This California House Resolution declares September 2026 as Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Awareness Month to highlight the challenges faced by families with newborns requiring extended hospital care. The bill notes that approximately 17,500 to 22,500 infants in the state experience NICU stays longer than two weeks each year, which can strain parental bonding and financial stability. It encourages individuals, businesses, and organizations to support parents in securing adequate time for bonding and home care after discharge. The resolution also directs copies of the text to be sent to the Governor and the Director of Employment Development for distribution.
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 by, and funded pursuant to, federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law, the Budget Act of 2025, appropriates funds to the department to create a comprehensive hospital value strategy to advance access to high-quality inpatient and outpatient hospital services, financially incentivize appropriate care delivery, and improve health outcomes for Medi-Cal beneficiaries. In developing the comprehensive hospital value strategy described above, this bill would require the department to engage with relevant stakeholders with firsthand experience, including, but not limited to, hospitals, cities, counties, cities and counties, organizations representing these groups, and other affected stakeholders as the department deems necessary. The bill would require the department to ensure that the comprehensive hospital value strategy includes a focus on rural hospitals, critical access hospitals, and public hospitals.
Existing law, the Alfred E. Alquist Hospital Facilities Seismic Safety Act of 1983, establishes, under the jurisdiction of the Department of Health Care Access and Information, a program of seismic safety building standards for certain hospital buildings. Under existing law, a hospital building includes any building that is used, or designed to be used, for a health facility of a type required to be licensed, as specified. Under existing law, a hospital building does not include, among others, a freestanding building used, or designed to be used, as a congregate living health facility or a hospice facility. This bill would exempt a general acute care hospital from the requirements of the act if, among other things, the hospital building is a freestanding building used, or designed to be used, exclusively to provide extended hospital care to patients with complex medical and rehabilitative needs and the hospital building has met all the seismic requirements that a hospital was required to meet prior to January 1, 2021.
Existing law, the Public Employees' Medical and Hospital Care Act (PEMHCA) , which is administered by the Board of Administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System, authorizes the board to contract for health benefit plans for employees and annuitants, as defined, which may include employees and annuitants of contracting agencies, as specified. Under existing law, the employee's or annuitant's contribution is the total cost per month of coverage less the portion contributed by the employer. Existing law prescribes a minimum level for the employer's contribution toward the employee's or annuitant's health benefits coverage. Existing law provides that the provisions governing PEMHCA are controlling over a memorandum of understanding, except as specified. Notwithstanding these PEMHCA provisions, existing law authorizes the City of San Gabriel to agree with its employees, as specified, that the employer contribution for postretirement health care coverage shall be subject to specified conditions, including, among other things, a collectively bargained memorandum of understanding and a minimum level for employer contributions, as specified. This bill would, similarly, authorize the City of Indio to enter into an agreement with certain employees hired on or after January 1, 2025 to provide employer contributions for postretirement health care coverage, subject to specified conditions, including, among other things, a collectively bargained memorandum of understanding and a minimum level for employer contributions, as specified. The bill would invalidate an agreement if it provides an employer contribution to employees with less than 5 years of credited service with the City of Indio. The bill would apply only to employees who retire after the date that a memorandum of understanding authorizing this benefit becomes effective. The bill would require the City of Indio to provide notification, as prescribed, of the agreement and any additional information necessary to implement those benefits. This bill would make legislative findings and declarations as to the necessity of a special statute for the City of Indio.
