BILL ANALYSIS Ó SB 407 Page 1 Date of Hearing: August 19, 2015 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Jimmy Gomez, Chair SB 407 (Morrell) - As Amended July 7, 2015 ----------------------------------------------------------------- |Policy |Health |Vote:|17 - 0 | |Committee: | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | |Business and Professions | |14 - 0 | | | | | | | | | | | |-------------+-------------------------------+-----+-------------| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ----------------------------------------------------------------- Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program: NoReimbursable: No SUMMARY: This bill authorizes licensed midwives to provide services under the Comprehensive Perinatal Services Program (CPSP). SB 407 Page 2 FISCAL EFFECT: Negligible state fiscal effect. DHCS is already in the process of making the necessary changes to the California Medicaid State Plan to include licensed midwives on the list of medical professionals who are legally authorized to provide services. COMMENTS: 1)Purpose. The author indicates existing law limits choices for low-income individuals by the exclusion of licensed midwives on the list of eligible Medi-Cal providers for CPSP services. 2)CPSP. The CPSP, under the direction of DPH, provides enhanced services to pregnant Medi-Cal beneficiaries, from conception through 60 days postpartum. Beneficiaries receive enhanced nutrition, psychosocial, and health education services, in addition to standard obstetric services under the program, to improve maternal and child health. According to DPH, there are over 1,500 Medi-Cal providers approved to for the CPSP, in both FFS and MCMC. The CPSP is administered by the Maternal, Child, and Adolescent Health program. Licensed midwives, who are regulated by the Medical Board of California, are authorized to attend to normal pregnancies and childbirths, and are currently not authorized as providers. This bill authorizes them to be employed to provide services on the effective date of the bill, and as "lead" CPSP providers on the effective date of regulations adopted by the MBC related to the removal of physician supervision over licensed midwives. SB 407 Page 3 Analysis Prepared by:Lisa Murawski / APPR. / (916) 319-2081