Health Care Eligibility, Enrollment, and Retention Act.

Existing law provides for various programs to provide health care coverage to persons with limited financial resources, including the Medi-Cal program and the Healthy Families Program. Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care. Existing law, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , requires each state to, by January 1, 2014, establish an American Health Benefit Exchange that facilitates the purchase of qualified health plans by qualified individuals and qualified small employers, as specified, and meets certain other requirements. Existing law, the California Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, creates the California Health Benefit Exchange (Exchange) , specifies the powers and duties of the board governing the Exchange relative to determining eligibility for enrollment in the Exchange and arranging for coverage under qualified health plans, and requires the board to facilitate the purchase of qualified health plans through the Exchange by qualified individuals and qualified small employers by January 1, 2014. This bill would enact the Health Care Reform Eligibility, Enrollment, and Retention Planning Act, which would require the California Health and Human Services Agency, in consultation with specified entities, to establish standardized single, accessible application forms and related renewal procedures for state health subsidy programs, as defined, in accordance with specified requirements. The bill would specify the duties of the agency and the State Department of Health Care Services under the act, and would require the agency to provide specified information to the Legislature by July 1, 2012, regarding policy changes needed to implement the bill. The application development requirements of the bill would otherwise be operative January 1, 2014, except as specified.