Bill Text: CA AB417 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Amended

California Assembly Bill 417 (Prior Session Legislation)

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Acute psychiatric hospital: County of Ventura: outpatient mental health services.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Passed) 2018-03-23 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 9, Statutes of 2018. [AB417 Detail]

Download: California-2017-AB417-Amended.html

Amended IN Assembly April 27, 2017

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 417

Introduced by Assembly Member Wood

February 09, 2017

An act to amend Sections 100501, 100502, 100503, and 100522 of the Government Code, to amend Section 1366.6 of the Health and Safety Code, and to amend Section 10112.3 of the Insurance Code, relating to health coverage.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 417, as amended, Wood. Health coverage: small employers.

Existing federal law, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), enacts various health care coverage market reforms that took effect January 1, 2014. Among other things, PPACA requires each state, by January 1, 2014, to establish an American Health Benefit Exchange that facilitates the purchase of qualified health plans by qualified individuals and qualified small employers. Existing state law establishes the California Health Benefit Exchange (the Exchange) within state government for the purpose of facilitating the enrollment of qualified individuals and qualified small employers in qualified health plans, and specifies the powers and duties of the board governing the Exchange. Existing law requires the board to establish the Small Business Health Options Program, otherwise referred to as the SHOP ~~program,~~ Program, separate from the activities of the board related to the individual market, to assist qualified small employers in facilitating the enrollment of their employees in qualified health plans offered through the Exchange in the small employer market in a manner consistent with a specified provision of the federal act.

This bill would change the name of the SHOP ~~program~~ Program to the Covered California for Small Business Exchange and make related conforming changes.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 100501 of the Government Code, as amended by Section 2 of Chapter 5 of the 1st Extraordinary Session of the Statutes of 2013, is amended to read:

100501.

For purposes of this title, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) “Board” means the board described in subdivision (a) of Section 100500.

(b) “Bridge plan product” means an individual health benefit plan as defined in subdivision (f) of Section 1399.845 of the Health and Safety Code that is offered by a health care service plan licensed under the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975 (Chapter 2.2 (commencing with Section 1340) of Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code) or as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 10198.6 of the Insurance Code that is offered by a health insurer licensed under the Insurance Code that contracts with the Exchange pursuant to this title.

(c) “Carrier” means either a private health insurer holding a valid outstanding certificate of authority from the Insurance Commissioner or a health care service plan, as defined under subdivision (f) of Section 1345 of the Health and Safety Code, licensed by the Department of Managed Health Care.

(d) “Covered California for Small ~~Business”~~ Business Exchange” means the program established by subdivision (m) of Section 100502.

(e) “Exchange” means the California Health Benefit Exchange established by Section 100500.

(f) “Federal act” means the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148), as amended by the federal Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-152), and any amendments to, or regulations or guidance issued under, those acts.

(g) “Fund” means the California Health Trust Fund established by Section 100520.

(h) “Health plan” and “qualified health plan” have the same meanings as those terms are defined in Section 1301 of the federal act.

(i) “Healthy Families coverage” means coverage under the Healthy Families Program pursuant to Part 6.2 (commencing with Section 12693) of Division 2 of the Insurance Code.

(j) “Medi-Cal coverage” means coverage under the Medi-Cal program pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(k) “Modified adjusted gross income” shall have the same meaning as the term is used in Section 1401(d)(2)(B) (26 U.S.C. Sec. 36B) of the federal act.

(l) “Members of the modified adjusted gross income household” shall mean any individual who would be included in the calculation for modified adjusted gross income pursuant to Section 1401(a) (26 U.S.C. Sec. 36B(d)) of the federal act and as otherwise determined by the Exchange as permitted by the federal act and this title.

(m) “Supplemental coverage” means coverage through a specialized health care service plan contract, as defined in subdivision (o) of Section 1345 of the Health and Safety Code, or a specialized health insurance policy, as defined in Section 106 of the Insurance Code.

(n) This section shall become inoperative on the October 1 that is five years after the date that federal approval of the bridge plan option occurs, and, as of the second January 1 thereafter, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute that is enacted before that date deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.

SEC. 2.

