CAFP-supported Top Priority Bills Signed Into Law 

• AB 108 - Authored by Assemblymember Mary Hayashi (D - Hayward), AB108 was one of two bills with the goal of ending the practice of rescission to ensure that insurance companies cannot drop a patients' health care coverage when they need it most (and usually at the time it is most expensive to the plan). The bill gives insurance companies 24 months to review an application after accepting it. After this 24-month period, the company cannot cancel the coverage for any reason other than premium nonpayment, and it cannot cancel, limit, or raise the premiums of the policy due to any omission, misrepresentation, or inaccuracy in the application form.
• AB 119 - Authored by Assemblymember Dave Jones (D - Sacramento), this bill prohibits health insurers from charging men and women differently for health insurance, even if the charge is based on statistical and actuarial data or underwriting principles. CAFP believes the point of insurance is to pool resources and risk, share the cost of medical care, and protect individuals from financial harm due to a medical condition. Women will never need treatment for prostate cancer; men will never need treatment for cervical cancer; and childless couples will never need pediatric care. All should pay the same price for comparable coverage. CAFP received media coverage for supporting the bill in the Sacramento Bee. (http://www.sacbee.com/arnold/v-print/story/2213986.html)
• AB 839 - Authored by Assemblymember Bill Emmerson (R - Redlands) and recently signed by the Governor, this bill creates a speedy and equitable remedy for Medi-Cal providers seeking to appeal the denial of a grievance or complaint related to Medi-Cal. Specifically, it requires Medi-Cal providers seeking to appeal the denial of a grievance or complaint related to Medi-Cal reimbursement to file a petition for a writ of mandate in superior court. Currently, Medi-Cal claims cases go to general civil courts on a first-come-first-served basis.  Because they lack priority, some claims cases linger on as judges resolve higher priority cases, thus delaying the resolution of providers' claims.  The expanded time frame in resolving these cases results in an increased number of claims older than one year, which limits the State's ability to claim federal financial participation.
• ACR 29 - As a consistent supporter of efforts to end health care disparities, CAFP strongly supported this resolution, authored by Assemblymember Jones, which calls on the California Health and Human Services Agency to ensure that, within existing resources and programs, departments within the agency implement programs, activities, and strategies that place a priority on preventing, reducing, and eliminating health disparities among racial and ethnic population subgroups.
• SB 606 - Authored by Senator Denise Ducheny (D - San Diego), this bill was signed into law and will allow osteopathic physicians (DOs) to participate in the Steven M. Thompson Physician Corps Loan Repayment Program (STLRP). STLRP provides physicians up to $105,000 in funding to be distributed over three years if they agree to practice in medically underserved areas. Just as MDs contribute $25 in their biannual license fee to support STLRP, this bill requires DOs to do the same; in return, the bill would allow them to participate in the loan program.
• SB 620 - Authored by Senator Patricia Wiggins (D - Santa Rosa), this bill helps the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (OSHPD) use data collected by the Osteopathic Medical Board to determine physician workforce in California and make recommendations based on that information to help address recruitment and retention of physicians and identify services needed in specific regions of the state. Roughly 10 percent of CAFP members are osteopathic physicians.