Existing law, the County Employees Retirement Law of 1937, prescribes retirement benefits for members of specified county and district retirement systems. Existing law establishes the Deferred Retirement Option Program as an optional benefit program for specified safety members of those systems that, by ordinance or resolution by the county board of supervisors or the governing body, elect to adopt it. The program provides eligible members access, upon service retirement, to a lump sum or, in some cases, monthly payments in addition to a monthly retirement allowance, as specified. Existing law, the Public Employees' Retirement Law (PERL) , creates the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) for the purpose of providing pension benefits to state employees and employees of contracting agencies and prescribes the rights and duties of members of the system and their beneficiaries. Existing law vests management and control of PERS in its board of administration. PERS provides a defined benefit to members of the program, based on final compensation, credited service, and age at retirement, subject to certain variations. This bill would establish the Deferred Retirement Option Program as a voluntary program within PERS for employees of State Bargaining Units 5 (Highway Patrol) and 8 (Firefighters) , and certain supervisory or managerial employees of the Department of the California Highway Patrol or the Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. The bill would require certain actions to occur, including completion of an actuarial analysis to determine the proposed program will be cost neutral, before the program becomes effective and applicable. The bill would require members who elect to participate in the program to meet certain requirements, including waiving any claims with respect to age and other discrimination in employment laws relative to the program. The bill would establish a program account for each participant and would require the Board of Administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System to, among other things and at least once annually, provide a statement to the participant that displays the value or balance of the participant's program account. The bill would require PERS to commence paying the member their monthly retirement allowance as of the first day of the month following the deferred retirement date. The bill would authorize the participant to designate a person or persons as beneficiaries of the participant's program account at any time during the program period from their election date to the deferred retirement calculation date. Beginning on July 1 of the fiscal year the program is implemented, and every 5 years thereafter, the bill would require the Board of Administration of the Public Employees' Retirement System to submit a report of an actuarial analysis to specified entities. The bill would entitle participants who entered the program prior to the effective date of any modifications by the Legislature to elect whether to become subject to those modified provisions or to remain subject to the program as it existed on the participant's election date. The bill would specify that the Legislature reserves the right to suspend the program through legislative action ratified by the Governor under certain circumstances. If the Legislature and the Governor approve the program's suspension, the bill would terminate all participants' benefit accrual and would prohibit any participant, eligible spouse, or beneficiary from having any vested right to any prospective program benefit, as specified. The bill would require the member's spouse, as applicable, to execute a signed statement acknowledging the spouse's understanding of, and agreement with, the member's election to participate in the program together with an express statement of the spouse's understanding and agreement that benefits payable to the spouse may be reduced as a result of participation in the program. Existing law requires the board of administration of PERS to administer the Public Employees' Medical and Hospital Care Act (PEMHCA) . PEMHCA further grants the board the power to approve health benefit plans and to contract with carriers offering health benefit plans. Under PEMHCA, an employee or annuitant may enroll in a health benefit plan approved or maintained by the board either as an individual or for self and family. Existing law defines an annuitant for purposes of receiving postretirement health benefits pursuant to PEMHCA and generally requires that a person retire within 120 days of separation from public employment, with specified exceptions. This bill would expand the definition of annuitant, thereby permitting a person, or a surviving family member of that person, as specified, whose deferred retirement date is within 120 days of separation from the Deferred Retirement Option Program and who receives a retirement allowance under any state retirement system to which the state was a contributing party to enroll in a health benefit plan under PEMHCA.
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's requirements a crime. Existing law requires a health care service plan to notify an enrollee by United States mail at least 60 days before the termination date of a contract between a health care service plan and a provider group or a general acute care hospital to which the enrollee is assigned. If the plan reaches an agreement with a terminated provider after sending that notice, existing law requires the plan to offer each affected enrollee the option to return to that provider and to reassign the enrollee to another provider if the enrollee does not exercise that option. This bill would additionally require a health care service plan to notify an enrollee by email or text message, as specified and only if the enrollee has opted in and provided their contact information, at least 60 days before the termination date of a contract between a health care service plan and a provider group or a general acute care hospital to which the enrollee is assigned. If the plan reaches an agreement with a terminating or terminated provider after sending the notice of termination, the bill would require the health care service plan to send written notice by United States mail and by email or text message, as specified and only if the enrollee has opted in and provided their contact information, to affected enrollees no later than 10 business days after department approval of the notice. If the agreement is to renew, enter into a new contract, or to not terminate their contract before the termination date in the notice of termination, the bill would require the health care service plan to notify enrollees that they will remain assigned to the provider. If the agreement is to renew, enter into a new contract, or to not terminate their contract after the termination date in the notice of termination, the bill would require the health care service plan to notify and offer each affected enrollee the option to return to that provider. The bill would require a health care service plan to submit these notices to the department for approval within 5 business days of reaching an agreement. Because a willful violation of these provisions would be a crime, this 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.
