Bill To Reform Covered California Board Headed to Gov. Brown

On Thursday, the California Assembly voted 68-2 to approve a bill (SB 972) that would diversify the five-member board that oversees Covered California, the state's health insurance exchange, the AP/Washington Times reports.

The measure already was approved by the state Senate and now heads to Gov. Jerry Brown (D) (AP/Washington Times, 6/19).

Background

The bill was prompted by a series of missteps by Covered California that contributed to low Latino enrollment during the first half of the initial enrollment period.

Specifically, the exchange did not have online Spanish-language registration available for the first three months of open enrollment and it did not have enough Spanish-speaking call center workers, according to stakeholders (Gorn, "Capitol Desk," California Healthline, 6/17).

Sen. Norma Torres (D-Pomona), the bill's sponsor, said the measure also was introduced in response to consumer complaints of long wait times and confusing materials on the Covered California website.

Details of Bill

SB 972 would widen the eligibility for joining the board to include:

• Enrollment assistance experts;
• Health insurance marketers; and
• Informational technology experts.

The bill is supported by Latino health advocates and the California Association of Health Underwriters (AP/Washington Times, 6/19).