AB 4 (Arambula, D-Fresno)
Follow
Held on the Assembly Appropriations Committee suspense file on May 23.
AB 4 would require the California Health Benefit Exchange to design a program, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to allow individuals to obtain coverage regardless of immigration status.
Mark Farouk
Ben Johnson
AB 220 (Jackson, D-Moreno Valley)
Support
Passed the Senate Health Committee on June 25. July 14 hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 220 would mandate that providers of pediatric or adult subacute care include a standardized form with treatment authorization requests, preventing Medi-Cal managed care plans from imposing their own criteria for determining medical necessity outside of what is required in those standardized forms.
Senate Health Committee Support Letter
Senate Appropriations Committee Support Letter
Mark Farouk
Ben McGowan
AB 543 (M. González, D-Los Angeles)
Support Through Coalition
Passed the Senate Health Committee on June 18. July 7 hearing in the Senate Appropriations Committee.
AB 543 would allow a Medi-Cal managed care plan to elect to offer Medi-Cal covered services through a contracted street medicine provider, and enable those providers to access benefits for Medi-Cal beneficiaries experiencing homelessness — including durable medical equipment, diagnostics, and other essential care — at the point of care.
Vanessa Gonzalez
Peggy Broussard Wheeler
AB 627 (Stefani, D-San Francisco)
Support
Passed the Senate Appropriations Committee on June 30. Pending a Senate floor vote on consent.
AB 627 would allow the California Health Facilities Financing Authority to issue long-term working capital financing by removing the limitation that loans be repaid within 24 months.
Senate Health Committee Support Letter
Senate Appropriations Committee Support Letter
Mark Farouk
Ben Johnson
AB 974 (Patterson, R-Rocklin)
Support
Held on the Assembly Appropriations Committee suspense file on May 23.
AB 974 would prohibit health plans from requiring providers — that are billing allowable costs for services rendered to enrollees with other health care coverage (OHC) — to have in-network status. This bill would also require the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to ensure these providers do not face administrative requirements in excess of what DHCS imposes for OHC billing in the Medi-Cal fee-for-service system.
Assembly Health Committee Support Letter
Assembly Appropriations Committee Support Letter
Mark Farouk
Ben McGowan
AB 1161 (Harabedian, D-Pasadena)
Support
Held on the Assembly Appropriations Committee suspense file on May 23.
AB 1161 would require continuous eligibility for several state benefit programs, including Medi-Cal, for a recipient or beneficiary who has been displaced or affected by a state or health emergency.
Assembly Human Services Committee Support Letter
Assembly Appropriations Committee Support Letter
Mark Farouk
Ben McGowan
AJR 3 (Schiavo, D-Santa Clarita)
Support
Passed the Senate Human Services Committee on June 16. Pending a Senate floor vote.
AJR 3 would call on the state’s representatives in Congress to vote against cuts and proposals to privatize Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
Assembly Public Employment and Retirement Committee Support Letter
Mark Farouk
Adam Dorsey
SB 242 (Blakespear, D-Encinitas)
Support
Held on the Senate Appropriations Committee suspense file on May 23.
SB 242 would prohibit using an individual’s medical history to make a coverage determination for those enrolled in Medigap policies, but would allow premium rates to vary based on the applicant’s age at time of issue.
Senate Health Committee Support Letter
Mark Farouk
Ben Johnson
SB 246 (Grove, R-Bakersfield)
Support
Passed the Assembly Health Committee on June 16. To be heard in the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
SB 246, sponsored by the District Hospital Leadership Forum, would establish a Medi-Cal graduate medical education program for district hospitals.
Assembly Health Committee Support Letter
Assembly Appropriations Committee Support Letter
Mark Farouk
Adam Dorsey
SB 530 (Richardson, D-Inglewood)
Support
Passed the Senate on May 29. July 15 hearing in the Assembly Health Committee.
SB 530 would eliminate the existing sunset for the Medi-Cal network adequacy and timely access standards. It would also add more transparency and accountability to the state’s oversight of managed care plans’ compliance with these requirements and the process for approving alternative access standards. Amendments taken in the Senate Appropriations Committee revise the specialist categories.
Assembly Health Committee Support Letter
Kalyn Dean
Ben McGowan