CWL'S Legislative Positions
2007 Final California Legislative Update
October 20, 2007
Summary of Women's Health and Health Care Coverage Bills
Passed of First House as of June 15, 2007
Prepared by Elizabeth C. Saviano, Esq.
with assistance from
Rachel Bravo and Christina Semmer, law student interns with
Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health (ANSIRH)
University of California, San Francisco
Health Care Coverage
AB 1 (Laird, Dymally,
Steinberg, Berg and Wolk) as amended 9-7-07
Summary:
Would expand eligibility for the full-scope Medi-Cal program without
share of cost and would expand eligibility for the Healthy Families
Program by allowing children with family incomes at or below 300% of
the federal poverty level to qualify for the program and would delete
the specified citizenship and immigration status requirements. Would
also create the Healthy Families Buy-In Program to make the coverage
provided under the Healthy Families Program available to children whose
household income exceeds 300% of the federal poverty level and who meet
other specified criteria. In addition, would require the
Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board and the State Department of Health
Care Services to take specified actions to improve and coordinate the
application and enrollment processes for the Medi-Cal program and the
Healthy Families Program and to develop a process to transition the
enrollment of children from local children's health initiatives into
those programs.
Recommendation:
Support
Status: Held at
Desk in Senate after passed Senate and Assembly concurrence in senate
amendments.
AB 2 (Dymally)
as amended 9-7-07
Summary: Would
enact health insurance market reforms requiring health care service
plans and health insurers, effective January 1, 2009, to make available
health benefit plans in the individual market to all persons who are
not determined to be eligible for Managed Risk Medical Insurance Plan
(MRMIP) on the basis of a standardized health questionnaire.
Recommendation:
Watch
Status: On
suspense in Senate Appropriations Committee
AB 8 (Nunez, Sen.
Perata, Assm. Bass, Berg, De Leon, DeSaulnier, Dymally, Eng,
Hayashi, Hernandez, Jones and Sen. Alquist) as enrolled 9-10-07
Summary:
Reflecting a merger of the major Assembly and Senate health reform
proposals to expand health insurance coverage to the majority of
uninsured in California, would establish
comprehensive health care insurance market reforms, program changes,
and financing structure to expand health insurance coverage
to uninsured to be operative on specified dates. Includes an
expansion of the Medi-Cal and the Healthy Families Program (HFP),
creation of a statewide purchasing pool (the California Cooperative
Health Insurance Purchasing Pool or Cal-CHIPP). Does not provide an
individual mandate to purchase insurance which is a significant
departure from the Governor's proposal. Contain minimum
spending requirements for employers at 7.5% of Social Security payroll.
Recommendation:
Watch
Status: VETOED by
Governor October 12, 2007
Veto Message:
"To the Members of the
California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 8 without my
signature. While I appreciate the Legislature's efforts to reform our
broken health care system and applaud the hard work that has gone into
AB 8,I cannot sign this bill. AB 8 would put more pressure on an
already broken system. AB 8 does not achieve coverage for all, a
critical step needed to reduce health care costs for
everyone. Comprehensive reform cannot leave Californians
vulnerable to loss or denial of coverage when they need it
most. Finally, to be sustainable, comprehensive reform cannot
place the majority of the financial burden on any one segment of our
economy. Unfortunately, AB 8 falls short on all three
accounts. ? California needs a financially sustainable health care
reform plan that shares responsibility, covers all Californians and
keeps our emergency rooms open and operating. I cannot
support reform efforts that fall short of these goals and threaten to
weaken our already broken system. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger."
SB 32 (Steinberg, Alquist
and Correa and Assembly Members Laird, Berg, Hancock and Wolk) as
amended 9-7-07
Summary:
Companion bill to AB 1. See description and analysis of AB 1,
above.
Recommendation: Support
Status: On
inactive file
SB 840 ( Kuehl, et.al.)
as amended 7-10-07
Summary:
Would create a single-payer health coverage system nder which all
California residents would be eligible for specified health benefits.
