[courtesy of California Progress Report]

• Lawmakers question Department of Managed Healthcare’s oversight of health insurers
• Inquiry into regulations for timely access, discount plans, rescissions, language access and mental health parity
• Laws passed more than five years ago still not implemented

By Hanh Kim Quach
Health Care Policy Coordinator
Health Access California

At a special hearing of the Senate Health Committee on Thursday, Department of Managed Health Care Director Cindy Ehnes was questioned for over nearly seven hours about her department’s handling of five separate regulations and whether it had met its charge as a consumer protection agency in implementing and enforcing laws to help patients.

“This hearing is meant to provide a level of oversight to ensure that legislation that is passed gets implemented in a way that is consistent with the way it was intended,’’ said Sen. Sheila Kuehl, chair of the Senate Health Committee.