BILL NUMBER: AB 2470 CHAPTERED 09/27/06 CHAPTER 514 FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE SEPTEMBER 27, 2006 APPROVED BY GOVERNOR SEPTEMBER 27, 2006 PASSED THE ASSEMBLY AUGUST 21, 2006 PASSED THE SENATE AUGUST 14, 2006 AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 20, 2006 AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY MAY 4, 2006 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Ridley-Thomas FEBRUARY 23, 2006 An act to add Part 5.5 (commencing with Section 101960) to Division 102 of the Health and Safety Code, relating to health care. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 2470, Ridley-Thomas Health care master plan: Los Angeles County. Existing law establishes programs at the state and local level for the provision of health care benefits to low-income persons and other eligible persons. This bill would authorize the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to develop a master plan for the provision of health care in the county and to assemble a task force to address specified issues and to report to the board according to a schedule established by the board. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Part 5.5 (commencing with Section 101960) is added to Division 102 of the Health and Safety Code, to read: PART 5.5. LOS ANGELES COUNTY HEALTH CARE MASTER PLAN CHAPTER 1. Findings 101960. The Legislature finds and declares all of the following: (a) The County of Los Angeles faces very grave challenges in providing health care for its residents. (b) Almost one-half of the residents of Los Angeles County have no health insurance or rely on public programs, such as Medi-Cal for health coverage. (c) More than 1.6 million of the 10 million residents of Los Angeles County have no health insurance. More than two million residents of Los Angeles County depend on Medi-Cal or other public programs for their health insurance and many of these Los Angeles County residents rely on the county medical system to obtain needed health care. (d) Because of these severe demands, the county medical system faces recurrent crises and is unable to meet the needs of the residents of Los Angeles County. CHAPTER 2. Definitions 101961. For purposes of this part, the following definitions shall apply: (a) "Board" means the Board of Supervisors of Los Angeles County. (b) "County" means the County of Los Angeles. CHAPTER 3. Master Plan Authorization 101962. The board may, by ordinance, develop a master plan for health care in the county. 101963. The board may assemble a task force to develop a master plan for health care that is based on a long-range planning and policy analysis for the county department of health services, and report the plan to the board according to a schedule adopted by the board. 101964. The task force may do all of the following: (a) Evaluate the strategic priorities for Los Angeles County as they relate to the financing, operation, clinical focus, and administration of the health care delivery system for low-income people in Los Angeles County. (b) Take into account the possible impact of this planning and policy analysis for the Los Angeles community. (c) Integrate into the analysis the unique history, relationships, and other cultural and environmental issues that would make a difference between a plan that is technically correct but not likely to be implemented and one that is essentially a workplan to take a highly regarded, vitally important health system successfully through the next decade when there will be mounting pressures and challenges. 101965. In developing the plan under Section 101963, the task force shall address all of the following issues: (a) The following factors regarding the current health of the population of the county: (1) The population served. (2) The health status of each population. (3) Key health conditions that need to be addressed. (b) The following factors regarding the economic climate and its impact on health care: (1) The characteristics of the regional economy. (2) Health care and the regional economy. (c) Expenditures on health care provided to low-income persons, including all of the following aspects, as related to Los Angeles County: (1) The Medi-Cal program and the federal State Children's Health Insurance Program. (2) The federal Medicare Program. (3) Other tax-supported programs. (4) Other public support of health care programs. (5) Charity care. (d) Health care providers serving low-income patients, including both of the following: (1) The public system. (2) The private system. (e) Effectiveness of all of the following aspects of the public health care system: (1) Systemwide priorities. (2) The public health and communicable disease. (3) Preventive care. (4) Primary care. (5) Specialty care. (6) Emergency and trauma care. (7) Inpatient care. (8) Pharmacies. (9) Gaps in the current system of care. (10) Disease management. (f) The following aspects of partnerships with academic medical institutions: (1) History. (2) Faculty contract. (3) Medical staff leadership. (4) Long-term planning issues. (g) The following issues in system financing: (1) Adequate leveraging of local resources. (2) Maintenance of adequate revenue, local taxes, and taxpayer equity. (3) Out-of-county care. (4) Operational effectiveness. (5) Financial management and information technology. (6) Contracts for medical staff. (7) Additional service opportunities. (h) The health care workforce, as follows: (1) Demographics. (2) Trends. (3) Critical shortage areas. (4) Training and development. (i) Physical plant and facility challenges for the system, specifically a master plan for capital investment. (j) Potential provider partnerships with all of the following: (1) Private hospitals. (2) Childrens' hospitals. (3) Federal Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals. (4) Academic medical centers. (5) Community primary care. (6) Other health care agencies. (k) System governance, including, but not limited to: (1) The background of system governance. (2) The role of local government. (3) The role of the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. (4) The role of county health-related commissions. (5) The role of the state government. (6) The role of the federal government. 101966. The task force may make recommendations on the following to the board pursuant to the planning and policy analysis conducted under this part: (a) Priorities for clinical operations. (b) Systemwide issues. (c) The spectrum of care delivery. (d) Gaps in the current system. (e) Disease management. (f) Medical staff relationships. (g) Physical plant issues. (h) Priorities for health care financing. (i) System financial strategies. (j) Financial management. (k) Priorities for partnership development and expansion. (l) Priorities for an effective health system administration.