Existing law states that it is the intent of the Legislature to maintain an ongoing program of birth defects monitoring statewide, and requires the State Public Health Officer to maintain a system for the collection of information related to birth defects, as specified. Existing law requires the officer to require general acute care hospitals and physician-owned or physician-operated clinics that regularly provide services for the diagnosis or treatment of birth defects, genetic counseling, or prenatal diagnostic services to make available to the department the medical records of children suspected or diagnosed as having birth defects, as specified. Existing law authorizes the department to enter into a contract for the establishment and implementation of the birth defects monitoring program. This bill would state that it is additionally the intent of the Legislature to authorize local health jurisdictions to initiate and maintain programs to monitor birth conditions, as defined, that are present during the 12-month period after an individual's birth in their local health jurisdictions. The bill would authorize a local health officer to maintain a system for the collection of specified information within their local health jurisdiction related to birth conditions. The bill would authorize a local health officer to issue a written order to providers and laboratories, as specified, in addition to the facilities listed above, within their local health jurisdiction to either make available or to report to the local health department information related to birth conditions, as specified. Existing law limits access to confidential information related to birth defects to authorized program staff and persons with a valid scientific interest, as specified, and prohibits that information from being admissible, disclosed, discoverable, or compelled to be produced in any civil, criminal, administrative, or other proceeding, as specified. Existing law provides that, except as otherwise provided by statute, all relevant evidence is admissible. The California Constitution provides for the Right to Truth-In-Evidence, which requires a 23 vote of the Legislature to exclude any relevant evidence from any criminal proceeding, as specified. This bill would expand the scope of the confidentiality provisions described above to include additional conditions, thereby prohibiting the use of additional information in criminal proceedings. Because that prohibition would affect the admissibility of relevant evidence in criminal proceedings, the bill would require a 23 vote of the Legislature.
Existing law, the Lanterman Developmental Disabilities Services Act, requires the State Department of Developmental Services (department) to contract with regional centers to provide services and supports to persons with developmental disabilities and their families. Under existing law, a person believed to have a developmental disability, and a person believed to have a high risk of parenting an infant with a developmental disability, is eligible for initial intake and assessment services in the regional centers. Existing law requires that initial intake take place within 15 days following a request for assistance. Existing law, commencing January 1, 2025, requires a regional center, by the end of that 15-day period, to either determine if the individual is eligible for regional center services or determine if additional assessment is needed. This bill would, for initial intakes involving a child welfare involved child or youth, as defined, require regional centers to facilitate a case conference within 15 working days following the initial request for assistance, as specified. The bill would prohibit the case conference requirement from resulting in any delay to the child welfare involved child's or youth's right to a timely intake, assessment, or eligibility determination. The bill would require the department and the State Department of Social Services to issue joint guidance to operationalize the case conference requirement by March 31, 2027. The bill would prohibit a determination not to provide additional assessment from being solely based on the age of the person when they received a diagnosis of a qualifying condition, as specified. The bill, commencing January 31, 2028, would require the department to annually post on its internet website specified data relating to initial intakes, including, among other data, the number of initial intakes, the timeliness of assessment and eligibility determinations, and the percentage of assessments resulting in eligibility by program.
Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law requires the department to establish a subacute care program in health facilities, as specified, to be available to patients in health facilities who meet subacute care criteria. Existing law requires that medical necessity for pediatric subacute care be substantiated by specified criteria. Existing regulations require a treatment authorization request for each admission to a subacute unit. If a provider substantiates that a patient meets any of the specified criteria for pediatric subacute care, this bill would prohibit a Medi-Cal managed care plan from imposing, or requiring the patient to meet, any additional criteria. If a standard form is developed by the department for purposes of authorization and reauthorization of pediatric or adult subacute care services, the bill would require a Medi-Cal managed care plan to deem as sufficient and accept from a provider that standard form and would prohibit a plan from creating, or requiring a provider to submit, a separate form created by the plan or any other entity. The bill would prohibit a Medi-Cal managed care plan from requiring a subsequent treatment authorization request upon a patient's return from a bed hold for acute hospitalization. The bill would authorize the department to impose sanctions on Medi-Cal managed care plans for violations of these provisions, as specified.
Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law requires the department to streamline and simplify existing Medi-Cal program procedures to improve access to lactation supports and breast pumps among Medi-Cal beneficiaries. This bill would require the department to, by July 1, 2027, issue updated Medi-Cal guidance that clarifies Medi-Cal coverage for lactation services. The bill would also require the guidance to, among other things, clarify Medi-Cal coverage policies for a continuum of lactation services, including health education related to lactation, basic lactation support, and clinical lactation consultation. The bill would require the department to seek stakeholder input on draft guidance prior to issuing the guidance. The bill would make the implementation of these provisions contingent to the extent that federal financial participation is available and any necessary federal approvals are obtained.
