
A Port in the Storm
Value-based health insurance may offer stability for employers in a marketplace about to be upended by more new federal policies
Seven years after passage of the Affordable Care Act created a new world order in health insurance, it all may be upended. With a new administration in Washington, all or parts of Obamacare could be repealed and replaced. All the while, premium increases have continued apace:

As Trump Vows to Kill Climate Plan, California Pushes Back
California plans to reduce oil-refinery emissions 20 percent by 2030, providing more details about its effort to impose the nation’s strictest air-quality rules just as President Donald Trump takes office vowing to roll back federal climate policies.

California Considers Guaranteeing Carbon Prices in Trump Era
California is considering a system to protect projects that cut global-warming emissions from a market downturn that may worsen under a Trump administration.

Gov. Brown Focuses on Trump, Dark Clouds as State Booms
California is enjoying its highest credit rating since the turn of the century, thanks to a record-setting stock rally, a resurgent real estate market and a Silicon Valley boom that’s left the government reaping budget surpluses.

Comstock’s Top 10 Stories of 2016
Last year was one for the history books. But as we start the new year, we wanted to take one last look back at some of our best-performing and most-read articles of 2016. Take a look and see if you missed any of our greatest hits — or if something might deserve a second read.

California to Pay Billions More After CalPERS Cuts Assumed Rate
California will be forced to pay billions more in pension contributions for government employees after the state retirement system’s decision to lower its assumed rate of return.

California Drivers Pay for Underfunded State Patrol Pension
Californians in April will start paying more to register their cars — not to help maintain roads, but to keep the pension checks rolling for the motorcycle cops who policed them.

Wells Fargo Wants a Quiet End to Its Scandal, Risking More Noise
Wells Fargo’s attempt to force aggrieved customers into closed-door arbitration over its fake-accounts scandal is drawing a legislative backlash in its home state of California and risks subjecting the bank to another round as a public punching bag.

Infographic: The Low-down on Our Startups of the Month
Each month, Comstock’s online features a different Startup of the Month. As 2016 comes to a close, we take one last look at these startups to see how they stack up.

California’s Retirement Mandate Aims to Give Every Worker Chance to Save
The last time millions of Americans were signed up for a new government-mandated benefit program, it didn’t go so well. The initial rollout of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, resulted in broken websites, angry employers and lots of confused consumers.