[courtesy of California Progress Report]

• Senate Passes SB1522 (Steinberg), Standardizing Insurance & Prohibiting "Junk" Coverage
• Assembly Passes AB2967 (Lieber), Providing Transparency on Cost and Quality of Care
• Also: Bills Pass to Regulate Insurers on Rescission, Maternity Coverage, Mental Health Parity, and Requiring 85% of Premium for Patient Care

By Anthony Wright
Executive Director of Health Access California

Health reform continues to be a hot topic at the State Capitol. Passing their first floor vote and the half-way point in the California Legislature, key health bills would provide patients with new information and needed consumer protections regarding their care and coverage.

The Assembly and Senate passed several key health care bills, including ones to protect consumers from "junk" insurance; to increase transparency about the cost and quality of care; to regulate the practice of retroactively denying coverage to patients; and to mandate coverage of maternity and mental health services. The health reform conversation is alive and well.

The following bills passed:

INSURER OVERSIGHT:

[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.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

ALERT: U.S. Congress, Child Health Insurance Veto Override Vote This Week