BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 1477
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Date of Hearing: June 14, 2016
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON HEALTH
Jim Wood, Chair
SB
1477 (Committee on Health) - As Introduced March 9, 2016
SENATE VOTE: 39-0
SUBJECT: Health.
SUMMARY: Clarifies that references to the California Health
Benefit Exchange (Exchange) are deemed to refer to Covered
California, replaces references to the now-repealed Healthy
Families Program (HFP) and Access for Infants and Mothers
Program (AIM) Linked Infants Program and replaces those with the
Medi-Cal Program and the Medi-Cal Access Program respectively,
and includes trade associations in the list of entities that are
eligible to receive federal emergency preparedness funds, as
specified.
EXISTING LAW:
1)Requires, under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable
Care Act (Public Law 111-148), as amended by the Health Care
Education and Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-152),
each state, by January 1, 2014, to establish an American
Health Benefit Exchange that makes qualified health plans
available to qualified individuals and qualified employers.
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Requires, if a state does not establish an Exchange, the
federal government to administer the state Exchange.
2)Establishes the Exchange (known as Covered California) and
specifies its duties and authority. Requires Covered
California to be governed by a board that includes the
Secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency
(CHHSA) and four members with specified expertise who are
appointed by the Governor and the Legislature.
3)Establishes the Medi-Cal program, administered by the
Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), which provides
comprehensive health benefits to low-income children, adults,
pregnant women, the elderly, and blind or disabled persons,
who meet specified eligibility criteria.
4)Establishes the Medi-Cal Access Program, which was formerly
known as AIM, as a low-cost health coverage program for
pregnant women and infants. The Medi-Cal Access Program
provides coverage to pregnant women with a household income
between 208% and 317% of the federal poverty level.
5)Requires federal funding received by the Department of Public
Health (DPH) for bioterrorism preparedness and emergency
response to be subject to appropriation in the annual Budget
Act. Establishes provisions of law to govern those instances
when federal funding is allocated and expended for public
health preparedness and response by local health
jurisdictions, hospitals, long-term health care facilities,
clinics, emergency medical systems, and poison control centers
for the prevention of, and response to, bioterrorist attacks
and other public health emergencies.
FISCAL EFFECT: None.
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COMMENTS:
1)PURPOSE OF THIS BILL. According to the author, this is an
omnibus committee bill intended to make technical, clarifying,
or noncontroversial changes to various provisions of law
relating to health care. This bill revises law in three
areas: formally recognizing Covered California as the name of
the Exchange, while retaining the ability to continue using
the full name if necessary for legal purposes; correcting
outdated terminology by replacing references to the
now-repealed HFP and the AIM-Linked Infants Program to the
Medi-Cal program and the Medi-Cal Access Program,
respectively; and, clarifying a bill from last year that
allowed trade associations to be eligible for federal
emergency preparedness funds by also adding trade associations
to a related provision of law governing how these funds are
allocated.
2)PREVIOUS LEGISLATION.
a) AB 1149 (Wood), Chapter 93, Statutes of 2015, added
trade associations to the list of entities that are
eligible to receive federal funding, that has been
allocated to DPH for public health preparedness and
response.
b) SB 857 (Committee on Budget), Chapter 31, Statutes of
2014, transferred the coverage of pregnant women through
AIM to DHCS and renamed AIM as the Medi-Cal Access Program.
c) AB 1494 (Committee on Budget), Chapter 28, Statutes of
2012, transitioned children enrolled in the HFP to the
Medi-Cal Program beginning January 1, 2013, in four Phases
throughout 2013.
d) SB 900 (Alquist), Chapter 659, Statutes of 2010,
established Covered California as an independent public
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entity within state government, and requires Covered
California to be governed by a board composed of the CHHSA
Secretary, or his or her designee, and four other members
appointed by the Governor and the Legislature who meet
specified criteria.
3)SUPPORT. This bill is supported by the California Association
of Health Facilities (CAHF) and writes that recently,
according to DPH, statutory clean-up to AB 1149 is needed to
continue the status quo which trade associations are eligible
to receive funding through the Hospital Preparedness Program
for strengthening public health emergency preparedness. This
bill assures that trade associations, such as CAHF, can
continue to participate in the program, as it has for years.
REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION:
Support
California Association of Health Facilities
Opposition
SB 1477
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None on file.
Analysis Prepared by:Rosielyn Pulmano / HEALTH / (916)
319-2097