BILL NUMBER: SB 152	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN SENATE  APRIL 14, 2009

INTRODUCED BY   Senator Cox
    (   Coauthors:   Senators  
Alquist,   Cogdill,   Huff,   and Pavley
  ) 
    (   Coauthors:   Assembly Members 
 Bill Berryhill,   DeVore,  Jeffries, 
 Niello,   and Silva   ) 

                        FEBRUARY 12, 2009

   An act to add Section 5778.5 to the Welfare and Institutions Code,
relating to mental health.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   SB 152, as amended, Cox. Medi-Cal funding: mental health services.

   Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, administered by
the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified
low-income persons are provided with health care services, including
mental health services.
   Under existing law, the State Department of Mental Health is
required to implement managed mental health care for Medi-Cal
recipients through fee-for-service or capitated contracts with
counties, counties acting jointly, qualified individuals or
organizations, or nongovernmental entities.
   This bill would, subject to specified exceptions, commencing
 July   March  1, 2010, require the
 Controller to reimburse any fee-for-service county
contractor that submits a claim for reimbursement for these services
within 90 days after the receipt of the claim   State
Department of Mental Health to send a reimbursement claim to the
Controller within 90 days after the receipt of a reimbursement claim
from any fee-for-service county contractor  , and would provide
that interest shall accrue on an unpaid claim, as prescribed,
commencing on the 91st day after receipt of the claim, except as
provided.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 5778.5 is added to the Welfare and Institutions
Code, to read:
   5778.5.  (a) For mental health services reimbursed through a
fee-for-service payment system, the  Controller 
 State Department of Mental Health  shall  reimburse
  send a reimbursement claim to the Controller within
90 days after the receipt of a reimbursement claim from  any
county contractor  that submits a claim under  
pursuant to  Section 5778  within 90 days after the
receipt of a reimbursement claim by the department  . This
90-day timeframe shall not be applicable to claims in the State
Department of Mental Health's dispute resolution process or to claims
that have been returned to the entity submitting the claim for
additional information or necessary changes.
   (b) Subject to subdivision (c), beginning on the 91st day after
receipt of the reimbursement request from the county contractor,
interest shall accrue at the daily Pooled Money Investment Account
rate. The interest shall be paid  in equal amounts  from the
State Department of Mental  Health's budget  
Health, the State Department of Health Care Services, and the
California Health and Human Services' budgets  .
   (c) If sufficient funds are unavailable, the  Controller
  State Department of Mental Health  shall request
the Director of Finance to include any amounts necessary to satisfy
the claim in a request for a deficiency appropriation. Interest
charges shall not accrue against the department's budget for periods
when the funding to the department is insufficient to pay the claim.
   (d) This section shall become operative on  July 
 March  1, 2010.