Gov. Newsom’s healthcare initiatives will test what a single state can achieve on its own

Gov. Gavin Newsom set down a marker for his administration’s approach to healthcare policy on its very first day, when he unveiled a strikingly comprehensive package of reform proposals aimed at improving access to care and lowering its costs.

The governor’s proposalsinclude expanding Medicaid coverage (known in California as Medi-Cal) to undocumented youths to age 26, up from the current limit of 19; extending premium subsidies to households earning up to 600% of the federal poverty line ($154,500 for a family of four), up from the Affordable Care Act’s 400% ($103,000 for four); and creating a bulk purchasing system aimed at reducing the cost of prescription drugs by leveraging the state’s huge aggregate market.