BILL ANALYSIS �
SB 1465
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SENATE THIRD READING
SB 1465 (Health Committee)
As Amended August 4, 2014
2/3 vote. Urgency
SENATE VOTE :35-0
HEALTH 17-0 APPROPRIATIONS 17-0
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|Ayes:|Pan, Maienschein, |Ayes:|Gatto, Bigelow, |
| |Ammiano, Bonilla, Bonta, | |Bocanegra, Bradford, Ian |
| |Chesbro, Gomez, Gonzalez, | |Calderon, Campos, |
| |Roger Hern�ndez, | |Donnelly, Eggman, Gomez, |
| |Lowenthal, Mansoor, | |Holden, Jones, Linder, |
| |Nazarian, Nestande, | |Pan, Quirk, |
| |Patterson, Ridley-Thomas, | |Ridley-Thomas, Wagner, |
| |Rodriguez, Wieckowski | |Weber |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Requires local emergency medical services agencies
(LEMSAs) to send a status report on their Emergency Medical
Services (EMS) Fund reports to the Emergency Medical Services
Authority (EMSA), rather than to the Legislature and requires
EMSA to compile and send a summary of each LEMSA's report to the
Legislature, as specified. Permits the Department of Health
Care Services (DHCS) to cancel a provider application review
process if an application package is withdrawn at the request of
the applicant or provider. Reorganizes the quality assurance
fee provisions to distinguish between supplemental payment rates
(amounts that hospitals are paid) and fee rates (amount that
hospitals pay). Makes numerous technical, clarifying changes to
existing law. Extends the sunset on the California Health
Benefits Review Program (CHBRP) from June 30, 2015, to December
1, 2015. Contains an urgency clause to ensure that the
provisions of this bill go into immediate effect upon enactment.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee:
1)Costs to DHCS and EMSA to incorporate changes from this bill
into current practice are negligible.
2)Extending the sunset on the CHBRP program will result in state
SB 1465
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costs for an additional six months. The program is currently
budgeted at $2 million annually.
COMMENTS : According to the author, this bill makes a number of
technical and clarifying changes to existing law and two
substantive changes. The author explains that each county
establishing an EMS Fund, commonly referred to as a Maddy Fund,
is required to compile and send a report to the Legislature each
year on the implementation and status of its Maddy Fund. The
only way to access these reports is an in-person visit to the
Assembly or Senate Health Committee along with a request in
accordance with the Legislative Open Records Act. Requiring
counties to report to the EMSA, and requiring EMSA to compile a
summary of these reports, will provide more useful information
to the Legislature and improve public access to the information.
The author further writes, the other major change this bill
makes is that currently, DHCS is required to see any application
submitted for Medi-Cal provider enrollment through the entire
review process. There is no process for an applicant to
withdraw an application, or for DHCS to cancel its review
process upon the request of an applicant. The author argues
that by permitting DHCS to implement a withdrawal policy it will
lift an unnecessary burden on Medi-Cal Provider Enrollment
Division staff to follow through on applications that will never
be completed.
The California Chapter of the American College of Emergency
Physicians (California ACEP) writes in support that this bill
would make Maddy reports, which are already required of counties
that have created a Maddy Fund, easily available to the public
through EMSA. California ACEP states that currently these
reports are required to be submitted to the Assembly and Senate
Health Committees, making the sole means of access an in-person
visit to their State Capitol offices. Requiring EMSA to both
collect the reports and issue annual reports to the Legislature
will afford the public better access to these reports.
There is no known opposition to this bill.
Analysis Prepared by : Patty Rodgers / HEALTH / (916) 319-2097
SB 1465
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FN: 0004751