AB 2589, as amended, Gomez. Public health: lactation services and equipment.
Existing law provides for the California Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC Program) administered by the State Department of Public Health and counties, under which nutrition and other assistance is provided to eligible low-income postpartum and lactating women, infants, and children under 5 years of age.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which health care services, including breastfeeding services, are provided to qualified low-income persons. Existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services to streamline and simplify existing Medi-Cal program procedures in order to improve access to lactation supports and breast pumps among Medi-Cal recipients.
This
bill would require the State Department of Public Health to coordinate with the State Department of Health Care Services and Covered California to develop processes, procedures, and an electronic interface for eligibility-related information sharing to streamline enrollment into the WIC Program as part of the application process for Medi-Cal and health plans offered through the California Health Benefit Exchange. The bill would requirebegin delete the interface ofend delete the California Healthcare Eligibility, Enrollment, and Retention System (CalHEERS) and the Statewide Automated Welfarebegin delete Systemsend deletebegin insert Systemend insert (SAWS) to identify individuals who may be eligible for the WIC Program and, by certain dates, provide electronic access to program applications in a certain
format, asbegin delete specified. Theend deletebegin insert
specified, if an electronic application is available. The bill would require that these provisions be implemented only to the extent that funding is available, as specified.end insert
begin insert Thisend insert bill would also require the State Department of Public Health to coordinate with the State Department of Health Care Services, through a stakeholder engagement process, as specified, to develop measures and outcomes for breastfeeding rates, as specified. The bill would require the recommendations from the stakeholder engagement process to be posted on the departments’ Internet Web sites by January 1, 2018.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 123362 is added to the Health and Safety
2Code, to read:
(a) The State Department of Public Health shall
4coordinate with the State Department of Health Care Services and
5Covered California to develop processes, procedures, and an
6electronic interface for eligibility-related information sharing to
7streamline enrollment into the California Special Supplemental
8Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as
9the WIC Program, as part of the application process for Medi-Cal
10and health plans offered through the California Health Benefit
11Exchange established under Title 22 (commencing with Section
12100500) of the Government Code.
P3 1(b) On or before January 1, 2019, the California Healthcare
2Eligibility, Enrollment, and
Retention System (CalHEERS)
3developed under Section 15926 of the Welfare and Institutions
4Code and the Statewide Automated Welfarebegin delete Systemsend deletebegin insert Systemend insert
5 (SAWS) developed under Section 10823 of the Welfare and
6Institutions Code, as amended by Section 1 of Chapter 846 of the
7Statutes of 2014, shall identify individuals who are potentially
8eligible for the WIC Program and, if a potentially eligible
9individual wishes to apply for the WICbegin delete Program,end deletebegin insert Program and an
10electronic application is available,end insert electronically link them to a
11WIC Program application.
12(c) On or before January 1, 2022, the California Healthcare
13Eligibility, Enrollment, and Retention System (CalHEERS)
14developed under Section 15926 of the Welfare and Institutions
15Code and the Statewide Automated Welfarebegin delete Systemsend deletebegin insert Systemend insert
16 (SAWS) developed under Section 10823 of the Welfare and
17Institutions Code, as amended by Section 1 of Chapter 846 of the
18Statutes of 2014, shall identify individuals who are potentially
19eligible for the WIC Program and, if a potentially eligible
20individual wishes to apply for the WIC Program and provides
21consent to share confidential data with the WICbegin delete Program,end deletebegin insert
Program
22and an electronic application is available,end insert provide a simple
23interface for the individual to electronically complete a WIC
24Program application without resubmitting data already known to
25the CalHEERS and SAWS systems.
26
(d) This section shall be implemented only to the extent that
27funding from the General Fund or federal funds, or both, is
28available for the purposes of this section.
Section 123363 is added to the Health and Safety Code,
30to read:
(a) The State Department of Public Health shall
32coordinate with the State Department of Health Care Services,
33through a stakeholder engagement process that shall include, but
34not be limited to, representatives from health care providers,
35primary care clinics, and health plans, state and local staff from
36the California Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women,
37Infants, and Children (WIC Program) and the Maternal,begin delete Childend delete
38begin insert Child,end insert and Adolescent Health program, and representatives from
39organizations representing women, infants, and children, to,
40beginning
prenatally and continuing through the postpartum period
P4 1and at least until the infant reaches one year of age, develop
2measures and outcomes for breastfeeding rates that do both of the
3following:
4(1) Include, at a minimum, women’s intention to breastfeed,
5breastfeeding initiation rates, and exclusivity and duration.
6(2) Identify ethnic disparities and sociodemographic differences.
7(b) The stakeholder process shall take no longer than six months
8and the recommendations shall be posted on the departments’
9Internet Web sites by January 1, 2018.
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