AB 651

  • California Assembly Bill
  • 2019-2020 Regular Session
  • Introduced in Assembly
  • Passed Assembly May 22, 2019
  • Passed Senate Sep 13, 2019
  • Signed by Governor Oct 07, 2019

Air ambulance services.

Bill Subjects

Air Ambulance Services.

Abstract

(1) 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 requires that health care service plan contracts and health insurance policies provide coverage for certain services and treatments, including emergency medical transportation services. This bill would require a health care service plan contract or a health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2020, to provide that if an enrollee, insured, or subscriber (individual) receives covered services from a noncontracting air ambulance provider, the individual shall pay no more than the same cost sharing that the individual would pay for the same covered services received from a contracting air ambulance provider, referred to as the in-network cost-sharing amount. The bill would provide that an individual would not owe the noncontracting provider more than the in-network cost-sharing amount for services. The bill would authorize a noncontracting provider to advance to collections only the in-network cost-sharing amount that the individual has failed to pay. The bill would authorize a health care service plan, health insurer, or provider to seek relief in any court for the purpose of resolving a payment dispute, and would not prohibit a provider from using a health care service plan's or health insurer's existing dispute resolution processes. Because a willful violation of the bill's requirements relative to health care service plans would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law, the Emergency Medical Air Transportation Act, effective until January 1, 2022, imposes a penalty of $4 until January 1, 2020, upon every conviction for a violation of the Vehicle Code or a local ordinance adopted pursuant to the Vehicle Code, other than a parking offense. The act requires the county or the court that imposed the fine to transfer the moneys collected pursuant to that act to the Treasurer for deposit into the Emergency Medical Air Transportation and Children's Coverage Fund. Under the act, moneys in the fund are made available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, to the State Department of Health Care Services for children's health care coverage and administrative costs relating to emergency medical air transportation provider payments. Existing law requires the assessed penalty to continue to be collected, administered, and distributed until exhausted or until June 30, 2021, whichever occurs first, and requires any remaining unexpended and unencumbered moneys in the fund to be transferred to the General Fund, to be available, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for specified purposes, including funding children's health care coverage. This bill would impose the penalty until July 1, 2020, and would extend the above-specified dates by six months. (3) 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.

Bill Sponsors (28)

Votes


Actions


Oct 07, 2019

California State Legislature

Approved by the Governor.

California State Legislature

Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 537, Statutes of 2019.

Sep 25, 2019

California State Legislature

Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3:30 p.m.

Sep 13, 2019

Assembly

Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 3561.).

Assembly

In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

Senate

Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2927.).

Sep 10, 2019

Senate

Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

Sep 09, 2019

Senate

Joint Rule 61 suspended. (Ayes 29. Noes 7. Page 2690.)

Senate

Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

Senate

Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

Sep 06, 2019

Senate

Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

Sep 03, 2019

Senate

Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

Aug 30, 2019

Senate

Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.

Senate

From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 30).

Aug 12, 2019

Senate

In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.

  • Referral-Committee
APPR. suspense file. APPR

Jul 10, 2019

Senate

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (July 10). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  • Committee-Passage-Favorable
  • Committee-Passage
  • Referral-Committee
Com. on APPR.

Jul 01, 2019

Senate

From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.

  • Reading-1
  • Reading-2
  • Amendment-Passage
  • Referral-Committee
  • Amendment-Introduction
Com. on HEALTH.

May 29, 2019

Senate

Referred to Com. on HEALTH.

  • Referral-Committee
Com. on HEALTH.

May 23, 2019

Senate

In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

May 22, 2019

Assembly

Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 78. Noes 0. Page 1812.)

May 20, 2019

Assembly

Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

May 16, 2019

Assembly

From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 18. Noes 0.) (May 16).

May 01, 2019

Assembly

In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

  • Referral-Committee
APPR. suspense file. APPR

Apr 24, 2019

Assembly

From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (April 23). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  • Committee-Passage-Favorable
  • Committee-Passage
  • Referral-Committee
Com. on APPR.

Apr 09, 2019

Assembly

Coauthors revised.

Assembly

Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.

  • Referral-Committee
Com. on HEALTH.

Apr 08, 2019

Assembly

From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH. Read second time and amended.

Feb 25, 2019

Assembly

Referred to Com. on HEALTH.

  • Referral-Committee
Com. on HEALTH.

Feb 19, 2019

Assembly

From printer. May be heard in committee March 21.

Feb 15, 2019

Assembly

Read first time. To print.

Bill Text

Bill Text Versions Format
AB651 HTML
02/15/19 - Introduced PDF
04/08/19 - Amended Assembly PDF
07/01/19 - Amended Senate PDF
08/30/19 - Amended Senate PDF
09/06/19 - Amended Senate PDF
09/09/19 - Amended Senate PDF
09/19/19 - Enrolled PDF
10/07/19 - Chaptered PDF

Related Documents

Document Format
No related documents.

Sources

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