This measure would recognize September 2011 as Sickle Cell Awareness Month in California and would urge the President and the Congress of the United States to restore funding for sickle cell anemia centers and research and to make sickle cell anemia and other genetic hemoglobinopathies a public health priority.
This measure would declare the week of September 5 through September 11, 2011, Yellow Ribbon Week to show support for military families and for troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
This measure would congratulate the California State University system on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, commend the invaluable contributions it has made to the intellectual and social growth of its students, and extend best wishes for its continued success in the future.
This measure would recognize the month of November 2011 as Native American Heritage Month, would encourage Californians to participate in appropriate observances that celebrate and commemorate Native Americans, and would applaud and encourage the observance of California Indian nations for their outstanding contributions to this state.
This measure would designate the month of September of every year as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month throughout the State of California, and would encourage and promote efforts to educate the people and the health care practitioners of the state regarding ovarian cancer and its early detection and prevention, the risk factors involved in its development, and the early warning symptoms and signs.
This measure would proclaim May 2 through May 9, 2011, as Cinco de Mayo Week, and would urge all Californians to join in celebrating Cinco de Mayo.
This measure would designate a specified location on State Highway Route 1 in the City of Guadalupe in Santa Barbara County as the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway. This measure would also request the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate signs showing this special designation and, upon receiving donations from nonstate sources covering those costs, to erect those signs.
The Vehicle License Fee Law, in lieu of any ad valorem property tax upon vehicles, imposes an annual license fee for any vehicle subject to registration in this state in the amount of 1% of the market value of that vehicle, as provided, for a specified amount of time. Existing law also, until June 30, 2011, imposes an additional tax equal to 0.15% of the market value of specified vehicles, as determined by the Department of Motor Vehicles, to the vehicle license fee, to be deposited in the General Fund and transferred to the Local Safety and Protection Account, a continuously appropriated fund. This bill would repeal the provision relating to the sunset date and repeal of the additional 0.15% tax, thereby depositing additional moneys into a continuously appropriated fund. This bill would constitute a change in state statute that would result in a taxpayer paying a higher tax within the meaning of Section 3 of Article XIIIA of the California Constitution, and thus would require for passage the approval of 23 of the membership of each house of the Legislature.
This measure would proclaim October 22 to October 30, 2011, as including Red Ribbon Week, and would encourage all Californians to help build drug-free communities and participate in drug prevention activities.
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 provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires plans and insurers that issue Medicare supplement contracts or policies, as defined, to comply with specified requirements. Existing law requires issuers to make available to specified individuals who are 64 years of age or younger and who do not have end-stage renal disease, Medicare supplement benefit plans A, B, C, and F, and Medicare supplement benefit plan H, I, or J, or Medicare supplement benefit plan K or L, as specified. Existing federal law prohibits the issuance of new Medicare supplement plans H, I, and J, and instead authorizes the issuance of Medicare supplement plans M and N, as specified. This bill would delete from those provisions obsolete references to plans H, I, and J, and instead require the issuer to make available Medicare supplement benefit plans A, B, C, and F, and Medicare supplement benefit plan K or L, or Medicare supplement benefit plan M or N, as specified. Existing law prohibits an issuer from denying Medicare supplement coverage to an eligible individual who is guaranteed issue under specified circumstances. Existing law requires certain eligible individuals to be guaranteed issue of Medicare supplement plan A, B, C, F (including a high deductible plan F) , K, or L. This bill would add to that guaranteed issue requirement Medicare supplement plans M and N. Existing law provides that an individual enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan (Medicare Part C) that reduces any of its benefits, or increases cost sharing, or terminates certain relationships with providers, is eligible for Medicare supplement coverage that is issued by the same issuer of his or her Medicare Advantage plan or by a subsidiary of, or a network that contracts with, the parent company of that issuer. This bill would extend that eligibility to an individual enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan that increases its premium. The bill would provide that an individual enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan is eligible for specified Medicare supplement coverage from any issuer under the circumstances described above if the issuer of his or her Medicare Advantage plan, or the subsidiary or network of the parent company, does not offer any other Medicare supplement coverage and only offers a Medicare Advantage plan or plans, and other specified conditions are met. Because a willful violation of the bill's requirements with respect to health care service plans 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.
