BILL NUMBER: AB 1671	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  MAY 3, 2005

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Members Richman and Nation

                        FEBRUARY 22, 2005

   An act to add Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 437) to Division 1
of the Health and Safety Code, relating to health care programs.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 1671, as amended, Richman.  Cal-Health Act.
   Existing law establishes the State Department of Health Services.
The department administers certain health care programs, including
the Medi-Cal Program.
   This bill would enact the Cal-Health Act. The act would require
the department to establish an enrollment and retention program to
serve as a single point of entry  , but not the exclusive method
of enrollment and retention,  for all health care programs
offered by the state and local government agencies. The act would
require the department to use an electronic enrollment process.
 The act would authorize the department to use any state
government database to identify and locate individuals that may be
eligible for, but not enrolled in, health care programs. 
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:


  SECTION 1.  Part 1.5 (commencing with Section 437) is added to
Division 1 of the Health and Safety Code, to read:

      PART 1.5.  Cal-Health Act

      CHAPTER 1.  General Provisions

   437.
   This act shall be known and may be cited as the Cal-Health Act.
   437.01.
   The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
   (a) To address the problem of uninsured Californians who are
eligible for existing programs but, due to complex eligibility rules
and application procedures and other program inefficiencies, are
discouraged from applying and enrolling in those programs, it is
necessary to reform those portions of California's health care system
that are intended to provide health insurance coverage to the
uninsured.
   (b) The Legislature intends to accomplish this end by providing
easy one-step streamlined access for the currently eligible, but not
enrolled, by coordinating the administrative functions of those
programs and providing for accelerated enrollment for those programs.

   (c) (1) For a person with a family income at or below 250 percent
of the federal poverty level, it is the intent of the Legislature
that existing Medi-Cal and Healthy Families programs' income and
resource methodologies and other eligibility rules and application,
enrollment, retention, and seamless bridging procedures shall, to the
maximum extent permitted by federal law, be simplified, streamlined,
and coordinated through a program known as the Cal-Health Program
(Cal-Health). This simplification is required in order to eliminate
waste, to remove barriers to enrollment and retention of coverage,
and to take full advantage of federal matching funds to cover the
cost of providing medical care to California's uninsured.
   (d) To ensure that existing programs are used efficiently and to
ensure that California uses all available federal matching dollars to
cover its uninsured, it is the intent of the Legislature that
Cal-Health shall be responsible for creating and implementing
programs reaching out to and enrolling individuals and children in
the Medi-Cal and Healthy Families programs. To this end, it is the
intent of the Legislature that Cal-Health shall work with hospitals,
preschools, and elementary and secondary schools, and others to
ensure that individuals and children already eligible for these
programs enroll and receive benefits.
      CHAPTER 2.  Administration

   437.10.
   (a) The State Department of Health Services shall establish an
enrollment and retention program known as Cal-Health. This program
shall be a single point of entry  , but not the exclusive method
of enrollment and retention,  for all health care programs
offered by state and local government agencies.
   (b) The department shall use to the maximum extent possible an
electronic enrollment process such as the department's "Health e-App"
and may contract for private technology, enrollment, and retention
services.  
   (c) The department may use any state government databases to
identify and locate individuals that may be eligible for, but not
enrolled in, health care programs. This data base may be integrated
with other government databases to advance the purpose of expanding
enrollment.