This measure would declare the month of September 2022 as California Emergency Preparedness Month.
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 and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law, to the extent federal financial participation is available, requires the department to exercise its option under federal law to implement a program for individuals who are 65 years of age or older or are disabled, without a share of cost, if they meet certain financial eligibility criteria, including not exceeding 138% of the federal poverty level in their countable income or as specified. Under existing law, certain medically needy persons with higher incomes qualify for Medi-Cal with a share of cost, if they meet specified criteria. Under existing law, the share of cost for those persons is generally the total after deducting an amount for maintenance from the person's monthly income. Existing law requires the department to establish income levels for maintenance at the lowest levels that reasonably permit a medically needy person to meet their basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter, and for which federal financial participation will still be provided under applicable federal law. Under existing law, for a single individual, the amount of the income level for maintenance per month is based on a calculation of 80% of the highest amount that would ordinarily be paid to a family of 2 persons, without any income or resources, under specified cash assistance provisions, multiplied by the federal financial participation rate, adjusted as specified. To the extent that any necessary federal authorization is obtained, and effective no sooner than January 1, 2024, this bill would increase the above-described income level for maintenance per month to be equal to the income limit for Medi-Cal without a share of cost for individuals who are 65 years of age or older or are disabled, generally totaling 138% of the federal poverty level. The bill would require the department to seek any necessary federal authorization for maintaining that income level for maintenance and would make conforming changes to related provisions. The bill would authorize the department to implement those provisions by various means, including all-county letters, and would require the department to implement those changes by regulatory action within 2 years of the operation of the above-described increase.
(1) Existing law establishes the Office of Planning and Research in state government in the Governor's office. Existing law establishes the Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program (ICARP) , to be administered by the office, to coordinate regional and local efforts with state climate adaptation strategies to adapt to the impacts of climate change, as prescribed. Existing law establishes within the office an advisory council comprised of members from a range of disciplines, in order to provide scientific and technical support, and from regional and local governments and entities. Existing law requires the advisory council to support the office's identified goals to facilitate coordination among state, regional, and local agency efforts to adapt to the impacts of climate change. This bill would establish the Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Program in the office, to be administered by the office through ICARP, for the purpose of coordinating state efforts and supporting local and regional efforts to prevent or mitigate the impacts of, and reduce the public health risks of, heat. The bill would require the office to coordinate with other state agencies to implement the program and update the Extreme Heat Action Plan. The bill would require the Director of State Planning and Research to appoint a Chief Heat Officer to coordinate state activities and funding to address heat and oversee the implementation of the program. The bill would require the advisory council to, among other things, advise and provide input to the office on actions to improve the effectiveness of the program. The bill would require the office, when making appointments to the advisory council, to ensure that the advisory council is comprised of members with the necessary expertise to advise on the implementation of the program. Upon appropriation by the Legislature, the bill would require the office, as part of the program, to award grants and provide technical assistance to eligible entities, as defined, that support local and regional efforts to mitigate the impacts and reduce the public health risks of heat. The bill would require the office, in the awarding of grants, to prioritize projects that serve disadvantaged or vulnerable communities, as specified, that demonstrate participation in a regional climate collaborative program, or that are a component of a comprehensive heat action plan. The bill would authorize the director to make advance payments, not to exceed 25% of the total award amount, from a grant awarded pursuant to the program. The bill would require the office, in administering the program, to review and consider climate science research and publications, as specified, and to minimize greenhouse gas emissions and electricity grid stress, avoid maladaptation, and maximize job growth and other cobenefits, as provided. The bill would require the office to draft and adopt guidelines for awarding grants pursuant to the program to eligible entities. The bill would require projects awarded a grant to consider, and be informed by, the most recent California Climate Change Assessment. The bill would also exempt guidelines established by the office pursuant to the program from provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act. The bill would require the office, on or before July 1, 2024, and every 2 years thereafter, to update the Extreme Heat Action Plan to promote comprehensive, coordinated, and effective state and local government action on heat, as provided. The bill would require all state agencies identified in the Extreme Heat Action Plan to coordinate with the office to assist in the implementation of the plan. The bill would also require the office to post the plan and subsequent updates on the office's internet website and to provide the plan and subsequent updates to the relevant policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature. The bill would establish the Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Fund in the State Treasury. The bill would provide that moneys in the fund shall be available upon appropriation by the Legislature to the office for the sole purpose of implementing the program. (2) Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health, which is responsible for various programs relating to the health and safety of people in the state, including licensing health facilities, regulating food and drug safety, and monitoring and preventing communicable and chronic diseases. This bill would require the department, on or before July 1, 2024, and upon appropriation by the Legislature, to establish and maintain the Extreme Heat and Health Reporting System, a syndromic surveillance system, to receive notice and data from local health departments, clinics, emergency rooms, hospitals, and other sources on illnesses, including emergency room visits, and deaths resulting from exposure to extreme heat, as specified. The bill would require the department to publish the data on its internet website as near to real-time as possible, including data identifying neighborhoods and subgroups in need of priority interventions, and to publish on its internet website an annual report on heat illness and deaths that includes findings regarding individual and community and neighborhood risk factors. The bill would require all personal information obtained or maintained by the system to be confidential, the system and this information to be exempt from disclosure except as provided, and only deidentified aggregate patient or other consumer data to be included in the data and annual report published on the department's internet website. 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.
