BILL NUMBER: SB 1081 AMENDED
BILL TEXT
AMENDED IN SENATE APRIL 10, 2012
INTRODUCED BY Senator Fuller
FEBRUARY 14, 2012
An act to amend Section 15909.1 of , and to add Section
15910.5 to, the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to
Medi-Cal, making an appropriation therefor, and declaring the urgency
thereof, to take effect immediately.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 1081, as amended, Fuller. Public health care: Medi-Cal:
demonstration projects.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is
administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under
which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services.
The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal
Medicaid Program provisions. Existing law provides for the Health
Care Coverage Initiative, which is a federal waiver demonstration
project established to expand health care coverage to low-income
uninsured individuals who are not currently eligible for the Medi-Cal
program and other specified public health coverage programs.
Existing law requires the department, pursuant to federal approval of
a successor demonstration project, to authorize a local
Low Income Health Programs Program
(LIHP) to provide health care services to eligible low-income
individuals under certain circumstances. Under existing law, a
county, city and county, consortium of counties serving a region of
more than one county, or a health authority may be eligible to
operate an approved LIHP. Existing law establishes the continuously
appropriated LIHP Fund, which consists of moneys transferred to the
fund from a participating entity to meet the nonfederal share of
estimated payments to the LIHP.
This bill would provide that a nondesignated public hospital
, as defined, may be eligible to operate an approved LIHP if
it is located in a county that does not have a county
desi gnated public hospital , as
defined, and does not intend to operate a
an LIHP. By increasing the number of entities that may
transfer funds into the LIHP Fund, this bill would make an
appropriation.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as
an urgency statute.
Vote: 2/3. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1. Section 15909.1 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is
amended to read:
15909.1. For purposes of this part, the following definitions
shall apply:
(a) "Demonstration project" means a federal waiver or
demonstration project described in Section 14180 approved by the
federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that authorizes
the implementation of a successor to the Health Care Coverage
Initiative under Part 3.5 (commencing with Section 15900).
(b) (1) "Eligible entity" means any of the
following:
(A) A county.
(B) A city and county.
(C) A consortium of counties serving a region consisting of more
than one county.
(D) A health authority.
(E) A nondesignated public hospital, if the hospital is located in
a county that does not have a county
designated public hospital and the county does not
intend to operate a local Low Income Health Program pursuant to
Section 15910.5 .
(2) For purposes of this section and to the extent allowed under
the Special Terms and Conditions of the demonstration project, a
County Medical Services Program shall be considered a consortium of
counties serving a region consisting of more than one county.
(c) "LIHP" means a local Low Income Health Program authorized
pursuant to this part that is comprised of the following populations:
(1) The Medicaid Coverage Expansion (MCE) population, which means
low-income individuals 19 to 64 years of age, inclusive, who are not
pregnant, have family incomes at or below 133 percent of the federal
poverty level, are not eligible for the Medi-Cal program or the
Children's Health Insurance Program, are United States citizens,
nationals, or have satisfactory immigration status, and meet the
county of residence requirements.
(2) The Health Care Coverage Initiative (HCCI) population, which
means low-income individuals 19 to 64 years of age, inclusive, who
are not pregnant, have family incomes above 133 percent through 200
percent of the federal poverty level, are not eligible for the
Medicare Program, the Medi-Cal program, the Children's Health
Insurance Program, or other third-party coverage, are United States
citizens, nationals, or have satisfactory immigration status, and
meet the county of residence requirements.
(d) "Participating entity" means an eligible entity that operates
an approved LIHP.
(e) "Designated public hospital" has the same meaning as defined
in subdivision (d) of Section 14166.1.
(f) "Nondesignated public hospital" has the same meaning as
defined in subdivision (f) of Section 14166.1.
SEC. 2. Section 15910.5 is added to the
Welfare and Institutions Code , to read:
15910.5. An application by a nondesignated public hospital,
pursuant to paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 15909.1, to
the department to operate an LIHP also shall be provided at the same
time to the county in which the hospital is located. If the county
does not indicate in writing to the department that it will proceed
with its application within 30 days from the date of the application
by the nondesignated public hospital to the department, the
department shall consider the application of the nondesignated public
hospital to operate the LIHP.
SEC. 2. SEC. 3. This act is an
urgency statute necessary for the immediate preservation of the
public peace, health, or safety within the meaning of Article IV of
the Constitution and shall go into immediate effect. The facts
constituting the necessity are:
In order to improve access to health care services for patients in
underserved areas at the earliest possible time, it is necessary
that this act take effect immediately.