BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                     SB 407  


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          Date of Hearing:  August 19, 2015


                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS


                                 Jimmy Gomez, Chair


          SB 407  
          (Morrell) - As Amended July 7, 2015


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          |Policy       |Health                         |Vote:|17 - 0       |
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          |             |Business and Professions       |     |14 - 0       |
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          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  


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          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  


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          Analysis Prepared by:Lisa Murawski / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081