Governor Signs Health Care Bills
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) on Monday signed a bill that will require insurers to report their investments in low-income communities, the Los Angeles Times reports (Vogel, Los Angeles Times, 9/26). Under AB 925, by Assembly member Mark Ridley-Thomas (D-Los Angeles), insurers will have to inform the Department of Insurance of such investments biannually, and the department will post the information on its Web site.
The law will expire in 2011 (Bill text, 8/29).
Schwarzenegger on Friday signed several other health care-related bills (Office of the Governor release, 8/22). Summaries appear below.
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AB 1433 by Assembly members Bill Emmerson (R-Rancho Cucamonga) and John Laird (D-Santa Cruz) requires public kindergarten students -- or first-grade students, if they did not attend kindergarten in a public school -- by May 31 to provide proof of an oral health exam no more than 12 months before the student first enrolled in school. Public school districts must submit a report detailing such information annually to the health officer of the county education department (Bill text, 9/6).
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SB 559 by Sen. Tom Torlakson (D-Concord) will permit the Department of Health Services to issue one consolidated license to Children's Hospital Oakland and the John Muir Medical Center, Concord campus (Bill text, 9/7).
- SB 1277 by Sen. Elaine Alquist (D-San Jose) will require DHS to develop a fee schedule that will apply to payments for indigent care from county Physician Services Accounts and Hospital Services Accounts. The fee schedule will apply in instances in which counties contract with the state to administer these accounts (Bill text, 8/25).