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Maternal and Child Health Access annually develops a list of maternal and child health related bills with PACLAC: the Perinatal Advisory Council: Leadership, Advocacy and Consultation.
Contact: Lynn Kersey lynnk@mchaccess.org or Lucy Quacinella, Multiforum Advocacy Solutions Lucy@Quacinella.com
MCH Access 2006 Legislation
AB 624 (Montanez) (see below, AB 1948)
Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed AB 624 in the fall of 2005.
AB 1948 (Montanez)
Assemblywoman Cindy Montanez re-introduced AB 624 in 2006 as AB 1948. California's two main children's health insurance programs, Medi-Cal and Healthy Families, are a vital source of protection for low-income children. Many of the 429,000 eligible but not enrolled children (UCLA Center for Health Policy Research) could benefit from these programs if the state simply removed inefficient bureaucratic barriers from the enrollment process. One such barrier is the "two-step" design of the state's current Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) Gateway process.
Currently, children up to age 18 in families with income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level can immediately enroll for coverage over the Internet from a doctor's office or clinic at the time of a "well-child" visit. However, the child will automatically lose coverage in a maximum of two months if the family does not submit a Medi-Cal or joint Medi-Cal/Healthy Families paper application before the child's temporary coverage expires. AB 1948 would require the State Department of Health Services (DHS) to take the first step to condense the current "two-step" application process for the CHDP Gateway into one simple application for families wishing to enroll their children in ongoing coverage. Eligible children could enroll into Medi-Cal and Healthy Families through the electronic CHDP Gateway system and maintain coverage until the county (for Medi-Cal) or the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board (MRMIB, for Healthy Families) makes a final eligibility determination.
Why AB 1948 is necessary
AB 1948 will help cover more kids who are eligible for Medi-Cal and Healthy Families but not enrolled. DHS estimates that 175,000 children each year would be enrolled as a result of this bill. By eliminating gaps in coverage, AB 1948 will help kids stay healthier and require less costly treatment for preventable conditions that may worsen without early access to medical care.
MCH Access 2005 Legislation
SB 377 (Ortiz)
MCH Access sponsored SB 377 in 2005 to "finish the job" started in 2001. In that year, the Legislature voted to add non-emergency benefits for the prevention and treatment of dental and periodontal disease for beneficiaries during pregnancy to avoid premature deliveries and low-birth weights. However, the benefits were only provided to some Medi-Cal aid categories and not others. SB 377 extended to ALL pregnant women, regardless of their reason for having Medi-Cal, eligibility for preventive dental exams, cleanings and gum treatments. Recent medical studies show that dental cleanings and treatment during pregnancy reduce the likelihood of pre-term delivery and low birth weight infants, the leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality. The bill will also save taxpayers money by avoiding neonatal intensive care services for premature and low birth-weight babies. The State Department of Health Services (DHS) estimates that for every $1 spent on basic dental treatment such as cleanings, the state will save between $1.11 and $1.35. DHS projects that about 42,600 women will now be able to get services annually. However, the benefits were only provided to some Medi-Cal aid categories and not others. SB 377 extended to ALL pregnant women, regardless of their reason for having Medi-Cal, eligibility for preventive dental exams, cleanings and gum treatments. This includes women on Presumptive Eligibility (PE).
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