The California Healthcare System (CHS) would be administered by a newly
created California Healthcare Agency under the control of a Healthcare
Commissioner appointed by the Governor and subject to confirmation by
the Senate. The CHS would, on a single payer basis, negotiate for or
set fees for health care services provided through the system, and pay
claims for those services. Would provide that a resident of
the state with a household income, as specified, at or below 200% of
the federal poverty level would be eligible for the type of benefits
provided under the Medi-Cal program. Would require the
Commissioner to seek all necessary waivers, exemptions, agreements, or
legislation to allow various existing federal, state, and local health
care payments to be paid to the California Healthcare System, which
would then assume responsibility for all benefits and services
previously paid for with those funds. Would also establish various
boards and offices, with duties as specified, related to the
administration of the system. Would require that system to be
operative within 2 years of that date and would provide for various
transition processes for that period.
Recommendation: Support
Status: Held in
Assembly Appropriations Committee
Women's Health
AB 16 (Hernandez) as
amended 7-5-07
Summary:
Would recast immunization requirements for school entry. Commencing
July 1, 2009, would revise the list of institutions that are subject to
the prohibition on unconditionally admitting students who are not
immunized, and would require the State Public Health Officer to create
a list of diseases for which immunization shall be required prior to
entry into those institutions based on the most current
recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
(ACIP) of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the
American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Family
Physicians.
Recommendation:
Remain neutral.
Status: Held in
Committee
AB 76 (Lieber) as
enrolled 9-19-07
Summary:
Would require the Department of Corrections to undertake various tasks
related to female offenders including: 1) creating a Female Offender
Reform Master Plan; 2) creating policies and practices designed to
ensure a safe and productive institutional environment for female
offenders; 3) create a needs-based case and risk management tool
designed specifically for female offenders to include, but
not be limited to, an assessment upon intake, and annually thereafter,
that gauges an inmate's educational and vocational needs, including
reading, writing, communication, and arithmetic skills, health care
needs, mental health needs, substance abuse needs, and trauma-treatment
needs; 4) contracting for specified services related to female
offenders; 5) creating a gender responsive female classification system
and staffing pattern; 6) designing and implementing evidence-based
gender specific rehabilitative programs; and 7) establishing a family
service coordinator at each female prison. Would prohibit the
department from converting existing women's prisons into facilities to
house male inmates without legislative approval. Would
express the intent of the Legislature to reduce crime and recidivism,
improve access to rehabilitation, break the intergenerational cycle of
incarceration, create a therapeutic community within women's prison,
and dedicate adequate space for programming needs.
Recommendation:
SUPPORT
Status:
CHAPTERED Ch. 706 October 14, 2007
AB 81 (Torrico, Garcia,
Spitzer) as enrolled 9-17-07
Summary:
Would permit the governing body of a city to designate safe-surrender
sites. Would designate any fire station with a paramedic or
emergency medical technician on duty at all times as a safe-surrender
site. Would allow surrender of newborns 21 days old or
younger at safe surrender sites. Would specify that a
safe-surrender site and its personnel have no liability for a
surrendered child prior to taking actual physical custody of the
child. Would require safe surrender site personnel to provide
to the parent or other person surrendering custody of the child with
information about alternatives to surrender.
Recommendation:
Watch
Status: VETOED by
Governor October 13, 2007
Veto Message:
"To the Members of the
California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 81 without my
signature. California's Safe Surrender Law already provides an
emergency alternative for a woman in crisis who may otherwise abandon,
abuse, or kill her baby. California's law was carefully
crafted to balance the creation of a safe surrender option while
preserving the rights of children. The current 72-hour period
contained in law allows for a no-questions-asked safe surrender of a
newborn, and is supported by research and statistics which indicate
that most neonaticide occurs within the first day. Experts
have raised concerns that instead of improving child safety, increasing
the time that a baby may be surrendered from 72 hours will put newborns
in greater risk by keeping them in an unsafe environment without proper
care and supervision. For these reasons, I am returning this bill
without my signature. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger."
AB 502 ( Calderon) as
enrolled 9-7-07
Summary:
Intended to further the goals of the federal Violence Against Women
Act, this bill would establish a 4-year pilot program in the City of
Los Angeles to provide aid to undocumented immigrants who are victims
of domestic violence, including assistance with restraining orders,
applications for visas and work permits, job search techniques, career
assessments, and post-employment services. These services aim to
provide victims of domestic violence with the tools necessary to
financially sustain themselves and their families.