Existing law authorizes any postsecondary higher educational institution with a medical center to establish diagnostic and treatment centers for Alzheimer's disease, and requires the State Department of Public Health to administer grants to the postsecondary higher educational institutions that establish a center pursuant to these provisions. This bill would require the department to establish the Office of the Healthy Brain Initiative to conduct all department activities relating to Alzheimer's disease and to implement the action agenda items in the Healthy Brain Initiative, as defined. The bill would also, upon appropriation by the Legislature, require the office to establish a program in at least 10 local health jurisdictions, as specified, and award participating local health jurisdictions one-time grant funding, to develop local initiatives that are consistent with the Healthy Brain Initiative. The bill would require the office to conduct an evaluation of the program and produce a report describing best practices and making recommendations regarding which solutions and innovations are most feasible to replicate. The bill would require the office to provide a copy of the report to the Legislature by December 31, 2025, and to provide an updated copy of the report to the Legislature every 3 years thereafter. Existing law requires the Secretary of California Health and Human Services to be responsible for oversight and coordination of programs serving people living with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders, and their families. Existing law establishes the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Advisory Committee in the California Health and Human Services Agency, and specifies that the committee consists of 14 members, including, among others, one member who represents a consumer organization representing persons with Alzheimer's disease, and 2 people who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, serving one-year terms. This bill would, in the provisions governing the committee, revise references to Alzheimer's disease to also refer to related disorders. The bill would also expand the membership of the committee to at least 21, but not more than 25, members and would specify that the additional members include a 2nd member representing a consumer organization representing persons with Alzheimer's disease or related disorders, one member who represents first responders, one commissioner from the California Commission on Aging who has expertise regarding Alzheimer's disease or related disorders, one member who represents primary care physicians, one member representing local health jurisdictions, and 2 ex officio, nonvoting members, one of which is a Member of the Assembly and one of which is a Senator. The bill would remove the requirement that the 2 members who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or related disorders serve a one-year term.
Existing law establishes the Office of Health Equity in the State Department of Public Health for the purposes of aligning state resources, decisionmaking, and programs to accomplish certain goals related to, among others, health equity and protecting vulnerable communities. Existing law requires the office to perform certain functions in connection to multicultural health. Existing law also requires the department to biennially prepare and submit a report to the Legislature on the status of these activities. This bill would, subject to an appropriation of funds, require the Office of Health Equity to convene an advisory working group, consisting of specified stakeholders, to develop tools and protocols for the future allocation of funds to reduce racial disparities in recovery, response, and repair efforts following state and local emergencies. Additionally, the bill would require the advisory working group to submit a report with its findings and recommendations to the Legislature on or before January 1, 2025, and make that report available to the public by posting it on the State Department of Public Health's internet website. The bill would require the advisory working group in preparing the report to evaluate the unmet needs among various communities during the COVID-19 pandemic and with respect to up to five other recent emergency funding allocations stratified by local health jurisdiction, county, and Senate and Assembly legislative district. These provisions would be repealed on January 1, 2029. The bill would also make related findings and declarations.
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 and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law requires that Medi-Cal benefits be provided to optional targeted low-income children, as defined, based on a certain income eligibility threshold. Existing law also establishes the Medi-Cal Access Program, which provides health care services to a woman who is pregnant or in her postpartum period and whose household income is between certain thresholds, and to a child under 2 years of age who is delivered by a mother enrolled in the program, as specified. Existing law also establishes a program under which certain employed persons with disabilities are eligible for Medi-Cal benefits based on income and other criteria. Existing law requires the department to exercise the option, available to the state under federal law, to impose specified monthly premiums, based on income level, for the above-described children and employed persons with disabilities. Existing law requires the department to determine schedules for subscriber contribution amounts for persons enrolled in the Medi-Cal Access Program. This bill would eliminate the premiums and subscriber contributions for the above-described populations. The bill would make conforming changes to related provisions. Existing law creates the County Health Initiative Matching Fund in the State Treasury, administered by the department for the purpose of providing matching state funds and local funds received by the fund through intergovernmental transfers to a county agency, a local initiative, or a county organized health system in order to provide health insurance coverage to certain children and adults in low-income households who do not qualify for health care benefits through the Healthy Families Program or Medi-Cal. This bill would prohibit the department from imposing subscriber contributions for that program, to the extent allowable by federal law, as specified. Existing law requires Medi-Cal beneficiaries to make set copayments for specified services, including for nonemergency services received in an emergency department or emergency room. This bill would prohibit the department from imposing copayments on recipients of specified services, to the extent allowable by federal law.
