Legislative Update
The Senate Health Committee postponed a hearing on legislation modeled after a Maryland law that requires large employers to spend a certain percentage of their payroll expenses on health care benefits. Similar legislation is pending in a number of other states after Maryland in January became the first state in the nation to enact such a law. Similar legislation is pending in at least 33 other states.
A bill that would provide tax credits for health savings accounts was amended this week. California is one of only seven states nationwide that does not exempt HSA deposits from state income taxes.
Legislation to require hospitals to disclose information on hospital-acquired infections was filed as inactive this week. Six states in the nation have such laws, but only Pennsylvania collects and publishes the results.