California Legislators Introduce Health Care Bills Before Cutoff
Before the Feb. 27 deadline to introduce new bills, California lawmakers put forward legislation dealing with health care-related issues, including Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program, the Ventura County Star reports.
Summaries of some health care bills appear below.
- AB 367 by Assembly members Audra Strickland (R-Moorpark) and Cathleen Galgiani (D- Stockton) would ensure that Medi-Cal reimburses hospitals and other health care providers when the state budget is not approved by the constitutional deadline (Herdt, Ventura County Star, 3/8);
- AB 65 by Assembly member Mary Hayashi (D-Castro Valley) would establish vision care benefits for state retirees;
- AB 420 by Assembly member Mary Salas (D-Chula Vista) would direct the state Department of Public Health to develop an awareness campaign about pregnancy and post-birth mood and anxiety disorders; and
- SB 132 by Sen. Jeff Denham (R-Merced) would require the California Medical Board to adopt regulations for sleep-disorder technicians.
In addition, Assembly member Bill Emmerson (R-Redlands) has introduced legislation that would increase fees on pharmacists and pharmacies to boost funding for the California Board of Pharmacy.
According to the Riverside Press-Enterprise, many of the bills that would have fiscal implications for the state likely will stall in legislative appropriations committees (Miller, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 3/7).
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