Insurance affordability programs: application form.

Existing law requires the California Health and Human Services Agency, in consultation with specified entities, to establish a single, standardized, accessible application form and related renewal procedures for insurance affordability programs, as defined, in accordance with specified requirements. Existing law authorizes the form to include questions that are voluntary for applicants to answer regarding demographic data categories, including race, ethnicity, primary language, disability status, and other categories recognized by the federal Secretary of Health and Human Services pursuant to federal law. Chapter 3 of the First Extraordinary Session of the Statutes of 2013, to be effective on the 91st day after adjournment of that session, amended these provisions, among others, to implement various provisions of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) . This bill would authorize the form to also include questions that are voluntary for applicants to answer regarding sexual orientation and gender identity or expression. The bill would, effective January 1, 2015, require the form to include questions that are voluntary for applicants to answer regarding the demographic data categories specified.