Recommendation: Support
Status: Vetoed by
Governor October 14, 2007
Veto Message:
"To the Members of the
California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 502 without my
signature. A program designed to assist domestic violence
victims should be available to all victims of domestic violence, not
limited to those who are undocumented immigrants. In
addition, services provided under this bill are duplicative of current
law that provides employment services to noncitizen victims of domestic
violence. My Administration supports the needs of immigrants who come
to California seeking refuge, and has consistently advocated for
immigration reform to the federal government. In 2006-07, the
Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office received $3.4 million to
support various services to victims of crime. While I join the author
in condemning domestic violence and applaud his concern for victims of
crime, I cannot support a bill that would
treat undocumented
immigrants preferentially. For these reasons, I am returning this bill
without my signature.
Sincerely, Arnold
Schwarzenegger."
AB 741 (Bass,
Leno, Berg, Hancock and Jones and Senator Kuehl) as enrolled 9-18-07
Summary:
Requires the Department of Public Health (DPH) to develop a
demonstration program to provide interpregnancy care (IPC)
for five years for low-income women who have previously delivered a
very low birth weight (VLBW) stillborn or live infant between April
2007 and July 2007. Women in the demonstration program must be eligible
to receive benefits under the Medi-Cal program or the applicable
county's indigent care program. Program participants would receive
primary health care, social, and community outreach services to improve
their overall health status, reduce their medical and social risks, and
achieve optimal spacing if another pregnancy is desired, and services
to improve the birth outcomes and birth weight distribution of infants
who are born to participants after enrollment in the program.
An external evaluator will evaluate the project's effectiveness in
improving child spacing and subsequent adverse pregnancy outcomes for
women with a previous VLBW delivery. Mandates an outreach
program to African American women.
Recommendation:
Support
Status: VETOED by
Governor October 13, 2007
Veto Message:
"To the Members of the
California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 741 without my
signature. While I strongly support the provision of prenatal care and
family planning services and have secured a waiver to access hundreds
of millions in federal funds to protect these important services, I
cannot sign this bill as it would increase General Fund costs at a time
of continuing budget challenges. This bill highlights a very important
issue ? the high incidence of low birth weight babies in the African American community
and proposes an innovative, community based approach to address this
public health challenge. While I cannot support this bill, I share the
author's concern and am directing the California Department of Public
Health to evaluate the effectiveness of the Black Infant Health Program
and develop options, within existing resources, to strengthen state and
local efforts, including expanding the focus on interpregnancy care, by
March 31, 2008. For the reasons mentioned above, I am unable to support
this measure at this time. I believe this policy can be more
appropriately addressed during the budget process. Sincerely, Arnold
Schwarzenegger."
AB 1328 (Hiyashi) as
enrolled 9-24-07
Summary:
Would delete the requirement that a person be a resident of the state
for at least 6 continuous months prior to application for the Access
for Infants and Mothers (AIM)Program, administered by the Managed Risk
Medical Insurance Board.
Recommendation:
Support
Status: VETOED
by Governor October 14, 2007.
Veto Message:
"To the Members of the
California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1328 without my
signature. While I strongly support providing pregnant women prenatal
care and secured a waiver to access hundreds of millions in federal
funds to protect these important services, I cannot support this bill.
Since its inception in 1991, the Access for Infants and Mothers program
has required that women be California residents for six months or more
to be eligible for coverage. This bill would remove that requirement
potentially increasing General Fund costs by more than $1 million. For
these reasons, I am returning this bill without my signature.
Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger."
AB 1429 (Evans and Berg)
as enrolled 9-10-07
Summary:
Requires health plans that cover cervical cancer screening to cover HPV
vaccine. It is estimated that as many as 1,000 cases of
cervical cancer, or approximately 30 percent of cases, and
ten percent of cervical cancer-related deaths, could be averted over
the life of vaccinated women. Roughly ten deaths could be prevented in
the first year of this mandate, yielding a total savings of nearly 300
person-years, valued at approximately $3.5 million in productivity. It
is not likely that health plans that currently cover cervical cancer
screening will eliminate such coverage because of this proposed
mandate.