Section 100501 of the Government Code, as added by Section 3 of Chapter 5 of the 1st Extraordinary Session of the Statutes of 2013, is amended to read:

100501.

For purposes of this title, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) “Board” means the board described in subdivision (a) of Section 100500.

(b) “Carrier” means either a private health insurer holding a valid outstanding certificate of authority from the Insurance Commissioner or a health care service plan, as defined under subdivision (f) of Section 1345 of the Health and Safety Code, licensed by the Department of Managed Health Care.

(c) “Covered California for Small ~~Business”~~ Business Exchange” means the program established by subdivision (m) of Section 100502.

(d) “Exchange” means the California Health Benefit Exchange established by Section 100500.

(e) “Federal act” means the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148), as amended by the federal Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-152), and any amendments to, or regulations or guidance issued under, those acts.

(f) “Fund” means the California Health Trust Fund established by Section 100520.

(g) “Health plan” and “qualified health plan” have the same meanings as those terms are defined in Section 1301 of the federal act.

(h) “Supplemental coverage” means coverage through a specialized health care service plan contract, as defined in subdivision (o) of Section 1345 of the Health and Safety Code, or a specialized health insurance policy, as defined in Section 106 of the Insurance Code.

(i) This section shall become operative only if Section 2 of the act that added this section becomes inoperative pursuant to subdivision (n) of that Section 2.

SEC. 3.

Section 100502 of the Government Code is amended to read:

100502.

The board shall, at a minimum, do all of the following to implement Section 1311 of the federal act:

(a) Implement procedures for the certification, recertification, and decertification, consistent with guidelines established by the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, of health plans as qualified health plans. The board shall require health plans seeking certification as qualified health plans to do all of the following:

(1) Submit a justification for any premium increase prior to implementation of the increase. The plans shall prominently post that information on their Internet Web sites. The board shall take this information, and the information and the recommendations provided to the board by the Department of Insurance or the Department of Managed Health Care under paragraph (1) of subdivision (b) of Section 2794 of the federal Public Health Service Act, into consideration when determining whether to make the health plan available through the Exchange. The board shall take into account any excess of premium growth outside the Exchange as compared to the rate of that growth inside the Exchange, including information reported by the Department of Insurance and the Department of Managed Health Care.

(2) (A) Make available to the public and submit to the board, the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the Insurance Commissioner or the Department of Managed Health Care, as applicable, accurate and timely disclosure of the following information:

(i) Claims payment policies and practices.

(ii) Periodic financial disclosures.

(iii) Data on enrollment.

(iv) Data on disenrollment.

(v) Data on the number of claims that are denied.

(vi) Data on rating practices.

(vii) Information on cost sharing and payments with respect to any out-of-network coverage.

(viii) Information on enrollee and participant rights under Title I of the federal act.

(ix) Other information as determined appropriate by the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.

(B) The information required under subparagraph (A) shall be provided in plain language, as defined in subparagraph (B) of paragraph (3) of subdivision (e) of Section 1311 of the federal act.

(3) Permit individuals to learn, in a timely manner upon the request of the individual, the amount of cost sharing, including, but not limited to, deductibles, copayments, and coinsurance, under the individual’s plan or coverage that the individual would be responsible for paying with respect to the furnishing of a specific item or service by a participating provider. At a minimum, this information shall be made available to the individual through an Internet Web site and through other means for individuals without access to the Internet.

(b) Provide for the operation of a toll-free telephone hotline to respond to requests for assistance.

(c) Maintain an Internet Web site through which enrollees and prospective enrollees of qualified health plans may obtain standardized comparative information on those plans.

(d) Assign a rating to each qualified health plan offered through the Exchange in accordance with the criteria developed by the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services.

(e) Utilize a standardized format for presenting health benefits plan options in the Exchange, including the use of the uniform outline of coverage established under Section 2715 of the federal Public Health Service Act.

(f) Inform individuals of eligibility requirements for the Medi-Cal program, the Healthy Families Program, or any applicable state or local public program and, if, through screening of the application by the Exchange, the Exchange determines that an individual is eligible for any of those programs, enroll that individual in the identified program.

(g) Establish and make available by electronic means a calculator to determine the actual cost of coverage after the application of a premium tax credit under Section 36B of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and any cost-sharing reduction under Section 1402 of the federal act.

