Medicare Drug Benefit

The Senate Banking, Finance and Insurance and Health committees scheduled hearings on June 13 and 14, respectively, for AB 2667 by Assembly member Joe Baca Jr. (D-San Bernardino) (StateNet, Subscription required). The bill would require the Departments of Managed Care, Insurance and Health Services to evaluate entities that seek to contract with CalPERS or Medi-Cal to provide health benefits based on factors including applicants' history of providing, or arranging to provide, health care services or benefits in California or other states (Bill text, 5/8). According to an analysis of the bill, "The author and sponsor are specifically concerned with the licensure of new stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plans." The legislation "makes clear that entities seeking licensure in California will be evaluated on their historical performance in other states and under the Medicare and Medicaid programs," the analysis states (Gilman, Bill analysis, 5/10).