Temporary high risk pool.

Existing law, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, requires the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services to establish a temporary high risk health insurance pool program to provide health insurance coverage for eligible individuals until January 1, 2014. Existing law authorizes the secretary to carry out this program directly or through contracts to eligible entities, including states, and requires that money made available pursuant to these provisions be used to establish a qualified high risk pool that meets certain requirements. Existing law establishes the California Major Risk Medical Insurance Program, which is administered by the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board (MRMIB) , to provide major risk medical coverage to persons who, among other matters, have been rejected for coverage by at least one private health plan. This bill would establish the Federal Temporary High Risk Health Insurance Fund as a continuously appropriated fund to administer the qualified high risk pool required by federal law, thereby making an appropriation. The bill would repeal these provisions on January 1, 2020. Existing law exempts from the Public Records Act records of MRMIB related to contract negotiations and deliberations, and exempts from the Bagley-Keene Open Meeting Act matters related to the development of rates and contracting strategy for entities contracting or seeking to contract with MRMIB. This bill would add to those exemptions records and meetings of MRMIB with regard to contract negotiations with entities with which MRMIB is considering or enters into any arrangement under which MRMIB provides, receives, or arranges services or reimbursement, including those negotiations conducted for purposes of the qualified high risk pool and the fund created by the bill. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect. This bill would provide that it shall become operative only if SB 227 of the 2009–10 Regular Session is also enacted and becomes operative. The bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.