Health Care Legislation, Other Bills Await Gov. Schwarzenegger’s Pen
About 382 Assembly bills and 120 Senate bills are currently on their way to the desk of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), according to legislative staffers, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Schwarzenegger has until Oct. 11 to either sign or veto the bills. If he does not act on the measures, they will become law without the governor's signature.
Observers are unsure whether Schwarzenegger will decide to veto the bills because lawmakers did not meet his demands to resolve water issues.
Health Bills
Summaries of health-related legislation awaiting the governor's signature appear below.
- AB 2 by Assembly member Hector De La Torre (D-South Gate) would require health insurers to undergo a review and demonstrate intentional misrepresentation before rescinding an individual health insurance policy. Schwarzenegger vetoed a similar measure last year.
- AB 98 also by De La Torre would require health insurance plans to cover maternity services. Some business groups, insurers and Republican legislators oppose the measure.
- AB 119 by Assembly member Dave Jones (D-Sacramento) would prohibit health insurers from charging different premiums based on gender. Some business groups, health plans and Republican legislators oppose the measure (Sacramento Bee, 9/19).
- SB 820 by Sens. Sam Aanestad (R-Grass Valley) and Gloria Negrete McLeod (D-Chino) would require medical staff peer review committees to report physicians with substance abuse or mental health issues to the Medical Board of California. The board would then follow up and review any corrective action imposed (Jones, HealthLeaders Media, 9/18).