BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 2706
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CONCURRENCE IN SENATE AMENDMENTS
AB 2706 (Roger Hernández)
As Amended July 2, 2014
Majority vote
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|ASSEMBLY: |57-20|(May 29, 2014) |SENATE: |25-9 |(August 26, |
| | | | | |2014) |
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Original Committee Reference: ED.
SUMMARY : Requires, for purposes of the 2015-16, 2016-17, and
2017-18 school years, a public school, including a charter
school, to add an informational item to its enrollment forms, or
amend an existing enrollment form in order to provide the parent
or legal guardian information about health care coverage options
and enrollment assistance; and repeals this requirement on
January 1, 2019. Specifically, this bill :
1)Requires, for purposes of the 2015-16, 2016-17, and 2017-18
school years, a public school, including a charter school, to
add an informational item to its enrollment forms, or amend an
existing enrollment form in order to provide the parent or
legal guardian information about health care coverage options
and enrollment assistance.
2)Specifies that a school may do either of the following:
a) Use a template developed by the California Department of
Education (CDE).
b) Develop an information item or amend an existing
enrollment form to provide information about health care
coverage options and enrollment assistance.
3)Authorizes a school to include a factsheet with the enrollment
forms explaining basic information about affordable health
care coverage options for children and families; and, requires
the California Department of Education (CDE) to develop a
standardized template for both of the following:
a) Information for a parent or legal guardian about health
care coverage options and enrollment assistance; and
AB 2706
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b) Factsheet explaining basic information about affordable
health care coverage options for children and families.
4)Requires the CDE to make any templates available on its
Internet Web site on or before August 1, 2015, and shall, upon
request, provide written copies of the template to a school
district.
5)Specifies that a school district shall not discriminate
against a pupil who does not have health care coverage or use
any information relating to a pupil's health care coverage or
interest in learning about health care coverage in any manner
that would bring harm to the pupil or the pupil's family.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Requires, effective January 1, 2014, under the federal Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), an individual to
have the option to apply for state subsidy programs, which
include the state Medicaid program, the state's Children's
Health Insurance Program, enrollment in a qualified health
plan through a state exchange, and a Basic Health Plan, if
there is one, either in person, mail, online, telephone, or
other commonly available electronic means.
2)Permits school districts or county superintendents of schools
to incorporate into the School Lunch Program application
packet or notification of eligibility for the School Lunch
Program notification that the child may qualify for free or
reduced-cost health coverage under the California Health
Benefit Exchange.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Senate Appropriations
Committee, there will be minor costs to the CDE, to develop the
required templates, post them on its website, and make copies
available upon request. Additionally, there are potentially
significant reimbursable state mandate on the state's
approximately 1,000 school districts, to provide information
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about health care coverage options and enrollment assistance.
COMMENTS : According to the author, due to the expansion of
health care coverage options under the ACA, millions of
Californians are newly eligible for health care coverage, with
many being children under the age 18.<1> There provides a great
opportunity to enroll these eligible children; however notable
barriers exist for eligible populations to enroll in Medi-Cal
including lack of awareness about the programs, difficult
application or re-enrollment processes, and stigmas associated
with enrolling in low-income health insurance and other public
programs.<2> While the ACA will dramatically reduce the number
of uninsured Californians, a significant number of eligible
children will be left behind in the absence of proactive and
practical solutions.
Analysis Prepared by : Jill Rice / ED. / (916) 319-2087
FN:
0004804
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<1>
"California Health Care Almanac Quick Reference Guide,
California's Uninsured: A Supplement to California HealthCare
Foundation's California's Uninsured: By the Numbers," California
HealthCare Foundation. May 2013.
<2> Laurel Lucia, Ken Jacobs, M. Miranda Dietz, Dave
Graham-Squire, Nadereh Pourat, and Dylan H. Roby. "After
Millions of Californians Gain Health Coverage Under the
Affordable Care Act, Who Will Remain Uninsured?" UCLA Center for
Health Policy Research, UC Berkeley Labor Center, CalSIM,
September 2012.