AB 248

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Existing law, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , enacts various health care coverage market reforms that take effect January 1, 2014, and exempts health insurance coverage that provides excepted benefits from those reforms. PPACA requires each state to establish an American Health Benefits Exchange and allows qualified individuals to obtain premium assistance for coverage purchased through the Exchange. PPACA specifies that this premium assistance is not available if the individual is eligible for affordable employer-sponsored coverage that provides minimum value, as specified. 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 Insurance Commissioner. Existing law requires that health benefit plans issued by health insurers and health care service plans in the small group market and the individual market comply with specified requirements. Existing law defines a health benefit plan for the purpose of health benefit plans issued by health insurers to exclude a policy or certificate of specified disease or hospital confinement indemnity if the insurer certifies to the commissioner that the policy is being offered as supplemental health insurance and not as a substitute for essential health benefits. Existing law requires an insurer issuing these policies in the small group market or the individual market to require that the persons to be covered are covered by coverage that is not designed to serve as supplemental coverage. This bill would extend that requirement to a nongrandfathered health care service plan that offers, amends, or renews a group health plan contract and an insurer issuing a policy, except a health care service plan or insurer issuing a specialized health care service plan or policy, that provides less than 60% minimum value in the large group market and would require that the persons to be covered are also covered by a contract or plan that provides at least 60% minimum value. The bill would not apply to limited wraparound coverage, as described in a specified federal regulation, or a policy that provides coverage for Medicare services pursuant to federal government contracts. This bill would exempt an insurer that is subject to specified disclosure requirements from these provisions. The bill also would not apply to certain grandfathered health insurance policies that provide basic health care services without annual or lifetime limits, as specified. By expanding the scope of an existing crime, with respect to the regulation of health care service plans, this 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.