Read a summary of AB 1383 and AB 1653′s implications for UC medical centers.

As a major priority for and supported by UC Health Sciences and Services and the UC medical centers, AB 1383 and AB 1653 are designed to provide much needed Medi-Cal rate increases to California hospitals and ensure access to hospital care for low-income Californians.

Health Sciences and Services has prepared a summary on the recently enacted statutes’ implications for UC medical centers.

Read the summary (PDF)

UC is supporting AB 188, which would provide the necessary appropriation for the state Department of Health Care Services to begin its work to seek the federal approvals to implement AB 1383 (Jones/Alquist). AB 1383, signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Oct. 11, is a proposal developed by California hospitals that would assess a fee on hospitals to raise more than $2 billion annually to be used to obtain federal matching funds through December 2010. The funds would generate supplemental payments to hospitals to ensure access to care for the state’s Medi-Cal and uninsured population. In addition, the hospital fee would provide the state with $320 million annually for children’s coverage, which could be used to draw down additional federal matching funds. This generous commitment would ensure that hundreds of thousands of children have health care coverage.

AB 188 would provide the immediate funding to cover the state’s administrative and staffing expenses to seek federal approval; provide the state with authority to make the supplemental payments to hospitals; and allow the state to disburse the funds for children’s health care coverage. AB 188 is completely funded and there is no cost to the state, to taxpayers or to patients.

Read more (PDF)

Legislative update: AB 1540, which has become law, extends the California Health Benefits Review Program (CHBRP) to June 30, 2015. CHBRP is administered by the UC Office of the President. The program responds to requests from the state Legislature to provide independent analysis of the medical, financial and public health impacts of proposed health insurance benefit mandates and repeals.

Read more about CHBRP

Legislative update: AB 501 (Emmerson) amends Section 2054 of the Business and Professions Code, to authorize graduates who have earned medical degrees (M.D.), but do not have a valid license to practice medicine in California, to use the initials “M.D.” or “Dr.” under specified conditions. The bill provides clarifying changes that seek to address the concerns of the California and national medical education community, which include the concerns of the UC system, while continuing to ensure and preserve appropriate mechanisms for prosecuting individuals who engage in the unlawful practice of medicine. UC requested the governor’s signature on this bill. The governor signed the bill.