(h) Grant a certification attesting that, for purposes of the individual responsibility penalty under Section 5000A of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, an individual is exempt from the individual requirement or from the penalty imposed by that section because of either of the following:

(1) There is no affordable qualified health plan available through the Exchange or the individual’s employer covering the individual.

(2) The individual meets the requirements for any other exemption from the individual responsibility requirement or penalty.

(i) Transfer to the Secretary of the Treasury all of the following:

(1) A list of the individuals who are issued a certification under subdivision (h), including the name and taxpayer identification number of each individual.

(2) The name and taxpayer identification number of each individual who was an employee of an employer but who was determined to be eligible for the premium tax credit under Section 36B of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 because of either of the following:

(A) The employer did not provide minimum essential coverage.

(B) The employer provided the minimum essential coverage but it was determined under subparagraph (C) of paragraph (2) of subsection (c) of Section 36B of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to either be unaffordable to the employee or not provide the required minimum actuarial value.

(3) The name and taxpayer identification number of each individual who notifies the Exchange under paragraph (4) of subsection (b) of Section 1411 of the federal act that they have changed employers and of each individual who ceases coverage under a qualified health plan during a plan year and the effective date of that cessation.

(j) Provide to each employer the name of each employee of the employer described in paragraph (2) of subdivision (i) who ceases coverage under a qualified health plan during a plan year and the effective date of that cessation.

(k) Perform duties required of, or delegated to, the Exchange by the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services or the Secretary of the Treasury related to determining eligibility for premium tax credits, reduced cost sharing, or individual responsibility exemptions.

(l) Establish the navigator program in accordance with subdivision (i) of Section 1311 of the federal act. An entity chosen by the Exchange as a navigator shall do all of the following:

(1) Conduct public education activities to raise awareness of the availability of qualified health plans.

(2) Distribute fair and impartial information concerning enrollment in qualified health plans, and the availability of premium tax credits under Section 36B of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and cost-sharing reductions under Section 1402 of the federal act.

(3) Facilitate enrollment in qualified health plans.

(4) Provide referrals to any applicable office of health insurance consumer assistance or health insurance ~~ombudsman~~ ombudsperson established under Section 2793 of the federal Public Health Service Act, or any other appropriate state agency or agencies, for an enrollee with a grievance, complaint, or question regarding his or her health plan, coverage, or a determination under that plan or coverage.

(5) Provide information in a manner that is culturally and linguistically appropriate to the needs of the population being served by the Exchange.

(m) Establish the Covered California for Small Business ~~program,~~ Exchange, separate from the activities of the board related to the individual market, to assist qualified small employers in facilitating the enrollment of their employees in qualified health plans offered through the Exchange in the small employer market in a manner consistent with paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 1312 of the federal act. Any reference to the Small Business Health Options Program or the SHOP Program is deemed to refer to the Covered California for Small ~~Business.~~ Business Exchange.

SEC. 4.

Section 100503 of the Government Code, as amended by Section 1 of Chapter 146 of the Statutes of 2016, is amended to read:

100503.

In addition to meeting the minimum requirements of Section 1311 of the federal act, the board shall do all of the following:

(a) (1) Determine the criteria and process for eligibility, enrollment, and disenrollment of enrollees and potential enrollees in the Exchange and coordinate that process with the state and local government entities administering other health care coverage programs, including the State Department of Health Care Services, the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, and California counties, in order to ensure consistent eligibility and enrollment processes and seamless transitions between coverage.

(2) (A) The Exchange shall not disclose personal information obtained from an application for health care coverage to a certified insurance agent or certified enrollment counselor without the consent of the applicant.

(B) This section does not preclude the Exchange from sharing the information of current enrollees or applicants with the same certified enrollment counselor or certified insurance agent of record that provided the applicant assistance with an existing application, or their successor or authorized staff, as otherwise permitted by federal and state laws and regulations.

(C) For purposes of this section, the term “personal information” has the same meaning as set forth in Section 1798.3 of the Civil Code.

