California Health Benefit Exchange.

Existing federal law, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , enacts various health care coverage market reforms that took 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 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 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 without the consent of the applicant. 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. The bill would define the term "personal information" for these purposes. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.