Recommendation:
Support
Status: VETOED
by Governor October , 2007
Veto Message:
"To the Members of the
California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1429 without my
signature. While I support increased access to preventive services, I
cannot support this bill as it may contribute to rising
premiums. Further, a mandate is not necessary as this vaccine
is already routinely provided by health plans and insurers.
Mandating its coverage is unnecessary, restrictive and may increase
costs. For these reasons, I am returning this bill without my
signature. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger."
SB 94 ( Kuehl and
Assembly Members Hayashi and Laird) as enrolled
9-14-07
Summary:
Would require reimbursement rates for office visits
billed as comprehensive clinical family planning services by Family
PACT waiver providers and for office visits billed as family planning
services by Medi-Cal providers to receive a rate augmentation equal
to the weighted average of at least 80% of the amount that the
federal Medicare program reimburses for these same or similar office
visits, as provided. The bill would require the augmentation of
reimbursement rates to be made for office visits rendered on or after
January 1, 2008.
Recommendation:
Support
Status:
CHAPTERED Ch. 636 October 13, 2007
SB 164 (Migden) as
amended 9-7-07
Summary:
Would require the Department of Public Health (DPH) to charge
investigators a fee for the use of pregnancy blood samples obtained
through the California Birth Defects Monitoring and Biomedical
Resources Program, formerly the California Birth Defects Monitoring
Program (CBDMP), and require the development of blood collection,
processing, and storage protocols.
Recommendation: Support
Status: On
inactive file in Senate after passed Assembly
SB 850 (Maldonado and
Correa) as enrolled 9-6-07
Summary:
Existing law requires that the death of a fetus in its 20th week or
beyond be registered with the local registrar of births and deaths
within 8 days of the death. This bill would specify that this
provision does not apply to the termination of a pregnancy performed in
compliance with governing reproductive privacy laws. This
bill would enact the ‘Missing Angels Act," which would require the
local registrar of births and deaths of the county in which a fetal
death, where the fetus has advanced to or beyond 20 weeks, is
registered, to issue, upon request, to the father or mother, a
Certificate of Still Birth on a form approved by the State Registrar of
Vital Statistics.
The certificate must include a statement that specifies that it may not
be used as proof of live birth or for any governmental purpose. The
issuance of a Certificate of Still Birth will have no legal effect and
is meant only to serve as a symbolic recognition for its recipients.
Recommendation:
Neutral
Status:
CHAPTERED Ch. 661 October 13, 2007
SB 22 (Migden) as
enrolled 9-14-07
Summary:
Would provide that the State Department of Public Health recommend
specified training that is intended to improve breast-feeding rates
among mothers and infants for general acute care hospitals and special
hospitals that provide maternity care and that have exclusive patient
breast-feeding rates in the lowest 25%, as described. Would require the
department to notify the hospital director or other person in charge of
the hospital that the training is available, upon request, to the
hospital. This bill would require the department not later than July 1,
2008, to begin expansion of the breast-feeding peer counseling program
at local agency WIC sites as provided to the extent funds are made
available for this purpose. Requires the department to streamline and
simplify existing Medi-Cal program procedures in order to improve
access to lactation supports and breast pumps among Medi-Cal recipients.
Recommendation:
Support
Status:
CHAPTERED Ch. 460 October 11, 2007
ACR 5 (Berg)
Would raise awareness about heart disease in women by recognizing
February 2007 as American Heart Month and February 2, 2007 as
Wear Red Day in California.
Analysis: Support national awareness campaign. Go
Red for Women is the American Heart Association's national call to
increase awareness of heart disease, the leading
cause of death for women, and to inspire women to take charge
of their heart health
Recommendation:
Support.
ACR 11 (Beall)
Would raise awareness about domestic violence by proclaiming
October 2007 as
Domestic Violence Awareness Month.
Recommendation:
Support.
