The Assembly Health Committee, chaired by Assemblymember Richard Pan heard the following bills of interest to Health Access and health care advocates:
• SB 972 (Torres) on the California Health Benefit Exchange and the makeup of the board
• SB 1002 (De Leon) on Medi-Cal redeterminations
• SB 1089 (Mitchell) on Medi-Cal and juvenile inmates
• SB 1446 (De Saulnier) on health care coverage and the small employer market
SB 972 (Torres), which adds marketing of health insurance products, information technology system management, management information systems, and enrollment counseling assistance, with priority to cultural and linguistic competency, to the list of areas of expertise required for each person appointed to the Board of the California Health Benefit Exchange (Covered California) passed out of committee with 14 votes. The bill no longer adds to the number of seats on the board, as it did earlier in the year.
SB 1446 (De Saulnier) which allows small employer health plan contracts and insurance policies that do not comply with specified reforms under the ACA to be renewed and continue to be in force through 2015 passed out with 18 votes, on a bipartisan basis.
The remaining bills were passed on consent.