Healthcare

Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is in part governed by, and funded pursuant to, federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law sets forth various procedures, including the submission of an application package, for provider enrollment, continuing enrollment, or enrollment at a new location or a change in location under the Medi-Cal program. Existing law requires an applicant or provider who is a natural person and is licensed or certificated under provisions relating to healing arts, the Osteopathic Initiative Act, or the Chiropractic Initiative Act, or is a professional corporation, to comply with the above-described procedures and to be enrolled in the Medi-Cal program as either an individual provider or as a rendering provider in a provider group for each application package that is submitted and approved. This bill would also apply the above-described provision to a nonprofit public benefit corporation that has been granted tax-exempt status and through which licensed providers enumerated in the Medicaid state plan provide nonspecialty mental health services, as specified.

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, also known as Covered California, to facilitate the enrollment of qualified individuals and qualified small employers in qualified health plans offered by participating carriers as required under PPACA. This bill would require a nonprofit health care service plan participating in the Exchange to annually disclose its material investment holdings to the Exchange on or before July 1 of each year, unless otherwise specified by regulation, beginning on July 1, 2027. The bill would require the Exchange to prominently display, and make accessible to the public, those disclosures on its internet website. If a plan fails to comply with the disclosure requirements, the bill would require the Department of Managed Health Care to assess an administrative penalty against the plan, as specified. The bill would require the Exchange to prominently post the plan's noncompliance status on its internet website until compliance is achieved.

Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services through fee-for-service or managed care delivery systems. The Medi-Cal program is in part governed by, and funded pursuant to, federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law provides for the licensure of hospice agencies by the State Department of Public Health to provide hospice services to an individual who is experiencing the last phase of life due to a terminal illness, as defined. Under existing law, hospice services are covered under the Medi-Cal program, subject to utilization controls and the availability of federal financial participation, as specified. The State Department of Health Care Services administratively requires, effective March 2, 2026, a hospice provider to use a certain online attestation form to notify the department when a Medi-Cal fee-for-service member has elected to receive hospice services, as specified. This bill would codify and recast those departmental procedures relating to the online form. The bill would require the hospice provider to submit the online form within 5 calendar days after the member's election to receive hospice services, and to submit the form in conjunction with counseling, receipt of informed consent, and completion of a separate election notice form, as specified. The bill would make these provisions applicable only to the Medi-Cal fee-for-service delivery system. In the case of Medi-Cal managed care, the bill would require a hospice provider to instead follow its assigned Medi-Cal managed care plan's submission requirements, as specified.

Senate Resolution 137 formally declares October 2026 as National Chiropractic Health Month in California. The resolution highlights chiropractic care as a drug-free option for treating musculoskeletal conditions and notes that the profession is regulated by the State Board of Chiropractic Examiners, which operates without using state general fund money. It also directs the Secretary of the Senate to send copies of the resolution to the California Chiropractic Association and the bill's author.

Senate Resolution 131 proclaims September 2026 as Suicide Prevention Awareness Month in California, aiming to reduce stigma and promote access to mental health services. The resolution highlights the critical role of community-based providers, specifically acknowledging the California Association of Alcohol and Drug Program Executives and Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services for their contributions to crisis care. It affirms that support is available to all Californians through resources such as the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Senate Resolution 128 designates September 3, 2026, as California Neuroblastoma Awareness Day. The bill aims to recognize the resilience of children and families affected by this specific childhood cancer and support medical professionals working to treat it. It highlights that neuroblastoma is the most common cancer in infants and notes that increased public awareness can help drive earlier diagnosis and research investment.

This bill is a procedural resolution that proclaims September 2026 as Recovery Month in California. It aims to honor individuals in recovery, service providers, and communities dedicated to treating substance use disorders and mental health conditions. The text also highlights recent state investments under Proposition 1, which have funded new behavioral health facilities and treatment slots across the state.

This Senate Resolution highlights the importance of medically supportive food and nutrition services, often called "food as medicine," in improving health outcomes and reducing healthcare costs for Californians. It notes that these services, which include medically tailored meals and groceries, are already a key part of the state's Medi-Cal program and have been shown to lower emergency room visits and hospitalizations. The resolution emphasizes the value of these programs in addressing diet-related health issues and encourages continued collaboration among healthcare providers and community organizations to expand access. Additionally, it supports sourcing food from local farms to benefit the economy and environment while ensuring high-quality, culturally relevant care for patients.

Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of health facilities, including general acute care hospitals, by the State Department of Public Health. Existing law authorizes a general acute care hospital to be approved to offer special services, including, among others, cardiac surgery. Existing regulation requires, when a general acute care hospital is providing cardiovascular operative service, that a minimum of 3 surgeons constitute a surgical team if the procedure requires extracorporeal bypass. This bill would require the department, on or before January 1, 2030, to update that regulation to reflect current professional standards of care relating to extracorporeal bypass surgery.

Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law authorizes health care service plans and health insurers that cover prescription drugs to utilize reasonable medical management practices, including prior authorization and step therapy, consistent with applicable law. This bill would prohibit a health care service plan contract or a health insurance policy that is issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027, from imposing step therapy as a prerequisite to authorizing coverage of any prescription drug used for the treatment of a serious mental illness or substance use disorder, as those terms are defined, except as specified. The bill would specify that the prohibition on step therapy does not apply when the United States Food and Drug Administration-labeled indications and usage of a drug indicate that some prior medication must be taken. Because a willful violation of this provision by a health care service plan would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.