Office of the California Health Ombudsman.

Existing law, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, requires the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to states to enable them to establish, expand, or provide support for offices of health insurance consumer assistance or health insurance ombudsman programs and imposes specified eligibility requirements on states in order to receive those grants. This bill would establish the Office of the California Health Ombudsman in state government, to be governed by a chief executive officer known as the California Health Ombudsman who would be appointed by the Governor, subject to confirmation by the Senate. The bill would require the ombudsman to, among other things, educate consumers on their rights and responsibilities with respect to health care coverage, assist consumers with enrollment in health care coverage, and resolve problems with obtaining specified premium tax credits. The bill would also require the ombudsman to operate a specified hotline and Internet Web site and would require that the telephone number and Web site be included on every membership card and evidence of coverage issued to Medi-Cal beneficiaries and to individuals with coverage under health care service plans or health insurers, as specified. The bill would require the ombudsman to apply to the United States Secretary of Health and Human Services for a grant to implement these requirements and would create the California Health Ombudsman Trust Fund as a continuously appropriated fund in the State Treasury for purposes of the act. The bill would also impose an annual fee on health care service plans and health insurers for purposes of funding these provisions, as specified.