Existing law establishes the California Community Colleges, the California State University, the University of California, independent institutions of higher education, and private postsecondary educational institutions as the segments of postsecondary education in the state. This bill, which would be known as Sarah Shulze's Law, would require each campus of the California State University, each community college of a community college district, and each private postsecondary educational institution and independent institution of higher education that receives state financial assistance, and would request each campus of the University of California, to require a person who serves as a coach or trainer in an athletic program, as a condition of the person's employment or volunteer service, to complete a student mental health training on or before July 1, 2028, and every 2 years thereafter. The bill would require the training, at a minimum, to cover suicide prevention education and would authorize the training to be provided by an entity that offers free, online, or other types of training courses. By imposing new duties on community college districts, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law requires that, as a condition of parole, a prisoner who has a severe mental health disorder be treated by the State Department of State Hospitals if the prisoner meets certain requirements, including, among others, that the person in charge of treating the prisoner and a practicing psychiatrist or psychologist from the State Department of State Hospitals have evaluated the prisoner and that a chief psychiatrist of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation certify to the Board of Parole Hearings that by reason of the prisoner's severe mental health disorder, the prisoner represents a substantial danger of physical harm to others. Existing law allows a prisoner to request a hearing before the Board of Parole Hearings for the purpose of proving that they meet the criteria to be treated by the State Department of State Hospitals. Existing law authorizes a prisoner who disagrees with the determination of the Board of Parole Hearings to file a petition in court in the county in which they are incarcerated or are being treated for a hearing on whether they met the criteria. This bill would require a psychiatrist or psychologist, when determining whether a prisoner represents a substantial danger of physical harm to others, to consider, among other things, the prisoner's history of violence that was related to their severe mental health disorder. The bill would also authorize the court, upon stipulation of the petitioner, prosecuting attorney, and defense counsel in the county of commitment to state prison, to conduct a hearing in the county of commitment to state prison.
Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is in part governed by, and funded pursuant to, federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law sets forth a schedule of benefits covered under the Medi-Cal program, including acupuncture, but only to the extent that federal matching funds are provided for acupuncture. Under this bill, acupuncture would instead be a covered Medi-Cal benefit subject to utilization controls and the availability of federal financial participation. The bill would, if federal financial participation is not available for coverage of acupuncture services, make acupuncture a covered benefit subject to an appropriation and utilization controls. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 14132 of the Welfare and Institutions Code proposed by AB 1949 and AB 350 to be operative only if this bill and either or both AB 1949 and AB 350 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to conduct a program of epidemiological assessments of the incidence of cancer. Existing law requires specified entities providing specified services to cancer patients, including hospitals, practitioners, and laboratories, to report each case of cancer to the department, as specified. This bill would require a hospital or other facility that provides therapy to a cancer patient within an area designated as a cancer reporting area to post a sign, developed by the department, in a conspicuous location that contains an advisement about cancer data reporting and a quick response code that links to the California Cancer Registry internet website.
Existing law, the Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment (CARE) Act, authorizes specified persons, including a person with whom the respondent resides, family members, and first responders, among others, to petition a civil court to create a voluntary CARE agreement or a court-ordered CARE plan and implement services, to be provided by county behavioral health agencies, to provide behavioral health care, including stabilization medication, housing, and other enumerated services, to adults who are currently experiencing a severe mental illness and have a diagnosis identified in the disorder class schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders, and who meet other specified criteria. This bill would authorize a first responder to contact the county behavioral health agency in the county in which the individual resides or is found to request the agency file a petition to commence the CARE process. The bill would require the agency to review the request and determine whether to file a petition within 30 business days. The bill would require the agency, upon completion of the review, to notify the first responder that made the referral of specified information, including whether or not a petition was filed. Because the bill would require a higher level of service from county agencies, this bill would create a state-mandated local program. This bill would require the department to create a referral form to be used by the first responders and would require the department to issue guidance on the procedure to request that the agency file a petition to commence the CARE process. The bill would also require the agency to include specified data in their annual report to the department. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law creates the California Health Benefit Exchange (Exchange) , also known as Covered California, to facilitate the enrollment of qualified individuals and qualified small employers in qualified health plans as required under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Existing law requires the Exchange to enroll an individual in the lowest cost silver plan or another plan, as specified, upon receiving the individual's electronic account from an insurance affordability program. Existing law requires enrollment to occur before coverage through the insurance affordability program is terminated and prohibits the premium due date from being sooner than the last day of the first month of enrollment. This bill would, commencing July 1, 2027, additionally authorize the Exchange to enroll an individual in the plan in which other members of the individual's household are enrolled, as specified, or the lowest cost plan available to an Indian who is eligible for specified reduced cost sharing, as determined by the Exchange, and would require the Exchange to enroll an individual in any of the plans described above upon receipt of a complete application for an insurance affordability program submitted through the Statewide Automated Welfare System. The bill would require the Exchange to enroll the individual either before coverage through the insurance affordability program is terminated as described above or upon the receipt of a complete application for an insurance affordability program through the Statewide Automated Welfare System as described above. Existing law requires the Exchange to provide an individual who is enrolled in a plan described above with a notice that includes specified information, including a statement that services received during the first month of enrollment will only be covered by the plan if the premium is paid by the due date. This bill would require the Exchange to provide the notice described above prior to the individual's effective date of coverage, and to provide, instead of the statement described above, instructions on how to effectuate coverage in the selected plan, including by paying the premium on or before the due date, or, if there is no premium due, instructions on how to opt into the selected plan. Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care, and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires a health care service plan or health insurer to provide an annual enrollment period for individual health benefit plans offered through the Exchange from November 1 of the preceding calendar year to January 31 of the benefit year, inclusive. Existing law specifies that the effective date of coverage for individual health benefit plans offered outside and through the Exchange be no later than January 1 of the benefit year for plan selection made from November 1 to December 31 of the preceding calendar year, inclusive, and be no later than February 1 of the benefit year for plan selection made from January 1 to January 31 of the benefit year, inclusive. This bill would require a health care service plan or health insurer to provide the annual enrollment period and effective dates of coverage described above, except to the extent that those provisions are inconsistent with federal law, as specified. If inconsistent, the bill would require the plan or insurer to provide the annual enrollment period and effective dates of coverage required by federal law. Because a willful violation of these provisions by a health care service plan would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
