California Health Benefit Exchange: records.

Under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , each state is required, by January 1, 2014, to establish an American Health Benefit Exchange that makes available qualified health plans to qualified individuals and small employers. Existing state law establishes the California Health Benefit Exchange (Exchange) within state government, specifies the powers and duties of the board governing the Exchange, and requires the board to facilitate the purchase of qualified health plans through the Exchange by qualified individuals and small employers by January 1, 2014. Under the California Public Records Act (CPRA) , public records of state and local agencies are open to public inspection, as specified, unless a record is exempt from disclosure. Existing law exempts specified records of the Exchange from CPRA and requires, except for the portion of a contract that contains the rates of payment, contracts entered into, and amendments to contracts entered into, by the board to be open to inspection after one year. This bill would instead make open to public inspection the impressions, opinions, recommendations, meeting minutes, research, work product, theories, or strategy of the board or its staff, or records that provide instructions, advice, or training to employees. The bill would provide that the one year exemption from disclosure for contracts with participating carriers apply to those contracts entered into on or after the effective date of the bill. The bill would also require that the portion of the contract or amendment containing the rates of payment be open to inspection 3 years after a contract or amendment is open to inspection pursuant to these provisions. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.