Bill Text: CA AB2435 | 2023-2024 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: California Health Benefit Exchange.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Engrossed) 2024-05-01 - Referred to Coms. on HEALTH and G.O. [AB2435 Detail]
Download: California-2023-AB2435-Introduced.html
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2023–2024 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 2435
| Introduced by Assembly Member Maienschein |
February 13, 2024 |
An act to amend Section 100504 of the Government Code, relating to health care coverage.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 2435, as introduced, Maienschein.
California Health Benefit Exchange.
Existing federal law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), requires each state to establish an American Health Benefit Exchange to facilitate the purchase of qualified health benefit plans by qualified individuals and qualified small employers. Existing state law creates the California Health Benefit Exchange, also known as Covered California, governed by an executive board, to facilitate the enrollment of qualified individuals and qualified small employers in qualified health plans as required under PPACA. Existing law specifies the powers of the executive board. Existing law authorizes the executive board to adopt necessary rules and regulations by emergency regulations until January 1, 2025, with the exception of regulations implementing prescribed provisions relating to criminal background history checks for persons with access to confidential, personal, or financial
information. Existing law authorizes the Office of Administrative Law to approve more than 2 readoptions of emergency regulations until January 1, 2030. Existing law provides that these extensions apply to a regulation adopted before January 1, 2022.
This bill would extend the authority of the executive board to adopt necessary rules and regulations by emergency regulations until January 1, 2030, and would extend the authority of the Office of Administrative Law to approve more than 2 readoptions of emergency regulations until January 1, 2035. The bill would provide that these prescribed time extensions apply to a regulation adopted before January 1, 2025.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 100504 of the Government Code is amended to read:100504.
(a) The board may do the following:(1) With respect to individual coverage made available in the Exchange, collect premiums and assist in the administration of subsidies.
(2) Enter into contracts.
(3) Sue and be sued.
(4) Receive and accept gifts, grants, or donations of moneys from an agency of the United States, an agency of the state, and a municipality, county, or other political subdivision of the state.
(5) Receive and accept gifts, grants, or donations from individuals, associations, private
foundations, and corporations, in compliance with the conflict of interest provisions to be adopted by the board at a public meeting.
(6) (A) Adopt rules and regulations, as necessary. Until January 1, 2025, 2030, necessary rules and regulations, except those implementing Section 1043, may be adopted as emergency regulations in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2). The adoption of emergency regulations pursuant to this section shall be deemed to be an emergency and necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, or general welfare. Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of
Division 3 of Title 2, including subdivisions (e) and (h) of Section 11346.1, an emergency regulation adopted pursuant to this section shall be repealed by operation of law unless the adoption, amendment, or repeal of the regulation is promulgated by the board pursuant to Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 within five years of the initial adoption of the emergency regulation. A rule or regulation adopted pursuant to this section shall be discussed by the board during at least one properly noticed board meeting before the board meeting at which the board adopts the rule or regulation. Notwithstanding subdivision (h) of Section 11346.1, until January 1, 2030, 2035, the Office of Administrative Law may approve more than two readoptions of an emergency regulation adopted pursuant
to this section.
(B) The amendments made to this paragraph by the act that added this subparagraph also shall apply to a regulation adopted pursuant to this section before January 1, 2022.
2025.
(7) Collaborate with the State Department of Health Care Services and the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, to the extent possible, to allow an individual the option to remain enrolled with the individual’s carrier and provider network if the individual experiences a loss of eligibility of premium tax credits and becomes eligible for the Medi-Cal program, or loses eligibility for the Medi-Cal program and becomes eligible for premium tax credits through the Exchange.
(8) Share information with relevant state departments, consistent with the confidentiality provisions in Section 1411 of the federal act, necessary for the administration of the Exchange.
(9) Require carriers participating in the Exchange to make available to the Exchange and regularly update an electronic
directory of contracting health care providers so that individuals seeking coverage through the Exchange can search by health care provider name to determine which health plans in the Exchange include that health care provider in their network. The board may also require a carrier to provide regularly updated information to the Exchange as to whether a health care provider is accepting new patients for a particular health plan. The Exchange may provide an integrated and uniform consumer directory of health care providers indicating which carriers the providers contract with and whether the providers are currently accepting new patients. The Exchange may also establish methods by which health care providers may transmit relevant information directly to the Exchange, rather than through a carrier.
(10) Make available supplemental coverage for enrollees of the Exchange to the extent permitted by the federal act, provided that General Fund money is
not used to pay the cost of that coverage. Supplemental coverage offered in the Exchange shall be subject to the charge imposed under subdivision (n) of Section 100503.
(b) The Exchange shall only collect information from individuals or designees of individuals necessary to administer the Exchange and consistent with the federal act.
(c) (1) The board shall have the authority to standardize products to be offered through the Exchange. A product standardized by the board pursuant to this subdivision shall be discussed by the board during at least one properly noticed board meeting before the board meeting at which the board adopts the standardized products to be offered through the Exchange.
(2) The adoption, amendment, or repeal of a regulation by the board to implement this subdivision is
exempt from the rulemaking provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2).
