Health Care Legislation a Priority for State Legislature on First Day of Session

by Samantha Beasley, Health Care Policy Manager, L.A. Area Chamber

Last Monday, 10 new state senators and 27 new assembly members were sworn in.  Simultaneously, a number of health care-related initiatives were announced, including several carried over from last year.

Perhaps the most notable are two pieces of legislation from Senator Ricardo Lara:

• SB 4, the Health for All Act, which extends health insurance benefits to immigrants who are living in the U.S. illegally; and
• SB 10, which creates an Office of New Americans to assist undocumented immigrants.

This is the second time the Senator will try to get the Health for All Act through the legislature, as it stalled during the last legislative session because of cost concerns.

Other health-related bills introduced include:

• AB 11 (Gonzalez), that would expand previous legislation to give three days of paid sick leave to home health care workers who provide care to elderly or disabled residents;
• AB 54, that would permit businesses to remain open as they work to correct violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act;
• SB 27 (Hill), that would limit the amount of antibiotics used on livestock, which can contribute to antibiotic-resistant diseases among humans; and
• SB 24 (Hill), that would extend youth-targeted tobacco laws to electronic cigarettes.

We are also watching for proposals on funding for the California Health Benefits Review Program and addressing record keeping and online services through the State Health Care Innovation Plan.