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california Senate - Jobs & The Economy
AB-236 (2023-2024)
Health care coverage: provider directories
District 41 - Assemblymember Holden
Purpose
Seeks to continuously improve the accuracy of health care coverage directories from 60% accurate on January 1, 2024 to 95% accurate on or before January 1, 2027.
Seeks to continuously improve the accuracy of health care coverage directories from 60% accurate on January 1, 2024 to 95% accurate on or before January 1, 2027.
History 06/27/24 - Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APR.
Votes: 06/26/24 (PASS) - Location: Sen Health - Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Comm. on Apr.
Votes: 06/26/24 (PASS) - Location: Sen Health - Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Comm. on Apr.
Position
- Recommended Position: Oppose unless amended
- In the interest of enforcement, it punishes health and dental plans for every instance of an error or failure to verify, even for non-substantial data such as zip code, address street numbers, or other minor error made by the provider at the time of verification, though no fault of the health or dental plan due to human/provider error.
- Without an assortment of changes and flexibility, as well as clarifications in the basic definitions of the bill and a discernment between substantial versus insubstantial errors that providers typically make in the verification process, the financial penalties introduced in this bill threaten to raise the cost of health and dental insurance to all Californians. Such costs get added to premiums – that are not born by health and dental plans. Furthermore, it makes no sense that dental plans, premiums for which average around 1/20th the cost of medical premiums, would bear the same financial penalty as health plans. This is disproportional and bad public policy.
Read the official bill. Click Here