SB-402 • 2026

Health care coverage: autism.

Crime

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Valladares
Last action: 2025-10-06
Official status: Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 413, Statutes of 2025.
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

Health care coverage: autism.

SB 402, Valladares.

What This Bill Does

SB 402, Valladares.
Health care coverage: autism.
Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act a crime.
Existing law also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2025-10-06 California Legislative Information
Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 413, Statutes of 2025.
2025-10-06 California Legislative Information
Approved by the Governor.
2025-09-22 California Legislative Information
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.
2025-09-11 California Legislative Information
Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2873.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.
2025-09-09 California Legislative Information
In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.
2025-09-09 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 77. Noes 0. Page 3065.) Ordered to the Senate.
2025-09-05 California Legislative Information
Ordered to third reading.
2025-09-05 California Legislative Information
Read third time and amended.
2025-09-05 California Legislative Information
Assembly Rule 69(b)(1) suspended.
2025-08-27 California Legislative Information
Ordered to third reading.
2025-08-27 California Legislative Information
Read third time and amended.
2025-07-17 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-07-16 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (July 15).
2025-07-01 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH. (Ayes 17. Noes 0.) (July 1). Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.
2025-06-09 California Legislative Information
Referred to Coms. on B. & P. and HEALTH.
2025-06-04 California Legislative Information
In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.
2025-06-03 California Legislative Information
Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 1469.) Ordered to the Assembly.
2025-04-22 California Legislative Information
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2025-04-21 California Legislative Information
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 0. Page 808.) (April 21).
2025-03-18 California Legislative Information
Set for hearing April 21.
2025-02-26 California Legislative Information
Referred to Com. on B. P. & E.D.
2025-02-18 California Legislative Information
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 17.
2025-02-14 California Legislative Information
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Official Summary Text

SB 402, Valladares.
Health care coverage: autism.
Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires a health care service plan contract or a health insurance policy to provide coverage for behavioral health treatment for pervasive developmental disorder or autism and defines “behavioral health treatment” to mean specified services and treatment programs, including treatment provided pursuant to a treatment plan that is prescribed by a qualified autism service provider and administered either by a qualified autism service provider or by a qualified autism service professional or qualified autism service paraprofessional. Existing law defines
“qualified autism service provider,” “qualified autism service professional,” and “qualified autism service paraprofessional” for those purposes. Those definitions are contained in the Health and Safety Code and the Insurance Code.
This bill would move those definitions to the Business and Professions Code. The bill would also make technical and conforming changes.
This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 1367.27 of the Health and Safety Code and Section 10133.15 of the Insurance Code proposed by AB 280 to be operative only if this bill and AB 280 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 1374.73 of the Health and Safety Code and Section 10144.51 of the
Insurance Code proposed by AB 951 to be operative only if this bill and AB 951 are enacted and this bill is enacted last.
This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 11165.7 of the Penal Code proposed by AB 653 and SB 848, to be operative only if this bill and either or both of those bills are enacted and this bill is enacted last.

Current Bill Text

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