California Health Benefit Exchange.

Existing federal law, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , enacts various health care coverage market reforms that take effect January 1, 2014. Among other things, PPACA requires each health insurance issuer that offers health insurance coverage in the individual or group market in a state to accept every employer and individual in the state that applies for that coverage and to renew that coverage at the option of the plan sponsor or the individual. PPACA also 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. Existing 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. Existing law requires the board, among other things, to determine the criteria and process for eligibility, enrollment, and disenrollment of enrollees and potential enrollees in the Exchange and coordinate that process with state and local government entities administering other specified health care coverage programs, as specified. This bill would additionally require the board, without unreasonable delay, to allow an applicant to indicate in an application for health care coverage whether or not the applicant would like assistance with completing the application from an Exchange certified insurance agent or certified enrollment counselor. The bill would prohibit the Exchange from disclosing any personal information, as defined, that was obtained from the application for health care coverage to a certified insurance agent or certified enrollment counselor until the Exchange has complied with the provision described above. The bill would also prohibit the Exchange from disclosing personal information that was obtained from the application for health care coverage to a certified insurance agent or certified enrollment counselor if the applicant indicates that the applicant does not want assistance from an Exchange certified insurance agent or certified enrollment counselor. The bill would provide that these provisions do not preclude the Exchange from sharing the information of current enrollees or applicants with the same certified enrollment counselor or certified insurance agent of record that provided the applicant assistance with an existing application, or their successor or authorized staff, as specified. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.