Bill Text: CA SB171 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Medi-Cal: Medi-Cal managed care plans.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2017-10-13 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 768, Statutes of 2017. [SB171 Detail]
Download: California-2017-SB171-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Medi-Cal: Medi-Cal managed care plans.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)
Status: (Passed) 2017-10-13 - Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 768, Statutes of 2017. [SB171 Detail]
Download: California-2017-SB171-Introduced.html
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION
| Senate Bill | No. 171 |
| Introduced by Senator Hernandez (Coauthor: Assembly Member Wood) |
January 23, 2017 |
An act to amend Section 10951 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to Medi-Cal.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SB 171, as introduced, Hernandez.
Medi-Cal: state fair hearing.
Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which health care services are provided to qualified, low-income persons. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Under existing law, one of the methods by which Medi-Cal services are provided is pursuant to contracts with various types of managed care plans. Existing federal regulations, published on May 6, 2016, revise regulations governing Medicaid managed care plans to, among other things, align, where feasible, those rules with those of other major sources of coverage, including coverage through qualified health plans offered through an American Health Benefit Exchange, such as the Exchange, and promote quality of care and strengthen efforts to reform delivery systems that serve Medicaid and CHIP beneficiaries. These
federal regulations authorize an enrollee to request a state fair hearing only after receiving notice that the Medicaid managed care plan is upholding an adverse benefit determination, and requires the enrollee to request a state fair hearing no later than 120 calendar days from the date of the Medicaid managed care plans notice of resolution.
Existing law establishes hearing procedures for an applicant for or beneficiary of Medi-Cal who is dissatisfied with certain actions regarding health care services and medical assistance to request a hearing from the State Department of Health Care Services under specified circumstances, and requires a request for a hearing to be filed within 90 days after the order or action complained of.
This bill would authorize a person to request a hearing involving a Medi-Cal managed care plan within 120 calendar days after the order or action complained of, and would exclude a request from the
120-calendar day filing time if there is good cause, as defined, for filing the request beyond the 120-calendar day period.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: NO Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
It is the intent of the Legislature to implement the revisions to federal regulations governing Medicaid managed care plans at Parts 431, 433, 438, 440, 457, and 495 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations, as amended May 6, 2016, as published in the Federal Register (81 Fed. Reg. 27498).SEC. 2.
Section 10951 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read:10951.
(a) (1) A person is not entitled to a hearing pursuant to this chapter unless he or she files his or her request for the same within 90 days after the order or action complained of.(b)(1)Notwithstanding subdivision (a),
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a person shall be entitled to a hearing pursuant to this chapter if he or she files the request more than 90 days after the order or action complained of and there is good cause for filing the request beyond the 90-day period. The director may determine whether good cause exists.
(b) (1) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), a person may request a hearing pursuant to this chapter involving a Medi-Cal managed care plan within 120 calendar days after the order or action complained of.
(2) Notwithstanding paragraph (1), a person shall be entitled to a hearing pursuant to this chapter if he or she files the
request more than 120 calendar days after the order or action complained of and there is good cause for filing the request beyond the 120-calendar day period. The director may determine whether good cause exists.
(2)
(c) For purposes of this subdivision section, “good cause” means a substantial and compelling reason beyond the party’s control, considering
the length of the delay, the diligence of the party making the request, and the potential prejudice to the other party. The inability of a person to understand an adequate and language-compliant notice, in and of itself, shall not constitute good cause. The department shall not grant a request for a hearing for good cause if the request is filed more than 180 days after the order or action complained of.
(3)
(d) This section shall not preclude the application of the principles of equity jurisdiction as otherwise provided by law.
(c)
(e) Notwithstanding the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code), the department shall implement this section through an all-county information notice no later than January 1, 2008. notice. The department may also provide further instructions through training notes.
