AB 2368: Low-income health care: internet website and information.

Existing law requires each county to provide aid, commonly known as a general assistance program, to the countys indigent residents who are not supported by other means and are ineligible for the Medi-Cal program, as specified. Existing law sets forth various provisions relating to county-based health care services for indigent individuals and to reporting systems for those services.

This bill would require the State Department of Health Care Services, by July 1, 2027, to establish an internet website where the public can access information on safety-net health care services in the state. The bill would require that the website include certain information and resources, including, among other items, information about each county medically indigent health care program for uninsured individuals, that provides health care to low-income county residents who are uninsured or underinsured, including eligibility requirements, the cost structure for applicants, and other specified elements. The bill would require the department, in consultation with certain entities, to review the information and resources on the website, as specified.

The bill would require each county to submit any changes to the above-described elements to the department within 120 calendar days, as specified. By creating new data-reporting duties for counties, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.