BILL ANALYSIS Ó SENATE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH Senator Ed Hernandez, O.D., Chair BILL NO: AB 2315 AUTHOR: Monning INTRODUCED: February 24, 2012 HEARING DATE: June 27, 2012 CONSULTANT: Rubin SUBJECT : Governor's appointments: Senate confirmation. SUMMARY : Corrects a reference in existing law related to appointments by the Governor subject to Senate confirmation to reflect the transfer of the Office of the Patient Advocate (OPA) from the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) to the California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHSA). Existing law: 1.Lists the patient advocate among the officers appointed by the Governor that are subject to Senate confirmation. 2.Transfers OPA from the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) to the California Health and Human Services Agency (CHSSA), effective July 1, 2012. This bill: Corrects a reference to OPA in existing law concerning appointments by the Governor subject to Senate confirmation to reflect its placement in CHHSA. FISCAL EFFECT : This bill is keyed non-fiscal. PRIOR VOTES : Assembly Health:19- 0 Assembly Floor:70- 0 COMMENTS : 1.Author's statement. AB 922 (Monning), Chapter 552, Statutes of 2011, transfers the OPA from DMHC to CHHSA effective July 1, 2012, and requires existing OPA duties to apply to health insurers regulated by the California Department of Insurance and their insureds (in addition to DMHC-regulated health plans). AB 2315 makes a technical change to the Government Code to reflect the transfer of the OPA to CHHSA. 2.OPA. OPA was established in July 2000 in conjunction with DMHC to represent the interests of enrollees served by health Continued--- AB 2315 | Page 2 care service plans regulated by DMHC. AB 922 states that the Legislature recognizes that, because of the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on March 23, 2010, and the implementation of various provisions by January 1, 2014, it is appropriate to transfer OPA and to confer new responsibilities on OPA, including assisting consumers in obtaining health care coverage and obtaining health care through health coverage that is regulated by multiple regulators, both state and federal. 3.Related Legislation. AB 1869 (John A. Pérez) would add federal veterans health benefits to the list of public programs that OPA will be required to include, commencing January 1, 2013, in its efforts to provide outreach and education about health care coverage options. AB 1869 is pending in the Senate Appropriations Committee. 4.Technical amendments. In order to avoid chaptering conflicts and to ensure consistency with AB 1470 (Committee on Budget), the budget trailer bill that will establish the Department of State Hospitals, the author has offered the following technical amendments: a. On Page 2, Line 15: strike out "State" b. On Page 2, Line 23: strike out "Mental Health", and insert "State Hospitals" c. On Page 2, Line 24: strike out "Mental Health", and insert "State Hospitals" SUPPORT AND OPPOSITION : Support: None received. Oppose: None received. -- END --