(b) Develop processes to coordinate with the county entities that administer eligibility for the Medi-Cal program and the entity that determines eligibility for the Healthy Families Program, including, but not limited to, processes for case transfer, referral, and enrollment in the Exchange of individuals applying for assistance to those entities, if allowed or required by federal law.

(c) Determine the minimum requirements a carrier must meet to be considered for participation in the Exchange, and the standards and criteria for selecting qualified health plans to be offered through the Exchange that are in the best interests of qualified individuals and qualified small employers. The board shall consistently and uniformly apply these requirements, standards, and criteria to all carriers. In the course of selectively contracting for health care coverage offered to qualified individuals and qualified small employers through the Exchange, the board shall seek to contract with carriers so as to provide health care coverage choices that offer the optimal combination of choice, value, quality, and service.

(d) Provide, in each region of the state, a choice of qualified health plans at each of the five levels of coverage contained in subsections (d) and (e) of Section 1302 of the federal act, subject to subdivision (e) of this section, paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) of Section 1366.6 of the Health and Safety Code, and paragraph (2) of subdivision (d) of Section 10112.3 of the Insurance Code.

(e) Require carriers, as a condition of participation in the individual market of the Exchange, to fairly and affirmatively offer, market, and sell in the individual market of the Exchange at least one product within each of the five levels of coverage contained in subsections (d) and (e) of Section 1302 of the federal act and require carriers, as a condition of participation in the Covered California for Small Business ~~program,~~ Exchange, to fairly and affirmatively offer, market, and sell in the Covered California for Small Business Exchange at least one product within each of the four levels of coverage contained in subsection (d) of Section 1302 of the federal act. The board may require carriers to offer additional products within each of those levels of coverage. This subdivision shall not apply to a carrier that solely offers supplemental coverage in the Exchange under paragraph (10) of subdivision (a) of Section 100504.

(f) (1) Except as otherwise provided in this section and Section 100504.5, require, as a condition of participation in the Exchange, carriers that sell any products outside the Exchange to do both of the following:

(A) Fairly and affirmatively offer, market, and sell all products made available to individuals in the Exchange to individuals purchasing coverage outside the Exchange.

(B) Fairly and affirmatively offer, market, and sell all products made available to small employers in the Exchange to small employers purchasing coverage outside the Exchange.

(2) For purposes of this subdivision, “product” does not include contracts entered into pursuant to Part 6.2 (commencing with Section 12693) of Division 2 of the Insurance Code between the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board and carriers for enrolled Healthy Families beneficiaries or contracts entered into pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) of, or Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 14200) of, Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code between the State Department of Health Care Services and carriers for enrolled Medi-Cal beneficiaries. “Product” also does not include a bridge plan product offered pursuant to Section 100504.5.

(3) Except as required by Section 1301(a)(1)(C)(ii) of the federal act, a carrier offering a bridge plan product in the Exchange may limit the products it offers in the Exchange solely to a bridge plan product contract.

(g) Determine when an enrollee’s coverage commences and the extent and scope of coverage.

(h) Provide for the processing of applications and the enrollment and disenrollment of enrollees.

(i) Determine and approve cost-sharing provisions for qualified health plans.

(j) Establish uniform billing and payment policies for qualified health plans offered in the Exchange to ensure consistent enrollment and disenrollment activities for individuals enrolled in the Exchange.

(k) Undertake activities necessary to market and publicize the availability of health care coverage and federal subsidies through the Exchange. The board shall also undertake outreach and enrollment activities that seek to assist enrollees and potential enrollees with enrolling and reenrolling in the Exchange in the least burdensome manner, including populations that may experience barriers to enrollment, such as the disabled and those with limited English language proficiency.

(l) Select and set performance standards and compensation for navigators selected under subdivision (l) of Section 100502.

(m) Employ necessary staff.

(1) The board shall hire a chief fiscal officer, a chief operations officer, a director for the Covered California for Small Business Exchange, a director of health plan contracting, a chief technology and information officer, a general counsel, and other key executive positions, as determined by the board, who shall be exempt from civil service.

