling a more aggressive enforcement posture as workplace violence incidents continue to…
-
California Strengthens Equal Pay Enforcement With SB 642
January 15, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — California continues to lead the nation in workplace equity reforms with the passage of SB 642 (Limón), legislation that significantly expands state equal pay laws. The law broadens key definitions, extends the statute of limitations for wage discrimination claims, and clarifies categories of unlawful pay practices.…
-
Budget 2026 Confirms the Real Problem—and the Policy Failure
Jennifer BauderJanuary 14, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — The California 2026–27 Budget leaves no room for misdirection. The State of California has formally acknowledged that the central failure of the Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund (SIBTF) is delay—years-long delays that deny permanently disabled workers timely access to benefits they…
-
January 14, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — The California 2026–27 Budget leaves no room for misdirection. The State…
-
Critics Say Assemblymember Liz Ortega Was Misled Into Supporting SIBTF Reforms That Targeted Disabled Californians
Jennifer BauderJanuary 13, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — California Assemblymember Liz Ortega, a prominent labor leader and Chair of the Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment, has come under sustained criticism from disability advocates and workers’ compensation attorneys who argue that she was misled — or “hoodwinked,” in their words —…
-
Questions Raised Over 2024 RAND SIBTF Liability Study
January 7, 2026 — An investigation by The Jacobi Journal reports that the RAND Corporation’s 2024 study of California’s Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund (SIBTF) may have overstated the fund’s projected unfunded liability by approximately $6.75 billion, or about 632%, compared with the Journal’s recalculated estimate. The RAND study’s headline figure of a $7.9 billion…
-
California Lawmakers Target Licensing Barriers for Alternative Birth Centers Under AB 55
January 3, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — California is taking another step toward reshaping its maternal healthcare framework as lawmakers revisit long-standing regulatory hurdles affecting alternative birth centers. AB 55 (Bonta) focuses on expanding access to licensed, midwife-led birth centers while addressing persistent reimbursement challenges under Medi-Cal—an issue that has limited care options…
-
EAMS Modernization Moves Forward as DWC Issues New RFP
February 2, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — California’s Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) has taken a significant step toward modernizing its long-criticized Electronic Adjudication Management System (EAMS), issuing formal requests for proposals in January aimed at overhauling the backbone of the state’s workers’ compensation court infrastructure. The initiative signals renewed urgency inside the…
-
EAMS Modernization Moves Forward as DWC Issues New RFP
February 2, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — California’s Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) has taken a significant step toward modernizing its long-criticized Electronic Adjudication Management System (EAMS), issuing formal requests for proposals in January aimed at overhauling the backbone of the state’s workers’ compensation court infrastructure. The initiative signals renewed urgency inside the…
-
Medical-Legal Record Review Costs Surpass $93 Million as Utilization Rises
January 30, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — MLPRR is emerging as a major medical-legal cost driver in California, quietly reshaping workers’ compensation expense profiles for employers and insurers through record review charges billed by Qualified Medical Evaluators and Agreed Medical Evaluators. In 2023, QMEs and AMEs billed more than $93 million statewide for…
-
CMA Endorses AAP’s Evidence-Based Immunization Schedule Amid Federal Rollbacks
January 28, 2026 | Sacramento, CA – MedLegalNews.com — As federal health guidance undergoes significant contraction, the California Medical Association (CMA) has publicly reaffirmed its support for the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) 2026 childhood immunization framework, positioning the pediatric immunization schedule as the prevailing standard of care for physicians nationwide. The announcement follows the…
-
Supreme Court Redraws Federal–State Lines in Medical Malpractice Procedure
January 26, 2026 | Washington, D.C. — MedLegalNews.com — A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision involving a Delaware medical malpractice statute is quietly recalibrating the balance between state medical liability frameworks and federal court procedure, a shift that may influence where cases are filed — but not how many are brought. The ruling clarifies that…
-
Healthcare Fraud Enforcement Accelerates Heading Into 2026
January 23, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — Federal scrutiny of healthcare fraud is intensifying as regulators enter 2026 with expanded investigative tools, renewed whistleblower incentives, and a growing reliance on data analytics. One year into the second Trump administration, enforcement agencies are continuing long-standing False Claims Act priorities while widening their focus to…
-
Medi-Cal Full-Scope Enrollment Freeze Takes Effect in 2026, Reshaping Coverage Eligibility
January 21, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — California’s Medi-Cal program has entered a significant new phase as a full-scope enrollment freeze for certain adult applicants officially takes effect. Beginning January 1, 2026, adults aged 19 or older who are undocumented or lack satisfactory immigration status, and who are not pregnant, are no longer…
-
Medical Board of California Legislative Updates Signal Major Compliance Shifts for Physicians in 2026
January 19, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — California physicians and healthcare compliance professionals are entering 2026 under a reshaped regulatory framework as several Medical Board of California (MBC)–related legislative changes take effect. From Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) reporting exemptions to new license fees and physician wellness reforms, the updates…
