BILL ANALYSIS Ó AB 505 Page 1 Date of Hearing: May 8, 2013 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Mike Gatto, Chair AB 505 (Nazarian) - As Amended: April 17, 2013 Policy Committee: HealthVote:18-0 Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: No Reimbursable: No SUMMARY This bill requires the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to require all Medi-Cal managed care (MCMC) plans (MCPs) to provide language assistance to limited-English-proficient (LEP) enrollees, as specified. FISCAL EFFECT Minor and absorbable costs to DHCS, as this bill essentially codifies current practice. COMMENTS 1)Rationale . This bill is intended to codify language assistance requirements in current contracts between DHCS and MCPs, in order to strengthen these access standards. The author points out more than 40% of Californians speak a language other than English at home, and an estimated six to seven million people (one in five) are LEP, meaning they speak English less than "very well." 2)Background . For over a decade, DHCS has required MCPs to provide language assistance to LEP members. MCPs must provide oral interpretation services, in all languages, on a 24 hour basis. Currently, by contract, translation services of written documents, such as application for enrollment or notice of benefits, must be provided when the LEP population meets one of the numeric thresholds specified in this bill. According to the author, the following languages meet the current threshold required for translation services: Arabic, Armenian, Cambodian, Cantonese, Farsi, Hmong, Korean, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, and, Vietnamese. AB 505 Page 2 The California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN), sponsor of this bill, writes in support that currently, DHCS requires MCPs to provide translated documents when a LEP population makes up a certain percentage or a threshold of the enrollee population. MCPs will see an influx of LEP enrollees after 2014. Over 1.42 million individuals from communities of color will be newly eligible for Medi-Cal under the federal ACA, over one-third will speak English less than very well. CPEHN argues the time is ripe to codify the State's decades-long language assistance policies that have helped to provide better access to health care for millions of LEP patients. CPEHN further states this bill protects the rights of LEP communities by codifying existing language assistance requirements in the MCMC program. 3)Related legislation . AB 1263 (John A. Pérez) establishes the Medi-Cal Patient Centered Communication (CommuniCal) program at DHCS to provide and reimburse for certified medical interpretation services to LEP Medi-Cal enrollees. AB 1263 is pending on this committee's Suspense File. 4)Previous legislation. AB 2392 (John A. Pérez) of 2012 was similar to this bill. AB 2392 passed both houses of the legislature but was not taken up for concurrence in the Assembly. SB 853 (Escutia), Chapter 713, Statutes of 2003, requires the Department of Managed Health Care and the California Department of Insurance to adopt regulations to ensure enrollees have access to language assistance in obtaining health care services. Analysis Prepared by : Debra Roth / APPR. / (916) 319-2081