(2) (A) The board shall set the salaries for the exempt positions described in paragraph (1) and subdivision (i) of Section 100500 in amounts that are reasonably necessary to attract and retain individuals of superior qualifications. The salaries shall be published by the board in the board’s annual budget. The board’s annual budget shall be posted on the Internet Web site of the Exchange. To determine the compensation for these positions, the board shall cause to be conducted, through the use of independent outside advisors, salary surveys of both of the following:

(i) Other state and federal health insurance exchanges that are most comparable to the Exchange.

(ii) Other relevant labor pools.

(B) The salaries established by the board under subparagraph (A) shall not exceed the highest comparable salary for a position of that type, as determined by the surveys conducted pursuant to subparagraph (A).

(C) The Department of Human Resources shall review the methodology used in the surveys conducted pursuant to subparagraph (A).

(3) The positions described in paragraph (1) and subdivision (i) of Section 100500 shall not be subject to otherwise applicable provisions of the Government Code or the Public Contract Code and, for those purposes, the Exchange shall not be considered a state agency or public entity.

(n) Assess a charge on the qualified health plans offered by carriers that is reasonable and necessary to support the development, operations, and prudent cash management of the Exchange. This charge shall not affect the requirement under Section 1301 of the federal act that carriers charge the same premium rate for each qualified health plan whether offered inside or outside the Exchange.

(o) Authorize expenditures, as necessary, from the California Health Trust Fund to pay program expenses to administer the Exchange.

(p) Keep an accurate accounting of all activities, receipts, and expenditures, and annually submit to the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services a report concerning that accounting. Commencing January 1, 2016, the board shall conduct an annual audit.

(q) (1) Annually prepare a written report on the implementation and performance of the Exchange functions during the preceding fiscal year, including, at a minimum, the manner in which funds were expended and the progress toward, and the achievement of, the requirements of this title. The report shall also include data provided by health care service plans and health insurers offering bridge plan products regarding the extent of health care provider and health facility overlap in their Medi-Cal networks as compared to the health care provider and health facility networks contracting with the plan or insurer in their bridge plan contracts. This report shall be transmitted to the Legislature and the Governor and shall be made available to the public on the Internet Web site of the Exchange. A report made to the Legislature pursuant to this subdivision shall be submitted pursuant to Section 9795.

(2) The Exchange shall prepare, or contract for the preparation of, an evaluation of the bridge plan program using the first three years of experience with the program. The evaluation shall be provided to the health policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature in the fourth year following federal approval of the bridge plan option. The evaluation shall include, but not be limited to, all of the following:

(A) The number of individuals eligible to participate in the bridge plan program each year by category of eligibility.

(B) The number of eligible individuals who elect a bridge plan option each year by category of eligibility.

(C) The average length of time, by region and statewide, that individuals remain in the bridge plan option each year by category of eligibility.

(D) The regions of the state with a bridge plan option, and the carriers in each region that offer a bridge plan, by year.

(E) The premium difference each year, by region, between the bridge plan and the first and second lowest cost plan for individuals in the Exchange who are not eligible for the bridge plan.

(F) The effect of the bridge plan on the premium subsidy amount for bridge plan eligible individuals each year by each region.

(G) Based on a survey of individuals enrolled in the bridge plan:

(i) Whether individuals enrolling in the bridge plan product are able to keep their existing health care providers.

(ii) Whether individuals would want to retain their bridge plan product, buy a different Exchange product, or decline to purchase health insurance if there was no bridge plan product available. The Exchange may include questions designed to elicit the information in this subparagraph as part of an existing survey of individuals receiving coverage in the Exchange.

(3) In addition to the evaluation required by paragraph (2), the Exchange shall post the items in subparagraphs (A) to (F), inclusive, on its Internet Web site each year.

(4) In addition to the report described in paragraph (1), the board shall be responsive to requests for additional information from the Legislature, including providing testimony and commenting on proposed state legislation or policy issues. The Legislature finds and declares that activities including, but not limited to, responding to legislative or executive inquiries, tracking and commenting on legislation and regulatory activities, and preparing reports on the implementation of this title and the performance of the Exchange, are necessary state requirements and are distinct from the promotion of legislative or regulatory modifications referred to in subdivision (d) of Section 100520.

(r) Maintain enrollment and expenditures to ensure that expenditures do not exceed the amount of revenue in the fund, and if sufficient revenue is not available to pay estimated expenditures, institute appropriate measures to ensure fiscal solvency.

