Health Mandates Review Program.

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not provide specific details on the exact amount or method for transferring funds to the Health Care Mandates Fund each year.

Health Mandates Review Program

This law requests the University of California to establish a Health Mandates Review Program by January 1, 2028, to assess new health care rules for hospitals and sets up an annual fund to support this work.

What This Bill Does

• Requests the University of California to establish the Health Mandates Review Program by January 1, 2028.
• Requires certain legislative committees to request reviews from the program if legislation is expected to affect a majority of hospitals or a recognized class of hospitals.
• Requests that the program provide written analyses and annual summaries of reviewed legislation.
• Establishes a Health Care Mandates Fund in the State Treasury, funded by an unspecified amount annually starting in 2027–28 fiscal year.

Who It Names or Affects

• The University of California
• Health care providers, especially hospitals
• Legislative committees and policymakers

Terms To Know

Health Mandates Review Program

A program that evaluates new health care rules for designated providers to assess their impact on hospital operations.

Designated provider

A specific type of health care provider, such as a hospital, chosen by the legislation for review.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify how much money will be transferred to the Health Care Mandates Fund each year.
• It is unclear which hospitals or classes of hospitals would be affected by new rules being reviewed.
• The bill states an intent but does not create a specific independent body for cost estimation.

Official Summary Text

AB 2353, as amended, Pacheco.
Health
care affordability.
Mandates Review Program.
Existing law requests the University of California to establish the California Health Benefit Review Program (CHBRP) to assess legislation proposing to mandate a health care benefit or service or repeal a mandated benefit or service and to prepare a written analysis. Existing law authorizes an appropriate policy or fiscal committee chairperson, the Speaker of the Assembly, or the President pro Tempore of the Senate to request that written analysis. Under existing law, a written analysis is requested to be provided to the Legislature not later than 60 days after a request for analysis is made. Existing law establishes the Health Care Benefits Fund, funded by an annual fee on health care service plans and health insurers, to support the University of California and CHBRP.
This bill would request the University of California to establish the Health Mandates Review Program to assess legislation proposing to mandate new or additional services or activities for a designated provider, beginning no later than January 1, 2028. The bill would require the appropriate policy or fiscal committee within the legislation’s house of origin to request the program to assess legislation if the legislation is expected to affect the operations of a majority of the state’s hospitals, or a majority of hospitals within a recognized class of hospitals, by requiring specified actions. The bill would request the Health Mandates Review Program to provide a written analysis of the legislation, as specified, and would request that the analysis include information on specified impacts. The bill would request that the program publish an annual summary of legislation it analyzed and that it convene a workgroup of members with relevant expertise in hospital finance or
operations to advise on the development and implementation of the program.
This bill would establish the Health Care Mandates Fund in the State Treasury to support the University of California and its work in implementing the Health Mandates Review Program, including providing bill analyses. The bill would require the Department of Health Care Access and Information to annually transfer an unspecified amount from the California Health Data and Planning Fund to the Health Care Mandates Fund starting in the 2027–28 fiscal year.
Existing law requests the University of California to establish the California Health Benefit Review Program to assess legislation proposing to mandate a health care benefit or service or repeal a mandated benefit or service and to prepare a written analysis, as specified.
This bill would state the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation to identify an independent, nonpartisan body to estimate the cost of legislative proposals that require new services or activities by health care providers and ensure a written analysis of these proposals is published, among other things. The bill would also make related findings and declarations.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF