AB 2517: Health care coverage.

Existing federal law, the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), enacts various health care coverage market reforms that took effect January 1, 2014. Among other things, PPACA requires each state, by January 1, 2014, to establish an American Health Benefit Exchange that facilitates the purchase of qualified health plans by qualified individuals and qualified small employers. Existing state law establishes the California Health Benefit Exchange, also known as Covered California, within state government for the purpose of facilitating the enrollment of qualified individuals and qualified small employers in qualified health plans.

This bill would establish the Advisory Panel on Health Care Delivery Systems and Universal Coverage in the California Health and Human Services Agency and would require the advisory panel to develop a plan to achieve universal coverage and a unified publicly financed health care system. The bill would require the Secretary of California Health and Human Services to appoint members to the advisory panel, as provided, and would require the advisory panel to convene public meetings at least quarterly. quarterly, beginning on or before March 1, 2019.

The bill would require the plan developed by the advisory panel to include a timeline of the benchmarks and steps necessary to implement a universal and unified publicly financed health care system. The bill would require the plan to include, among other things, a multiyear financial model, a consideration of requirements necessary to seek federal waivers or federal statutory changes, and a consideration of the requirements for state constitutional amendments. The bill would require the advisory panel to submit a report detailing its progress in developing the plan to the health committees of the Senate and the Assembly on or before January 1, 2020, and to submit a followup progress report every 6 months thereafter. The bill would also require the plan to be posted on the agencys Internet Web site. also set deadlines for the advisory panel to submit proposals to implement certain portions of the plan to the Legislature for approval or review. The bills provisions would be repealed on January 1, 2024.