(s) Exercise all powers reasonably necessary to carry out and comply with the duties, responsibilities, and requirements of this act and the federal act.

(t) Consult with stakeholders relevant to carrying out the activities under this title, including, but not limited to, all of the following:

(1) Health care consumers who are enrolled in health plans.

(2) Individuals and entities with experience in facilitating enrollment in health plans.

(3) Representatives of small businesses and self-employed individuals.

(4) The Chief Deputy Director of Health Care Programs.

(5) Advocates for enrolling hard-to-reach populations.

(u) Facilitate the purchase of qualified health plans in the Exchange by qualified individuals and qualified small employers no later than January 1, 2014.

(v) Report, or contract with an independent entity to report, to the Legislature by December 1, 2018, on whether to adopt the option in Section 1312(c)(3) of the federal act to merge the individual and small employer markets. In its report, the board shall provide information, based on at least two years of data from the Exchange, on the potential impact on rates paid by individuals and by small employers in a merged individual and small employer market, as compared to the rates paid by individuals and small employers if a separate individual and small employer market is maintained. A report made pursuant to this subdivision shall be submitted pursuant to Section 9795.

(w) With respect to the Covered California for Small ~~Business,~~ Business Exchange, collect premiums and administer all other necessary and related tasks, including, but not limited to, enrollment and plan payment, in order to make the offering of employee plan choice as simple as possible for qualified small employers.

(x) Require carriers participating in the Exchange to immediately notify the Exchange, under the terms and conditions established by the board when an individual is or will be enrolled in or disenrolled from any qualified health plan offered by the carrier.

(y) Ensure that the Exchange provides oral interpretation services in any language for individuals seeking coverage through the Exchange and makes available a toll-free telephone number for the hearing and speech impaired. The board shall ensure that written information made available by the Exchange is presented in a plainly worded, easily understandable format and made available in prevalent languages.

(z) This section shall become inoperative on the October 1 that is five years after the date that federal approval of the bridge plan option occurs, and, as of the second January 1 thereafter, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute that is enacted before that date deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.

SEC. 5.

Section 100503 of the Government Code, as amended by Section 2 of Chapter 146 of the Statutes of 2016, is amended to read:

100503.

In addition to meeting the minimum requirements of Section 1311 of the federal act, the board shall do all of the following:

(C) For purposes of this section, the term “personal information” has the same meaning as set forth in Section 1798.3 of the Civil Code.

(e) Require carriers, as a condition of participation in the Exchange, to fairly and affirmatively offer, market, and sell in the Exchange at least one product within each of the five levels of coverage contained in subsections (d) and (e) of Section 1302 of the federal act and require carriers, as a condition of participation in the Covered California for Small Business ~~program,~~ Exchange, to fairly and affirmatively offer, market, and sell in the Covered California for Small Business Exchange at least one product within each of the four levels of coverage contained in subsection (d) of Section 1302 of the federal act. The board may require carriers to offer additional products within each of those levels of coverage. This subdivision shall not apply to a carrier that solely offers supplemental coverage in the Exchange under paragraph (10) of subdivision (a) of Section 100504.

(f) (1) Require, as a condition of participation in the Exchange, carriers that sell any products outside the Exchange to do both of the following:

(A) Fairly and affirmatively offer, market, and sell all products made available to individuals in the Exchange to individuals purchasing coverage outside the Exchange.

(B) Fairly and affirmatively offer, market, and sell all products made available to small employers in the Exchange to small employers purchasing coverage outside the Exchange.

(g) Determine when an enrollee’s coverage commences and the extent and scope of coverage.

(h) Provide for the processing of applications and the enrollment and disenrollment of enrollees.

(i) Determine and approve cost-sharing provisions for qualified health plans.

(l) Select and set performance standards and compensation for navigators selected under subdivision (l) of Section 100502.

(m) Employ necessary staff.

(i) Other state and federal health insurance exchanges that are most comparable to the Exchange.

(ii) Other relevant labor pools.

(C) The Department of Human Resources shall review the methodology used in the surveys conducted pursuant to subparagraph (A).