Existing law, the Song-Brown Health Care Workforce Training Act, declares the intent of the Legislature to increase the number of students and residents receiving quality education and training in specified primary care specialties and as primary care physician's assistants, primary care nurse practitioners, and registered nurses. This bill would require the Department of Health Care Access and Information to maintain a New Nursing Graduate Support and Placement Program to award program grants to community college associate degree of nursing programs, through which support grants would be awarded to recent graduates for loan repayment assistance, relocation, transportation, housing assistance, childcare, and other financial support. The bill would specify grant eligibility criteria for community colleges and recent graduates. The bill would require the department to consider labor standards of hospital sites that employ support grant applicants when determining grant distribution. Implementation of these provisions would be contingent upon appropriation by the Legislature. This bill would also express the intent of the Legislature to support and strengthen existing programs that train registered nurses under the Song-Brown Health Care Workforce Training Act.
Existing law, until January 1, 2028, and to the extent funds are made available for these purposes, requires the State Department of Public Health to establish a system for the collection of information determining the incidence and prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases, including, but not limited to, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) , also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Existing law requires a hospital, facility, physician and surgeon, or other health care provider diagnosing or providing treatment to a patient for a neurodegenerative disease to report each case of a neurodegenerative disease to the department, as prescribed. Existing law requires the department to designate the specified neurodegenerative diseases required to be reported in the state or any part of the state. Existing law specifies that for this purpose, "neurodegenerative disease" may include, but need not be limited to, Alzheimer's disease, multiple sclerosis, and Huntington's disease. This bill would require the department to establish a system for the collection of information determining the incidence and prevalence of frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) . This bill would specify that "neurodegenerative disease" may also include other dementias. The bill would extend the requirements of these provisions until January 1, 2032.
This Senate Resolution designates the week of May 10 to May 16, 2026, as Hospital Week in California to honor the state's hospitals and their staff. The measure recognizes the vital role hospitals play in providing care, training medical professionals, and supporting the local economy across rural, suburban, and urban areas. By officially acknowledging these institutions, the resolution aims to highlight their importance during National Hospital Week without changing any laws or policies.
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, subject to implementation of the California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) initiative, requires the department to implement an enhanced care management (ECM) benefit designed to address the clinical and nonclinical needs on a whole-person-care basis for certain target populations of Medi-Cal beneficiaries enrolled in Medi-Cal managed care plans. Under existing law, target populations include, among others, high utilizers with frequent hospital admissions, short-term skilled nursing facility stays, or emergency room visits, and individuals experiencing homelessness. This bill would recast the definition of ECM, referring to community-based, high-touch coordination and comprehensive care management services, as specified. The bill would delete certain provisions that designate 2022 or 2023 timelines for commencing ECM coverage, depending on whether or not a Medi-Cal managed care plan operates in a county in which the Whole Person Care pilot program or the Health Home Program was implemented. Existing law, subject to CalAIM implementation, authorizes a Medi-Cal managed care plan to elect to cover community supports. Under existing law, community supports that the department is authorized to approve include, among others, housing transition navigation services and medically supportive food and nutrition services. This bill would require the department to publish and maintain policy guides and all-plan letters on its internet website that define model coverage standards and policy for each community support, to engage stakeholders, to provide ongoing technical assistance, and to establish a standard timeline and process for regular updates to community supports policy guides, as specified. The bill would require a Medi-Cal managed care plan to adopt community supports policies, and to educate its in-network community support providers, as specified. The bill would require the department to publish certain information on ECM and community supports utilization data on the department's internet website on a quarterly basis, to the extent feasible, until January 1, 2032. The bill would require the department, by March 31, 2029, to provide to the legislative committees specified information in writing necessary to inform legislative consideration of transitioning community supports to benefits that are required to be covered under the Medi-Cal program. The bill would make other technical changes to the ECM and community support provisions.