Stem Cell Research and Therapies
AB 34 (Portantino, et
al.) as amended 9-20-07
Summary:
Would require the State Department of Public Health by January 1, 2010,
and until January 1, 2015, to establish the Umbilical Cord Blood
Collection Program for the purpose of The bill
would require the department to contract with up to 5
entities, including blood banks that of increasing the amount
of umbilical cord blood that is donated in the state and that will be
added to the national inventory. The bill would authorize the
department, to the extent private or public funds are identified for
this purpose, to contract with blood banks that are licensed or
accredited to provide
umbilical cord blood banking storage services, for the purpose of
collecting and storing umbilical cord blood.
Recommendation: Watch
Status: CHAPTERED Ch 516
October 11, 2007
SB 962 (Midgen) as
enrolled 9-17-07
Summary:
Would authorize a primary prenatal care provider to provide
information required to be developed pursuant to the
Umbilical Cord Blood Community Awareness Campaign to a woman
who is known to be pregnant during the first prenatal visit.
Would also require, as part of the Hereditary Disorders Act, the
department to provide any umbilical cord blood samples it receives
pursuant to the Umbilical Cord Blood Community Awareness Campaign to
the Birth Defects Monitoring Program, for storage and research, and
would require the department to establish fees to be collected from
researchers and health care providers, who have been approved by the
department, to use the umbilical cord, pregnancy blood, and newborn
blood samples for research, to cover the costs of administering the
program.
Recommendation: Neutral
Status:
CHAPTERED Ch 517 October 11, 2007
Other Health-Related Bills
AB 66 (Dymally and
Romero) as amended 8-20-07
Summary:
Would require HIV testing for every inmate entering a correctional
facility for incarceration for a period of at east one year, for
persons entering a state prison or a state hospital housing patients
committed pursuant to existing provisions of law, as specified, unless
the person declines the testing. Would require testing within 60 days
after entry into, and at least 60 days prior to the expected discharge
from, the facility. This bill would also require that if the inmate
test results for the HIV virus are positive, the medical officer must
notify the inmate's parole officer and provide post-test counseling to
the inmate. Would also allow the medical officer to notify
the spouse or domestic partner of the inmate that he or she may have
been exposed to HIV, after notifying the inmate of the intent to do
so. Would also require the department to develop an
HIV or hepatitis care and treatment plan for every incoming inmate who
tests positive for HIV or is otherwise known to be HIV positive or to
have an AIDS diagnosis and to be provided the opportunity to be housed
in a specialized housing unit. Would provide that a
person's HIV status shall not be used to deny eligibility for and
access to programs that are otherwise available to an inmate, as
specified. Willful or negligent disclosure of that
information is a misdemeanor.
Recommendation:
Watch.
Status: Held in
Senate Appropriations Committee under submission.
AB 105 (Lieu and Emerson)
as enrolled 9-7-07
Summary:
Would amend Sections 22702.22705 and 22706 of the Business and
Professions Code, relating to tanning facilities and consumer warnings
to prohibit a person less than 14 years of age from using an
ultraviolet tanning device, and would require the parent or legal
guardian of a person between 14 and 18 years of age to sign a consent
for use of an ultraviolet tanning devise by a minor in the presence of
a facility owner or employee. The consent would be valid for
12 months. Would require specific warnings to be posted conspicuously
and readily visible to persons using ultraviolet tanning
devised. Would require tanning facilities to require
consumers to show proof of age with a driver's license or other
government issued identification containing the date of birth and a
photograph of the individual. Makes it a crime for
a tanning facility from
claiming or distributing promotional materials that claim that using
a tanning device is safe or free from risk and requires a tanning
facility to, among other things, use a timer, as specified.
Recommendation:
Neutral.
Status:
CHAPTERED Ch 590 October 13, 2007
AB 106 (Berg, et al.) as
enrolled 9-10-07
Summary:
Would require a general acute care hospital, pursuant to
its own standardized procedures and if it has the vaccine in its
possession, each year, commencing October 1 to the following April 1,
inclusive, to offer, prior to discharge, immunizations for influenza
and pneumococcal disease to its inpatients, aged 65 years or older.
Recommendation:
Support.