(o) Authorize expenditures, as necessary, from the California Health Trust Fund to pay program expenses to administer the Exchange.

(2) In addition to the report described in paragraph (1), the board shall be responsive to requests for additional information from the Legislature, including providing testimony and commenting on proposed state legislation or policy issues. The Legislature finds and declares that activities including, but not limited to, responding to legislative or executive inquiries, tracking and commenting on legislation and regulatory activities, and preparing reports on the implementation of this title and the performance of the Exchange, are necessary state requirements and are distinct from the promotion of legislative or regulatory modifications referred to in subdivision (d) of Section 100520.

(s) Exercise all powers reasonably necessary to carry out and comply with the duties, responsibilities, and requirements of this act and the federal act.

(t) Consult with stakeholders relevant to carrying out the activities under this title, including, but not limited to, all of the following:

(1) Health care consumers who are enrolled in health plans.

(2) Individuals and entities with experience in facilitating enrollment in health plans.

(3) Representatives of small businesses and self-employed individuals.

(4) The Chief Deputy Director of Health Care Programs.

(5) Advocates for enrolling hard-to-reach populations.

(u) Facilitate the purchase of qualified health plans in the Exchange by qualified individuals and qualified small employers no later than January 1, 2014.

(z) This section shall become operative only if Section 4 of the act that added this section becomes inoperative pursuant to subdivision (z) of that Section 4.

SEC. 6.

Section 100522 of the Government Code is amended to read:

100522.

(a) (1) The Exchange shall apply to the United States Department of Health and Human Services for a waiver authorized under Section 1332 of the federal act as defined in subdivision (f) of Section 100501 in order to allow persons otherwise not able to obtain coverage by reason of immigration status through the Exchange to obtain coverage from the Exchange by waiving the requirement that the Exchange offer only qualified health plans solely for the purpose of offering coverage to persons otherwise not able to obtain coverage by reason of immigration status.

(2) The waiver of the requirement that the Exchange offer only qualified health plans as described in paragraph (1) shall be limited to requiring the Exchange to offer California qualified health plans consistent with this section only and shall not be construed to authorize the Exchange to offer any other nonqualified health plan.

(b) The Exchange shall require an issuer that offers a qualified health plan in the individual market through the Exchange to concurrently offer a California qualified health plan that meets all of the following criteria:

(1) Is subject to the requirements of this title, including all of those requirements applicable to qualified health plans.

(2) Is subject to the requirements of subdivisions (a), (b), and (d) of Section 1366.6 of the Health and Safety Code and subdivisions (a), (b), and (d) of Section 10112.3 of the Insurance Code in the same manner as qualified health plans.

(3) Is identical to the corresponding qualified health plan, except for the eligibility requirements set forth in subdivision (c).

(1) Be eligible to receive federal advanced premium tax credit, federal cost-sharing reduction, or any other federal assistance for the payment of premiums or cost sharing for a California qualified health plan.

(2) Otherwise be eligible for enrollment in a qualified health plan offered through the Exchange by reason of immigration status.

(d) An applicant for coverage under this section shall be required to provide only the information strictly necessary to authenticate identity and determine eligibility under this section. Any person who receives information provided by an applicant under this section, whether directly or by another person at the request of the applicant, or receives information from any agency, shall use the information only for the purposes of, and to the extent necessary for, ensuring the efficient operation of the Exchange, including verifying the eligibility of an individual to enroll through the Exchange. That information shall not be disclosed to any other person except as provided in this section.

(e) Subdivisions (b) to (d), inclusive, shall become operative on January 1, 2018, for coverage effective for California qualified health plans beginning January 1, 2019, contingent upon federal approval of the waiver pursuant to subdivision (a).

SEC. 7.

Section 1366.6 of the Health and Safety Code, as amended by Section 5 of Chapter 572 of the Statutes of 2014, is amended to read:

1366.6.

(a) For purposes of this section, the following definitions shall apply:

(1) “Exchange” means the California Health Benefit Exchange established in Title 22 (commencing with Section 100500) of the Government Code.

(2) “Federal act” means the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148), as amended by the federal Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-152), and any amendments to, or regulations or guidance issued under, those acts.

