BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1526
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Date of Hearing: May 6, 2015
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Jimmy Gomez, Chair
AB
1526 (Committee on Aging and Long-Term Care) - As Introduced
March 16, 2015
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| |Health | |13 - 0 |
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Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No
SUMMARY:
This bill requires the California Department of Public Health
(CDPH) to include the federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention's (CDC's) Caregiver Module in the annual Behavioral
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Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey for five years,
beginning on January 1, 2016.
FISCAL EFFECT:
GF costs to CDPH of $150,000 GF per year for five years,
assuming costs stay the same over the five year period. At the
current time, the cost for inclusion in the 2015 CA BRFSS survey
is $7,500 per question, and the module contains ten questions.
Over one calendar year, there are two survey tracks that are
administered, bringing the annual cost per question to $15,000.
COMMENTS:
1)Purpose. The author states California currently does not have
reliable, valid public health data regarding the burden of
caregiving. Conducting the survey is necessary to better
assess the scope and extent of caregiving in California, and
subsequently develop the most effective infrastructure and
support for our state's caregivers.
2)BRFSS. According to the CDC, the BRFSS is the nation's
premier system of health-related telephone surveys that
collect state data about U.S. residents regarding their
health-related risk behaviors, chronic health conditions, and
use of preventive services. BRFSS typically completes over
400,000 adult interviews each year.
3)Caregiver optional module. In 2009, the CDC offered the
Caregiver optional module as part of the BRFSS. The module
contains ten questions to determine basic demographic
information about the individual receiving care, the
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relationship of the caregiver to the individual, the length of
time the caregiver had been providing care, and related
questions. Several other states have opted to use the
Caregiver Module.
4)Staff Comments. The burden of caregiving is a significant
social issue and BRFSS seems an efficient way to collect
California data. However, the author may wish to examine the
frequency of data collection. Some surveys are done on a
biennial basis, for example, and provide a useful snapshot at
a lower cost than annual data collection. Must caregiving be
examined every year for five years? Would a biennial basis
suffice?
Analysis Prepared by:Lisa Murawski / APPR. / (916)
319-2081