BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
AB 2308 (Roger Hernández) - Health care coverage: information
to students
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|Version: June 28, 2016 |Policy Vote: ED. 8 - 0 |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: Yes |
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|Hearing Date: August 1, 2016 |Consultant: Jillian Kissee |
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This bill meets the criteria for referral to the Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: This bill requires the California State University
(CSU) and the California Community Colleges (CCC) to provide
students with information about insurance affordability
programs, including how to apply for Medi-Cal and Covered
California. This bill also extends the sunset date by two years
to January 1, 2021, for K-12 school districts to provide parents
with this information on school enrollment forms.
Fiscal
Impact:
Unknown costs for additional enrollment in Medi-Cal (General
Fund and federal funds). Giving CSU and CCC students and
AB 2308 (Roger Hernández) Page 1 of
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continuing to provide K-12 parents information about the
availability of Medi-Cal coverage may encourage some consumers
to opt to apply for Medi-Cal, as intended. The extent to
which this will occur is unknown. This effect may be small,
given the significant public awareness of access to coverage
through Covered California and Medi-Cal following the
implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the imposition
of an individual mandate to have health care coverage.
However, even a very small overall increase in Medi-Cal
enrollment would have a significant fiscal impact since the
cost to provide coverage to an adult in Medi-Cal ranges from
about $1,200 per year to $6,000 per year (General Fund and
federal funds).
CSU anticipates one-time costs of $50,000 General Fund in
staff time to comply with this bill.
The CCCs anticipate minor costs for campuses to comply with
this bill.
Continuation of likely minor, reimbursable state mandate costs
for schools to provide information about health care coverage
options and enrollment assistance on school enrollment forms.
Without this bill, this requirement would sunset after the
2017-18 school year. See staff comments. (Proposition 98)
Background: Existing law establishes the California Health Benefit
Exchange known as Covered California, as an independent state
entity to serve as the marketplace for Californians to purchase
health care coverage and as a way to meet the personal
responsibility requirements of the federal Patient Protection
and Affordable Care Act.
Existing law requires, until the 2017-18 school year, a school
to add an informational item to its enrollment forms, or amend
an existing enrollment form to provide the parent or guardian
information about health care coverage options and enrollment
assistance. Existing law requires the California Department of
Education (CDE) to develop a standardized template including
this information. (Education Code Section 49452.9)
Existing law authorizes school districts and county offices of
education to incorporate into the School Lunch Program
AB 2308 (Roger Hernández) Page 2 of
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application packet or notification of eligibility that the
student may qualify for free or reduced-cost health coverage
under the California Health Benefit Exchange. (Education Code
Section 49557.2)
According to the author's office, "There is great opportunity to
enroll the eligible; however, notable barriers exist for
populations to enroll in health care coverage including lack of
awareness about the programs, difficult application or
re-enrollment processes, and stigmas associated with enrolling
into low-income health insurance and other public programs.
While the Affordable Care Act has dramatically reduced the
number of uninsured Californians, a significant number of the
population has been left behind in the absence of proactive and
practical solutions." By utilizing schools and universities,
this bill is intended to provide essential information and
educate students and families about eligibility and available
health coverage programs.
Proposed Law:
This bill establishes the California Health Care Coverage Act
of 2016. It requires, beginning with the 2017-18 academic year,
each CSU and CCC campus to offer students information about
insurance affordability programs, including how to apply for
Medi-Cal and Covered California. This requirement is scheduled
to sunset January 1, 2021. This bill also extends the sunset
date by two years to January 1, 2021, for K-12 school districts
to provide parents with this information on school enrollment
forms.
In providing CSU and CCC students information about insurance
affordability programs, including how to apply for Medi-Cal and
Covered California, this bill authorizes campuses to: (1)
develop an informational item or amend an existing enrollment
form or website and use information provided in the standard
template developed by the CDE; and (2) include a factsheet with
its enrollment forms explaining basic information.
This bill also prohibits CSU or CCC from discriminating against
a student who does not have health coverage, or use any
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information relating to a student's health care coverage or
interest in learning about health care coverage, in any manner
that would bring harm to the student.
Staff
Comments: This bill extends the sunset of the mandated
requirement on schools to add an informational item to its
enrollment forms, or amend an existing enrollment form, in order
to provide the parent or guardian information about health care
coverage options and enrollment assistance. Because the 2015-16
school year was the first year that schools were required to
implement this requirement, the one-time activity of updating
enrollment forms has likely been completed by most schools.
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