Governor Schwarzenegger has released a first batch of the hostage bills, but is still promising to blanket veto a whole bunch more depending on the negotiations on unrelated water issues.
In the first batch, there’s not a lot of health stuff signed. The big news is that virtually all of the requirements on insurance companies to cover certain benefits–from maternity (AB98) to mental health services(AB244)–were vetoed. Not a surprise that the Governor sided with the insurance industry on these issues, but still a disappointment to patients who find out after the fact that the treatment and services they need are not actually covered.
From the Governor’s website, here’s a list of some of the health bills that were vetoed:
SB 158 by Senator Patricia Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa) – Health care coverage: cervical cancer screening: human papillomavirus vaccination. See attached veto message.
SB 161 by Senator Roderick Wright (D-Inglewood) – Health care coverage: cancer treatment. See attached veto message.
SB 196 by Senator Ellen Corbett (D-San Leandro) – Emergency medical services. See attached veto message.
SB 212 by Senator Dean Florez (D-Shafter) – Pupil health: communicable diseases. See attached veto message.
AB 56 by Assemblymember Anthony Portantino (D-Pasadena) – Health care coverage: mammographies. See attached veto message.
AB 98 by Assemblymember Hector De La Torre (D-South Gate) – Maternity services. See attached veto message.
AB 217 by Assemblymember Jim Beall (D-San Jose) – Medi-Cal: alcohol and drug screening and brief intervention services. See attached veto message.
AB 244 by Assemblymember Jim Beall (D-San Jose) – Health care coverage: mental health services. See attached veto message.
AB 245 by Assemblymember Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco) – Physicians and surgeons. See attached veto message.
AB 513 by Assemblymember Kevin de León (D-Los Angeles) – Health care coverage: breast-feeding. See attached veto message.
AB 1462 by Assemblymember Mike Feuer (D-Los Angeles) – Medi-Cal: inpatient hospital services contracts. See attached veto message.
We’ll keep you posted on other news later in the day…