BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 512
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Date of Hearing: April 17, 2013
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Mike Gatto, Chair
AB 512 (Rendon) - As Introduced: February 20, 2013
Policy Committee: Business,
Professions and Consumer Protection Vote: 13-0
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
No Reimbursable: No
SUMMARY
This bill extends the sunset date, from 2014 to 2018, of the
California licensure exemption for health care practitioners who
are licensed or certified in other states and who provide health
care services on a voluntary basis to uninsured or underinsured
persons in California, as specified.
FISCAL EFFECT
In 2013-14, negligible fee-supported costs to the licensing
boards affected. The amount could increase in later years,
depending on the number of practitioners and events subject to
the bill, but the amounts would still be minor and
fee-supported.
If boards that have not yet adopted regulations to authorize
practitioners to participate in health fairs do so, there could
be additional costs to the extent the regulations are not
completed prior to current law's sunset. Based on regulations
adopted by three boards thus far, costs for further regulations
should be minimal and absorbable to the boards.
COMMENTS
1)Rationale . According to Los Angeles County (LA County),
sponsor of this measure, the original licensure exemption in
AB 2699 (Bass), Chapter 270, Statutes of 2010, contained
appropriate checks and balances to ensure patient safety when
out-of-state practitioners volunteer at specified types of
health events providing free care. It has taken significant
time for healing arts boards to promulgate regulations so
AB 512
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out-of-state practitioners may volunteer their services
pursuant to AB 2699. LA County has more than two million
uninsured people and there will still be a residual uninsured
population when health reform implementation begins in January
2014.
2)Background . LA County health care practitioners, clinics,
public officials, and others have sponsored multi-day health
clinics over the last several years. Approximately 20,000
people who are underserved and uninsured received free care
valued at approximately $10 million at what is called CareNow
Clinic in LA County.
Although AB 2699 called for regulations, the Medical Board of
California (MBC), Dental Board of California (DBC), and Board
of Registered Nursing (BRN) did not have regulations in place
until last year. The Optometry Board is in the process of
promulgating regulations. It is difficult at this time to
determine how much outreach will occur to draw in volunteers
from other states. As an example, MBC has authorized one
physician to participate during the eight months since
regulations were approved.
3)Concerns about patient harm . In opposition, the California
Nurses Association (CNA) asserts the state's healing arts
boards do not have authority to regulate or enforce discipline
against an out-of-state practitioner who harms a patient. CNA
supports efforts to expand access to health care and while
expressing support for the spirit of the existing law, CNA
opposes the actual law and the proposed sunset extension in
this bill.
Analysis Prepared by : Debra Roth / APPR. / (916) 319-2081