BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    �



                                                                  AB 215
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   May 11, 2011

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                    AB 215 (Beall) - As Amended:  April 25, 2011 

          Policy Committee:                              HealthVote:13-6

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          Yes    Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill requires counties to report to the Legislature and the 
          Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) on the amount of 
          penalty revenues collected through the Emergency Air Medical 
          Transportation Act (EAMTA), the amount deposited in the EMATA 
          fund, the amount withheld for county administration fees, and 
          the number of related violations. 

           FISCAL EFFECT 

          Minor non-reimbursable costs to counties to provide the state 
          with data related to the number of penalties imposed and total 
          number of funds raised. 

           COMMENTS  

           1)Rationale  . According to the author, this bill is necessary to 
            enable DHCS to estimate and project revenues to the EMATA 
            Fund.  The author states that AB 2173 (Beall), Chapter 547, 
            Statutes of 2010, established a $4 fee on traffic violations 
            and the protocol for the administration of the Fund, but did 
            not require sufficient data reporting to enable DHCS to 
            estimate and project revenues to the Fund. 

           2)Background  .  AB 2173 was enacted to provide a mechanism for 
            supplemental payments for air ambulance providers who serve 
            Medi-Cal patients.  The revenue generated by imposing a flat 
            $4 fee on each motor vehicle violation is to be matched with 
            federal funds through the Medi-Cal program, which is in the 
            process of establishing a supplemental rates of payment to air 
            ambulance service providers. Air ambulance services provide 
            emergency transportation for the most critical patients from 








                                                                  AB 215
                                                                  Page  2

            automobile scenes directly to trauma centers. As with other 
            emergency responders, no one is denied service, regardless of 
            ability to pay.


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