-
Cal/OSHA Moves to Strengthen Workplace Violence Prevention Rules
January 16, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — California regulators are taking a significant step toward expanding employer responsibilities under the state’s workplace violence prevention framework. Cal/OSHA’s revised draft regulations would clarify and broaden how employers must comply with Labor Code §6401.9, signaling a more aggressive enforcement posture as workplace violence incidents continue to…
-
California Strengthens Equal Pay Enforcement With SB 642
January 15, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — California continues to lead the nation in workplace equity reforms with the passage of SB 642 (Limón), legislation that significantly expands state equal pay laws. The law broadens key definitions, extends the statute of limitations for wage discrimination claims, and clarifies categories of unlawful pay practices.…
-
El Presupuesto 2026 Confirma el Problema Real — y el Fracaso de la Política Pública
El Presupuesto de California 2026–27 no deja espacio para distracciones ni interpretaciones engañosas. El Estado de California ha reconocido formalmente que la falla central del Fondo Fiduciario de Beneficios por Lesiones Subsecuentes (Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund, SIBTF) es el retraso: retrasos de años que niegan a trabajadores permanentemente discapacitados el acceso oportuno a los beneficios que la ley les…
-
EAMS Modernization Moves Forward as DWC Issues New RFP
February 2, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — California’s Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) has taken a significant step toward modernizing its long-criticized Electronic Adjudication Management System (EAMS), issuing formal requests for proposals in January aimed at overhauling the backbone of the state’s workers’ compensation court infrastructure. The initiative signals renewed urgency inside the…
-
Medical-Legal Record Review Costs Surpass $93 Million as Utilization Rises
January 30, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — MLPRR is emerging as a major medical-legal cost driver in California, quietly reshaping workers’ compensation expense profiles for employers and insurers through record review charges billed by Qualified Medical Evaluators and Agreed Medical Evaluators. In 2023, QMEs and AMEs billed more than $93 million statewide for…
-
CMA Endorses AAP’s Evidence-Based Immunization Schedule Amid Federal Rollbacks
January 28, 2026 | Sacramento, CA – MedLegalNews.com — As federal health guidance undergoes significant contraction, the California Medical Association (CMA) has publicly reaffirmed its support for the American Academy of Pediatrics’ (AAP) 2026 childhood immunization framework, positioning the pediatric immunization schedule as the prevailing standard of care for physicians nationwide. The announcement follows the…
-
Supreme Court Redraws Federal–State Lines in Medical Malpractice Procedure
January 26, 2026 | Washington, D.C. — MedLegalNews.com — A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision involving a Delaware medical malpractice statute is quietly recalibrating the balance between state medical liability frameworks and federal court procedure, a shift that may influence where cases are filed — but not how many are brought. The ruling clarifies that…
-
Healthcare Fraud Enforcement Accelerates Heading Into 2026
January 23, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — Federal scrutiny of healthcare fraud is intensifying as regulators enter 2026 with expanded investigative tools, renewed whistleblower incentives, and a growing reliance on data analytics. One year into the second Trump administration, enforcement agencies are continuing long-standing False Claims Act priorities while widening their focus to…
-
Medi-Cal Full-Scope Enrollment Freeze Takes Effect in 2026, Reshaping Coverage Eligibility
January 21, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — California’s Medi-Cal program has entered a significant new phase as a full-scope enrollment freeze for certain adult applicants officially takes effect. Beginning January 1, 2026, adults aged 19 or older who are undocumented or lack satisfactory immigration status, and who are not pregnant, are no longer…
-
Medical Board of California Legislative Updates Signal Major Compliance Shifts for Physicians in 2026
January 19, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — California physicians and healthcare compliance professionals are entering 2026 under a reshaped regulatory framework as several Medical Board of California (MBC)–related legislative changes take effect. From Controlled Substance Utilization Review and Evaluation System (CURES) reporting exemptions to new license fees and physician wellness reforms, the updates…
-
Cal/OSHA Moves to Strengthen Workplace Violence Prevention Rules
January 16, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — California regulators are taking a significant step toward expanding employer responsibilities under the state’s workplace violence prevention framework. Cal/OSHA’s revised draft regulations would clarify and broaden how employers must comply with Labor Code §6401.9, signaling a more aggressive enforcement posture as workplace violence incidents continue to…
-
California Strengthens Equal Pay Enforcement With SB 642
January 15, 2026 | Sacramento, CA — MedLegalNews.com — California continues to lead the nation in workplace equity reforms with the passage of SB 642 (Limón), legislation that significantly expands state equal pay laws. The law broadens key definitions, extends the statute of limitations for wage discrimination claims, and clarifies categories of unlawful pay practices.…
-
El Presupuesto 2026 Confirma el Problema Real — y el Fracaso de la Política Pública
El Presupuesto de California 2026–27 no deja espacio para distracciones ni interpretaciones engañosas. El Estado de California ha reconocido formalmente que la falla central del Fondo Fiduciario de Beneficios por Lesiones Subsecuentes (Subsequent Injuries Benefits Trust Fund, SIBTF) es el retraso: retrasos de años que niegan a trabajadores permanentemente discapacitados el acceso oportuno a los beneficios que la ley les…