Status:
CHAPTERED Ch 378 October 10, 2007
AB 110 ( Laird et.al. )
as enrolled 9-25-07
Summary:
Would authorize a public entity that receives General Fund money from
the State Department of Public Health for HIV prevention and education
to use that money to support clean needle and syringe exchange projects
authorized by the public entity. The bill would authorize the money to
be used for the purchase of sterile hypodermic needles and syringes,
subject to specified conditions.
Recommendation:
Support.
Status:
CHAPTERED Ch 707 October 14, 2007
AB 659 (Ma) as amended
7-3-07
Summary:
This bill requests the Regents of the University of California (UC) to
conduct a three-year study on the clinical impacts of HIV in
individuals over age 50. This bill would require the Regents
to direct the University AIDS Research Program (UARP) to competitively
award grants to research institutions treating a sizable number of AIDS
patients and to report conclusions and recommendations from this
research.
Recommendation: Support
Status: On
suspense in Senate Appropriations Committee under submission
AB 682 (Berg, Garcia,
Huffman, Beall and Laird) as enrolled 9-18-07
Summary:
Would repeal current California law requiring written informed consent
before a patient can be tested for HIV and instead require the medical
care provider to inform the patient that the test is planned, provide
information about the test, and advise the patient that he or she has
the right to decline the test, except in the case where a patient
requests an HIV test from the provider. Would also revises the prenatal
HIV blood testing standard from providing a pregnant woman the right to
"accept or refuse" the test, to instead, "decline" the test.
Would require providers to inform their patients about treatment
options and whether further testing is needed.
Recommendation: Watch
Status: CHAPTERED Ch 550
October 12, 2007
AB 1472 (Leno,
DeSaulnier) as amended 8-20-07
Summary:
Would establish the California Healthy Places Act of 2008, which aims
to prevent illness and disease, improve health, and reduce health
disparities in California by promoting environmental conditions
supportive of health. Would require various state agencies
and departments to collaboratively support childhood development,
prevent injury, illness, and chronic disease, ensure environmental
health, and reduce health disparities by providing knowledge, guidance,
and resources for public health assessments of land use and
transportation system planning.
Recommendation: Support
Status: On
suspense in Senate Appropriations Committee under submission
AB 1511 (Leno and Jones)
as amended 4-17-07
Summary:
Would establish the Stronger Families for California Program, a
continuing information and public education
program, within the Department of Public Health with the primary goal
of decreasing teenage pregnancies and sexually transmitted
diseases. Intended to equip parenting adults, as
defined, with the communication skills necessary to talk with their
children about sex, sexual health, and making well-informed decisions
to protect their health and safety.
Recommendation:
Support
Status: On
suspense in Senate Appropriations Committee under submission
ACR 13 (Galgiani)
Summary:
Would encourage the State Department of Public Health, which as of July
1, 2007, will be responsible for administering the chronic disease
programs that are currently administered by the State Department of
Health Services, to pursue the feasibility of implementing a pilot
program to provide for the chronic disease management of Chronic
Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) through the use of state or
private funding, or both, in an effort to reduce the financial and
clinical burden of this disease on the Medi-Cal program.
Recommendation:
No action at this time.
SB 7 (Oropeza, Padilla,
Cedillo, Coto, Hernandez, Mendoza, Saldano, and Soto) as enrolled
9-14-07
Would add sections to the Health and Safety Code to make it an
infraction, with a penalty of up to $100, for any person to smoke in a
motor vehicle in which minor passengers are present. Would
also prohibit a law enforcement officer from stopping a vehicle for the
sole purpose of determining whether the driver is in violation of
anti-smoking provisions of the bill.
Recommendation:
Watch
Status:
CHAPTERED Ch 425 October 10, 2007
SB 119 (Cedillo, Beall,
Alquist, Kuehl, Ridley-Thomas, Steinberg, and Wiggins and Assem. Hancock and
Mendoza) as amended 6-26-07
Summary: Would
require that residential drug and alcohol treatment services and other
specified services described in the Youth Treatment Guidelines issued
by the State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs for persons 12 to
20 years of age be a covered benefit under the Medi-Cal Drug Treatment
Program only if federal financial participation is available. Requires
the State Department of Health Care Services to use its best efforts to
obtain approval by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid
Services of a Medicaid state plan The bill would provide that a county
shall not be responsible for the costs of board and care related to the
provision of the above residential drug and alcohol treatment services.