The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requires a lead agency, as defined, to prepare, or cause to be prepared, and certify the completion of an environmental impact report on a project that the lead agency proposes to carry out or approve that may have a significant effect on the environment or to adopt a negative declaration if it finds that the project will not have that effect. CEQA also requires a lead agency to prepare a mitigated negative declaration for a project that may have a significant effect on the environment if revisions in the project would avoid or mitigate that effect and there is no substantial evidence that the project, as revised, would have a significant effect on the environment. CEQA establishes a procedure by which a person may seek judicial review of the decision of the lead agency made pursuant to CEQA. CEQA requires the Office of Planning and Research to prepare and develop proposed guidelines for the implementation of CEQA by public agencies and requires the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency to certify and adopt those guidelines. CEQA requires the office to prepare, develop, and transmit to the secretary for certification and adoption proposed revisions to the guidelines establishing criteria for determining the significance of transportation impacts of projects within transit priority areas, as defined, that promote the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the development of multimodal transportation networks, and a diversity of land uses. Existing law requires the office to recommend potential metrics to measure transportation impacts, as specified. CEQA authorizes the office to adopt guidelines establishing alternative metrics to the metrics used for traffic levels of service for transportation impacts outside transit priority areas. This bill would require the office, by January 1, 2025, to conduct and submit to the Legislature a study on the impacts and implementation of the guidelines described above relating to transportation impacts. The bill would require the office, upon appropriation, to establish a grant program to provide financial assistance to local jurisdictions for implementing those guidelines.
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. The federal Medicaid program provisions prohibit payment to a state for medical assistance furnished to an alien who is not lawfully admitted for permanent residence or otherwise permanently residing in the United States under color of law. Existing law requires individuals under 19 years of age enrolled in restricted-scope Medi-Cal at the time the Director of Health Care Services makes a determination that systems have been programmed for implementation of these provisions to be enrolled in the full scope of Medi-Cal benefits, if otherwise eligible, pursuant to an eligibility and enrollment plan, and extends eligibility for full scope Medi-Cal benefits to individuals who are under 25 years of age, and who are otherwise eligible for those benefits but for their immigration status. Existing law makes the effective date of enrollment for those individuals the same day that systems are operational to begin processing new applications pursuant to the director's determination. Existing law requires an individual eligible for Medi-Cal under these provisions to enroll in a Medi-Cal managed care health plan. Existing law provides that Medi-Cal benefits for individuals who are 65 years of age or older, and who do not have satisfactory immigration statuses or are unable to establish satisfactory immigration statuses, as specified, are to be prioritized in the Budget Act for the upcoming fiscal year if the Department of Finance projects a positive ending balance in the Special Fund for Economic Uncertainties for the upcoming fiscal year and each of the ensuing 3 fiscal years that exceeds the cost of providing those individuals full scope Medi-Cal benefits. Effective January 1, 2022, this bill would instead extend eligibility for full scope Medi-Cal benefits to anyone regardless of age, and who is otherwise eligible for those benefits but for their immigration status, pursuant to an eligibility and enrollment plan. The bill would delete the above-specified provisions regarding individuals who are under 25 years of age or 65 years of age or older and delaying implementation until the director makes the determination described above. The bill would require the eligibility and enrollment plan to ensure that an individual maintains continuity of care with respect to their primary care provider, as prescribed, would provide that an individual is not limited in their ability to select a different health care provider or Medi-Cal managed care health plan, and would require the department to provide monthly updates to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature on the status of the implementation of these provisions. Because counties are required to make Medi-Cal eligibility determinations and this bill would expand Medi-Cal eligibility, 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Existing law, the Medi-Cal Act, provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law requires Medi-Cal benefits to be provided to individuals eligible for services pursuant to prescribed standards, including a modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) eligibility standard. Existing law prohibits the use of an asset or resources test for individuals whose financial eligibility for Medi-Cal is determined based on the application of MAGI. Existing federal law authorizes a state to establish a non-MAGI standard for determining the eligibility of specified individuals, and existing law imposes the use of a resources test for establishing Medi-Cal eligibility for prescribed populations. This bill would prohibit the use of resources, including property or other assets, to determine eligibility under the Medi-Cal program to the extent permitted by federal law, and would require the department to seek federal authority to disregard all resources as authorized by the flexibilities provided pursuant to federal law. The bill would authorize the department to implement this prohibition by various means, including provider bulletins, without taking regulatory authority. By January 1, 2023, the bill would require the department to adopt, amend, or repeal regulations on the prohibition, and to update its notices and forms to delete any reference to limitations on resources or assets. Because counties are required to make Medi-Cal eligibility determinations, and this bill would expand Medi-Cal eligibility, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. With respect to the prohibition on resources, the bill would make various conforming and technical changes to the Medi-Cal Act. 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, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
