BILL ANALYSIS Ó SB 1465 Page 1 SENATE THIRD READING SB 1465 (Health Committee) As Amended August 4, 2014 2/3 vote. Urgency SENATE VOTE :35-0 HEALTH 17-0 APPROPRIATIONS 17-0 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Ayes:|Pan, Maienschein, |Ayes:|Gatto, Bigelow, | | |Ammiano, Bonilla, Bonta, | |Bocanegra, Bradford, Ian | | |Chesbro, Gomez, Gonzalez, | |Calderon, Campos, | | |Roger Hernández, | |Donnelly, Eggman, Gomez, | | |Lowenthal, Mansoor, | |Holden, Jones, Linder, | | |Nazarian, Nestande, | |Pan, Quirk, | | |Patterson, Ridley-Thomas, | |Ridley-Thomas, Wagner, | | |Rodriguez, Wieckowski | |Weber | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY : Requires local emergency medical services agencies (LEMSAs) to send a status report on their Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Fund reports to the Emergency Medical Services Authority (EMSA), rather than to the Legislature and requires EMSA to compile and send a summary of each LEMSA's report to the Legislature, as specified. Permits the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to cancel a provider application review process if an application package is withdrawn at the request of the applicant or provider. Reorganizes the quality assurance fee provisions to distinguish between supplemental payment rates (amounts that hospitals are paid) and fee rates (amount that hospitals pay). Makes numerous technical, clarifying changes to existing law. Extends the sunset on the California Health Benefits Review Program (CHBRP) from June 30, 2015, to December 1, 2015. Contains an urgency clause to ensure that the provisions of this bill go into immediate effect upon enactment. FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations Committee: 1)Costs to DHCS and EMSA to incorporate changes from this bill into current practice are negligible. 2)Extending the sunset on the CHBRP program will result in state SB 1465 Page 2 costs for an additional six months. The program is currently budgeted at $2 million annually. COMMENTS : According to the author, this bill makes a number of technical and clarifying changes to existing law and two substantive changes. The author explains that each county establishing an EMS Fund, commonly referred to as a Maddy Fund, is required to compile and send a report to the Legislature each year on the implementation and status of its Maddy Fund. The only way to access these reports is an in-person visit to the Assembly or Senate Health Committee along with a request in accordance with the Legislative Open Records Act. Requiring counties to report to the EMSA, and requiring EMSA to compile a summary of these reports, will provide more useful information to the Legislature and improve public access to the information. The author further writes, the other major change this bill makes is that currently, DHCS is required to see any application submitted for Medi-Cal provider enrollment through the entire review process. There is no process for an applicant to withdraw an application, or for DHCS to cancel its review process upon the request of an applicant. The author argues that by permitting DHCS to implement a withdrawal policy it will lift an unnecessary burden on Medi-Cal Provider Enrollment Division staff to follow through on applications that will never be completed. The California Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians (California ACEP) writes in support that this bill would make Maddy reports, which are already required of counties that have created a Maddy Fund, easily available to the public through EMSA. California ACEP states that currently these reports are required to be submitted to the Assembly and Senate Health Committees, making the sole means of access an in-person visit to their State Capitol offices. Requiring EMSA to both collect the reports and issue annual reports to the Legislature will afford the public better access to these reports. There is no known opposition to this bill. Analysis Prepared by : Patty Rodgers / HEALTH / (916) 319-2097 SB 1465 Page 3 FN: 0004751