IN THIS ISSUE | May 18, 2009

STATE LEGISLATION IMPACTING RURAL HEALTH

Budget | Children | Dental | Healthcare Reform | Hospitals | Medi-Cal | Speciality Care | Workforce

CSRHA has compiled list of rural related bills that may be of interest to you. Bills are separated according to subject area, and full bill text can be viewed by clicking on the bill number. We welcome feed back and would like to know which bills of are interest to our members. Please email Shannon Means with your feedback.

Budget

1. ABX3 10, Evans, The Mental Health Services Act: Proposition 63 Amendments: Subject to voter approval at a statewide election, would, until July 1, 2011 permit the sum of $226,700,000 of MHSA funding in the 2009-10 fiscal year and up to $234,000,000 of MHSA funding in the 2010-11 fiscal year to be redirected to support the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis and Treatment Program as administered by the State Department of Mental Health.
   
   
2. SBX3 10, Cox, California Children and Families Program: funding: Would provide for the distribution, as prescribed of funds held by county children and families commissions and by the CA Children and Families Commission that remain unencumbered on the date that the bill’s provisions are approved by the voters.

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Children

1. SB 1, Steinberg, Health care coverage: children: Would expand eligibility for the Medi-Cal program and the Healthy Families Program by modifying the income requirements applicable to those programs, and by making coverage available of citizenship or immigration status.

      Other subjects: Coverage

2. SB 438, Yee, Health care coverage: Would require the board, in consultation with the department, to begin the initial eligibility determinations for the Healthy Families Program to the county welfare department, and would require the counties to assume the full responsibility for eligibility determinations, annual redeterminations and ongoing case maintenance.

      Other subjects: Coverage, Medi-Cal

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Dental

1. AB 403, Fuller, Dental hygienist: examinations and licensure: Would instead provide that satisfactory performance on the state clinical examination or satisfactory completion of the dental hygiene examination given by the Western Regional Examining Board or any other clinical dental hygiene examination approved by the Dental Hygiene Committee of CA satisfies the clinical examination requirement for licensure as a dental hygienist.

      Other subjects: Workforce

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Healthcare Reform

1. SB 56, Alquist, California Health Benefits Service Program: Would create the California Health Benefits Service Program within the State Department of Health Care Services for the purpose of expanding cost-effective public health coverage options to the uninsured and purchases of health insurance.
2. SB 92, Aanestad, Health care reform: Would allow a domiciled in another state to offer, sell or renew a health care service plan contract or a health insurance policy in this state without holding a license issued by the department or a certificate of authority issued by the commissioner.

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Hospitals

1. AB 648, Chesbro, Rural hospitals: physician services: Would until January 1, 2020, establish a demonstration project authorizing a rural hospital, as defined, that meets specified conditions, to employ up to 10 physicians and surgeons at one time, except as provided, to provide medical serves at the rural hospital or other health facility that the rural hospital owns or operates, and to retail all or part of the income generated by the physicians and surgeons for medical services billed and collected but the rural hospital if the physician and surgeon in whose name the chares are made approves these charges.

      Other subjects: Workforce

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Medi-Cal

1. AB 342, Bass, Medi-Cal: demonstration project waiver: Would require the department to submit an application to the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for a waiver to implement a demonstration project that improves health care, as specified.
2. AB 1076, Jones, Medi-Cal: Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which basic health care services are provided to qualified low-income persons. This bill would add the designation of a primary care provider as a patient's medical home to the list of components that a disease management benefit would include for purposes of the waiver.

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Specialty Care

1. AB 175, Galgiani, Medi-Cal telemedicine: optometrists: Would expand the definition of "teleophthalmology and teledermatology by store and forward" to include an asynchronous transmission of medical information to be reviewed at a later time, for teleophthalmology, by a licensed optometrist.

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Workforce

1. AB 356, Fletcher, Radiologic technology: licentiates of the healing arts: Would revise the definition of licentiates of the healing arts to also include a physician assistant who is licensed pursuant to the Physician Assistant Practice Act and who practices under the supervision of a qualified physician and surgeon, as provided.
   
   
2. SB 43, Alquist, Health professions: This bill would authorize the healing arts boards, as defined, to collect information regarding the cultural and linguistic competency of persons licensed, certified, registered, or otherwise subject to regulation by those boards. The bill would require that this information be used only for the purpose of meeting the cultural and linguistic concerns of the state's diverse patient population.
   
   
3. SB 499, Ducheny, Managed Care Administrative Fines and Penalties Fund: California Major Risk Medical Insurance Program: Existing law establishes the California Major Risk Medical Insurance Program (MRMIP) that is administered by the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board (MRMIB) to provide major risk medical coverage to eligible persons who have been rejected for coverage by at least one private health plan. This bill would require MRMIB to report to the Legislature no later than March 1, 2010, and annually thereafter, on the amount and use of moneys transferred to the Major Risk Medical Insurance Fund pursuant to that provision and the effect of those moneys on the waiting list for MRMIP.
   
   
4. SB 606, Ducheny, Physicians and surgeons: loan repayment: This bill would make osteopathic physicians and surgeons eligible for the loan repayment program and would require the Osteopathic Medical Board of California to assess an additional $25 licensure fee for that purpose. The bill would direct the deposit of those fees into the Medically Underserved Account for Physicians for purposes of the loan repayment program. The bill would specify that the $25 fee paid by physicians and surgeons and osteopathic physicians and surgeons shall not be used to provide funding for the Physician Volunteer Program.
   
   
5. SB 788, Wyland, Mental health professionals: Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of marriage and family therapists, educational psychologists, and clinical social workers by the Board of Behavioral Sciences, in the Department of Consumer Affairs. This bill would prohibit a person from holding himself or herself out to the public by any title or description of mental health services not authorized by law or licensed by that board, except as specified.

The following bills are of interest but have been placed on suspense file: SB 442, AB 1269, AB 1445, AB 359, AB 657, AB 1314, AB 1542, SB 810, and AB 1201.
 

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