(3) “Qualified health plan” has the same meaning as that term is defined in Section 1301 of the federal act.

(4) “Small employer” has the same meaning as that term is defined in Section 1357.500.

(b) (1) Health care service plans participating in the individual market of the Exchange shall fairly and affirmatively offer, market, and sell in the individual market of the Exchange at least one product within each of the five levels of coverage contained in subsections (d) and (e) of Section 1302 of the federal act. Health care service plans participating in the Covered California for Small Business ~~program of the~~ Exchange, established pursuant to subdivision (m) of Section 100502 of the Government Code, shall fairly and affirmatively offer, market, and sell in the Covered California for Small Business Exchange at least one product within each of the four levels of coverage contained in subsection (d) of Section 1302 of the federal act.

(2) The board established under Section 100500 of the Government Code may require plans to sell additional products within each of the levels of coverage identified in paragraph (1).

(3) This subdivision shall not apply to a plan that solely offers supplemental coverage in the Exchange under paragraph (10) of subdivision (a) of Section 100504 of the Government Code.

(4) This subdivision shall not apply to a bridge plan product that meets the requirements of Section 100504.5 of the Government Code to the extent approved by the appropriate federal agency.

(c) (1) Health care service plans participating in the Exchange that sell any products outside the Exchange shall do both of the following:

(A) Fairly and affirmatively offer, market, and sell all products made available to individuals in the Exchange to individuals purchasing coverage outside the Exchange.

(B) Fairly and affirmatively offer, market, and sell all products made available to small employers in the Exchange to small employers purchasing coverage outside the Exchange.

(2) For purposes of this subdivision, “product” does not include contracts entered into pursuant to Part 6.2 (commencing with Section 12693) of Division 2 of the Insurance Code between the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board and health care service plans for enrolled Healthy Families beneficiaries or to contracts entered into pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) of, or Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 14200) of, Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code between the State Department of Health Care Services and health care service plans for enrolled Medi-Cal beneficiaries, or for contracts with bridge plan products that meet the requirements of Section 100504.5 of the Government Code.

(d) (1) Commencing January 1, 2014, a health care service plan shall, with respect to individual plan contracts that cover hospital, medical, or surgical benefits, only sell the five levels of coverage contained in subsections (d) and (e) of Section 1302 of the federal act, except that a health care service plan that does not participate in the Exchange shall, with respect to individual plan contracts that cover hospital, medical, or surgical benefits, only sell the four levels of coverage contained in subsection (d) of Section 1302 of the federal act.

(2) Commencing January 1, 2014, a health care service plan shall, with respect to small employer plan contracts that cover hospital, medical, or surgical expenses, only sell the four levels of coverage contained in subsection (d) of Section 1302 of the federal act.

(e) Commencing January 1, 2014, a health care service plan that does not participate in the Exchange shall, with respect to individual or small employer plan contracts that cover hospital, medical, or surgical benefits, offer at least one standardized product that has been designated by the Exchange in each of the four levels of coverage contained in subsection (d) of Section 1302 of the federal act. This subdivision shall only apply if the board of the Exchange exercises its authority under subdivision (c) of Section 100504 of the Government Code. This subdivision does not require a plan that does not participate in the Exchange to offer standardized products in the small employer market if the plan only sells products in the individual market. This subdivision does not require a plan that does not participate in the Exchange to offer standardized products in the individual market if the plan only sells products in the small employer market. This subdivision shall not be construed to prohibit the plan from offering other products provided that it complies with subdivision (d).

(f) For purposes of this section, a bridge plan product shall mean an individual health benefit plan, as defined in subdivision (f) of Section 1399.845, that is offered by a health care service plan licensed under this chapter that contracts with the Exchange pursuant to Title 22 (commencing with Section 100500) of the Government Code.

(g) This section shall become inoperative on the October 1 that is five years after the date that federal approval of the bridge plan option occurs, and, as of the second January 1 thereafter, is repealed, unless a later enacted statute that is enacted before that date deletes or extends the dates on which it becomes inoperative and is repealed.

SEC. 8.

Section 1366.6 of the Health and Safety Code, as amended by Section 6 of Chapter 572 of the Statutes of 2014, is amended to read: