Will the Governor Support or Oppose Gender Discrimination in Health Insurance?

Two bills that address gender discrimination in health coverage - AB 119 (Jones) and AB 98 (De La Torre) - are on their way to the Governor’s desk. You can view the Senate Rules floor analyses for AB 98 and AB 119, which include lists of supporters and opponents.

Below is an opinion piece from Beth McGovern, Legislative Director for the California Commission on the Status of Women, which sponsored AB 98.

From Beth McGovern

Discrimination against women is alive and well….

Health Access Follow-up to Working Families Policy Summit

An update from Anthony Wright, Executive Director of Health Access:

Since the presentation at the Working Families Policy Summit, Health Access has come out in support of a number of pieces of legislation that are important for health care consumers and has also sponsored three bills aimed at preventing underinsurance and medical debt. The bills Health Access is sponsoring are:

• AB 786 (Jones), which would reform the individual insurance market by limiting junk insurance and setting standards for coverage that will allow consumers to….

Mental Health Association in California Update

An update from Rusty Selix, Executive Director of California Council of Community Mental Health Agencies:

Since my presentation at the WF Summit, the  Mental Health Association in California has sponsored 1 bill:

AB 722 would prohibit insurers from using a previously treated mental illness (or any other non life threatening or chronic condition) that no longer is being treated, as a preexisting condition.

We have also testified in budget sub-committees working to defeat a cut in Mental Health Medi-Cal Managed Care funding that….

Western Center Sponsors Bills

An update from Elizabeth Landsberg, Legislative Advocate of Western Center on Law & Poverty:

Since my presentation at the WF Summit, the Western Center on Law & Poverty has sponsored four bills to improve access to health care for low-income consumers and protect them from medical debt:.

- AB 171 (Jones) would require dentists, before arranging credit cards or loans for services that the consumer has not yet received, to give a list of that treatment to the consumer. It would require….