BILL ANALYSIS
AB 1540
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 1540 (Health Committee)
As Amended May 5, 2009
Majority vote
HEALTH 17-0 ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY 7-0
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|Ayes:|Jones, Fletcher, Adams, |Ayes:|Chesbro, Miller, Davis, |
| |Ammiano, Block, Carter, | |Feuer, Monning, Ruskin, |
| |Conway, De La Torre, De | |Smyth |
| |Leon, Emmerson, Hayashi, | | |
| |Hernandez, Bonnie | | |
| |Lowenthal, Nava, V. | | |
| |Manuel Perez, Salas, | | |
| |Audra Strickland | | |
| | | | |
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APPROPRIATIONS 7-0
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|Ayes:|De Leon, Nielsen, Ammiano, |
| |Charles Calderon, Davis, Duvall, |
| |Fuentes, Hall, Harkey, Miller, |
| |John A. Perez, Price, Skinner, |
| |Solorio, |
| |Audra Strickland, Torlakson, |
| |Krekorian |
|-----+---------------------------------|
| | |
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SUMMARY : Makes a number of minor substantive and technical
changes to a variety of health programs and statutes.
Specifically, this bill :
1)Exempts data collected by the Office of Statewide Health
Planning and Development (OSHPD) relating to emergency rooms,
ambulatory surgeries and coronary artery bypass graft
surgeries from disclosure under the Public Records Act (PRA),
similar to the existing PRA exemption for inpatient discharge
data.
2)Authorizes the Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) to
amend, by regulation, any statutorily mandated notice,
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specifically for purposes of clarity, readability, and
accuracy.
3)Clarifies that specialized health care plans and specialized
insurance policies, (i.e. dental and vision plans), are not
subject to the requirement of coverage for human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing enacted pursuant to AB
1894 (Krekorian), Chapter 63, Statutes of 2008.
4)Conforms existing state law to the federal Safe Drinking Water
Act (SDWA).
5)Repeals the sunset date in existing law allowing public health
tuberculosis workers employed by, or contracted with, a local
public health department to administer tuberculosis skin
tests.
6)Extends the sunset date of the California Health Benefits
Review Program (CHBRP) from January 1, 2011, to June 30, 2015.
Makes no changes to CHBRP responsibility or authority.
7)Conforms provisions relating to Medi-Cal
physicians-in-good-standing filing a change of location form
to an existing requirement for all Medi-Cal providers to
obtain a single National Provider Identifier.
8)Repeals the sunset date for the local education agency (LEA)
Medi-Cal billing option.
9)Makes other minor technical and non-substantive changes.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Exempts inpatient discharge data collected by OSHPD from the
PRA.
2)Requires health plans and health insurers to provide coverage
for HIV testing regardless of whether the testing is related
to a primary diagnosis.
3)Establishes the Drinking Water Program within the Department
of Public Health (DPH) to regulate public drinking water
systems.
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4)Extends the sunset date authorizing local health departments
to certify public health tuberculosis workers to place and
measure tuberculosis skin tests from January 1, 2006 to
January 1, 2011.
5)Establishes CHBRP to respond to requests from the Legislature
to provide independent analysis of the medical, financial, and
public health impacts of proposed health insurance benefit
mandates and repeals. Extends the CHBRP program until January
1, 2011.
6)Establishes the LEA program to provide the federal share of
reimbursement for health assessment and treatment for Medi-Cal
eligible children and family members within the school
environment.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, by ensuring continued compliance with federal SDWA
requirements, California will continue receiving the state's
share of two federal grants, $74 million, combined, in the
current year. Annual fee-supported special fund costs of $2
million to extend CHBRP until 2015.
COMMENTS : This bill is authored by the Assembly Committee on
Health as omnibus clean-up legislation containing minor
substantive or technical changes to the laws affecting various
health and human services agencies including OSHPD, DMHC, the
Department of Health Care Services, and DPH. Many of the
provisions make minor, technical, and conforming changes, while
other provisions are substantive changes intended to improve the
ability of the various agencies to efficiently and effectively
administer their respective programs.
The Mendocino County Office of Education (MCOE) opposes the
provision in this bill to repeal the sunset date on the LEA
Medi-Cal billing option and instead supports a sunset extension.
Currently, the billing option is due to sunset on January 1,
2010. The Committee reports that it is working with DHCS, which
oversees the LEA Medi-Cal claiming process, to resolve the
MCOE's concerns.
Analysis Prepared by : Cassie Rafanan / HEALTH / (916)
319-2097
AB 1540
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FN: 0001207