AB 391: Medi-Cal: asthma preventive services.

Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income persons receive health care benefits. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing federal law authorizes, at the option of the state, preventive services, as defined, to be provided by practitioners other than physicians or other licensed practitioners.

This bill, which would be known as the Asthma Preventive Services Program Act of 2017, would include asthma preventive services, as defined, as a covered benefit under the Medi-Cal program. The bill would require the department, in consultation with external stakeholders, to develop a coverage policy consistent with specified federal and clinically appropriate guidelines. The bill would require the entity supervising qualified asthma services providers to ensure that the providers satisfy specified requirements, including the successful completion of, at a minimum, 16 hours of instruction on specified topics. The bill would require an individual to satisfy specified educational and experience requirements in order to become a qualified asthma preventive services provider and would require any entity or supervising licensed provider who employs or contracts with a qualified asthma preventive services provider to comply with specified requirements. The bill would require the department to seek any federal waivers or other state plan amendments as necessary to implement these provisions and would require these provisions to be implemented only if and to the extent that any necessary federal approvals are obtained and federal financial participation is available, as specified.