Recommendation:
No action at this time.
Status: On
suspense in Assembly Appropriations Committee under submission
SB 137 (Torlakson) as
enrolled 9-14-07
Summary:
Would expand eligibility for a treatment program administered under the
California Children's Services benefiting persons under to the age of
21 with severe chronic disease or severe physical limitations.
Recommendation:
In light of other health reform measures, WATCH.
Status: VETOED
by Governor October 10, 2007
Veto Message:
"To the Members of the
California State Senate: I am returning Senate Bill 137 without my
signature. While I strongly support expanded access to health coverage
for low-income children, I cannot support this bill as it lacks
necessary funding and is a piece-meal solution. The best way for
California to increase access to services for children with special
health care needs is through comprehensive health care reform. Under my
reform proposal, all low-income children will have access to the
Medi-Cal or Healthy Families Program. Eligible children will
have access to important case management services through the
California Children's Services Program. I encourage the author and
proponent of this bill to work with me to enact comprehensive health
care reform and provide necessary funding to better serve children with
special medical needs. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger."
SB 321 (Alquist, Kuehl,
Romero, and Wiggins, Assm. Berg,
Davis, Dymally, Horton,
Jeffries, Mullin, and Salas) as amended 06-26-07
Summary:
Would transfer the duties of implementing and administering various
health promotion and preventative health services for older adults from
the State Department of Health Services to the State Department of
Public Health. Would require the Alzheimer's disease and Related
Disorders Advisory Committee in the California Health and Human
Services Agency to develop the State Alzheimer's Disease Strategic Plan
for the years 2010 to 2020 and to review current state policies and
practices concerning treatment for Alzheimer's disease. The bill would
require the committee to submit the plan to the Governor and the
Legislature by September 1, 2009. Not less than every 2 years, the
committee must make recommendations to the Secretary of California
Health and Human Services and the Legislature for updating the plan.
Recommendation: Support
Status: On
suspense in Assembly Appropriations Committee under submission
SB 443 (Migden) as
enrolled 8-28-07
Summary:
Would authorize the use of sperm whose donor has tested reactive for
HIV or HTLV-1 for the purposes of insemination or advanced reproductive
technology if the sperm donor is the spouse of, partner of, or
designated donor for that recipient and only after the donor's sperm
has been effectively processed to minimize the infectiousness of the
sperm for that specific donation, where informed and mutual consent has
occurred. Would require the State Department of Public Health to adopt
regulations by January 1, 2010, regulating facilities that
perform sperm processing.
Would also require a physician providing insemination or advanced
reproductive technologies to, among other things, provide, as
appropriate, prophylactic treatments, including, but not limited to
antiretroviral treatments, to the recipient to reduce the risk of
acquiring infection during and subsequent to, insemination, and to
perform appropriate follow up testing of the recipient for HIV or
HTLV-1 following the insemination or other advanced reproductive
technology.
Recommendation: Remain
neutral.
Status:
CHAPTERED Ch 207 September 11, 2007
SB 458
(Torlakson) as amended 7-11-07
Summary:
Would established the Lung Cancer Early Detection and Treatment
Research Fund, and to the extent sufficient funds are made available
would request that beginning July 1, 2008 the UC Regents establish a
Lung Cancer Early Detection and Treatment Research Program intended as
a comprehensive grant program to support research efforts
related to lung cancer early detection and treatment.
Status: On
suspense in Assembly Appropriations Committee under
submission
Recommendation: Support
SB 483 ( Kuehl
and Assm. Berg ) as amended 6-27-2007
Summary: Would
provide that, pursuant to specified federal law, the state
elects to provide for Medi-Cal eligibility for nursing facilities or
other long-term care services for individuals with an equity interest
in their home of $750,000 or less.
Recommendation:
Watch
Status: On
suspense in Assembly Appropriations Committee
|
