California Health Care Legislation Update

Here’s a quick summary of some of the key health care bills, all of which have passed out of the first house as of Friday 6/1 and will be heard in the health committee in the second house:

* SB961 (Hernandez) “reforms” the individual health insurance market, pursuant to the Affordable Care Act.

* SB970 (De Leon) facilitates the “no wrong door” to eligibility and enrollment for health and social services programs. This was one of the only bills that passed with bipartisan support.

* SB1410 (Hernandez) makes changes to the independent medical review process to provide more disclosure.

* AB1800 (Ma), sponsored by Health Access and the MS Society, limits out of pocket costs for consumers. This bill has been significantly amended; earlier versions imposed more regulation on pharmacy benefits.

* AB1461 (Monning), similar to SB 961, deals with individual market rules.

* AB1526 (Monning) expands eligibility for the state’s high risk insurance pool to make its requirements similar to the federal high risk pool, PCIP.

* AB1636 (Monning) creates a process to review and evaluate the effectiveness of wellness incentive programs.

* AB1846 (Gordon) requires the licensing and regulation of Co-Op health plans under Knox-Keene.

* AB2350 (Monning) requires more reporting by plans on products sold in the California market.

* AB1553 (Monning) codifies the medical exemption process for individuals in Medi-Cal managed care.

* AB2266 (Mitchell) creates a medical home program for individuals who frequently use emergency room services.

* AB 2392 (Perez) directs the Department of Health Care Services to seek federal funding for interpretation services for Medi-Cal recipients.

* AB2508 ((Bonilla) requires call center services to be performed by California workers. This bill was “fixed” to exempt health care service plans.

Source: The John & Rusty Report via www.calchoice.com