BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SB 1477
Page 1
SENATE THIRD READING
SB
1477 (Committee on Health)
As Introduced August 19, 2016
Majority vote
SENATE VOTE: 39-0
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|Committee |Votes|Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+-----+-----------------------+---------------------|
|Health |15-0 |Wood, Maienschein, | |
| | |Bonilla, Burke, | |
| | |Campos, Chiu, | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | |Roger Hernández, | |
| | |Lackey, Nazarian, | |
| | |Olsen, Patterson, | |
| | |Ridley-Thomas, | |
| | |Rodriguez, Thurmond, | |
| | |Waldron | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY: Clarifies that references to the California Health
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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California, replaces references to the now-repealed Healthy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. Authorizes the Department of Health Care Services
(DHCS) to enter into contracts for undertaking administrative
activities by the department's Mental Health and Substance Use
Disorder Services Division relating to various components of the
federal Children's Health Insurance Program, Medicaid Managed
Care and Revisions Related to Third Party Liability, and make
provisions of these contracts publicly available, and sunsets
this authority on January 1, 2020. Corrects an error in code
reference relating to the Medi-Cal 2020 demonstration project.
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.
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.
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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.
COMMENTS: 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,
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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.
Analysis Prepared by:
Rosielyn Pulmano / HEALTH / (916) 319-2097 FN:
0004473