California Health Benefit Exchange: data collection.

Existing federal law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , requires each state to establish an American Health Benefit Exchange to facilitate the purchase of qualified health benefit plans by qualified individuals and qualified small employers. Existing state law creates the California Health Benefit Exchange (Exchange) , also known as Covered California, to facilitate the enrollment of qualified individuals and qualified small employers in qualified health plans as required under PPACA. Existing law prescribes the duties of the board of the Exchange, including requiring a health plan seeking certification as a qualified health plan to submit specified data to the board. This bill would require the board, if it requires or has previously required a qualified health plan to report on cost reduction efforts, quality improvements, or disparity reductions, to make public plan-specific data on cost reduction efforts, quality improvements, and disparity reductions. The bill would require the board to post that data and information to the internet website of the Exchange no less than annually and in a way that demonstrates the compliance and performance of a health plan, but protects the personal information of an enrollee. The bill would require a qualified health plan to provide enrollee data and other information on quality measures to the board, as specified, and would require information to be provided by product type. The bill would exempt Exchange records that reveal specified claims and rate data from disclosure under the California Public Records Act. The bill would delete an existing requirement that the portion of a contract or amendment containing rates of payment be open to inspection 3 years after the contract or amendment is open to inspection. The bill would also require the board to engage in health oversight activities relating to Exchange operations, including audits, investigations, evaluations, analyses, data collection through routine reporting, and any other activities for oversight of the Exchange, including qualified health plan contracts with health care service plans and health insurers. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.