California 2009-2010 Regular Session Status: Passed Assembly

AB 591 — Individual health care coverage: premium rates.

Last action — From Senate committee without further action.

  1. ✓
    Introduced
  2. ✓
    In Committee
  3. 3
    Passed Assembly
  4. 4
    Passed Senate
  5. 5
    To Executive
  6. 6
    Enacted

This bill died with 2009-2010 Regular Session. It reached “Passed Assembly” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.

This bill is no longer active — its legislative session has ended, so there is no live prognosis. It would have to be reintroduced in the current session to move again.

Summary

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. Under existing law, no change in premium rates or coverage in a health care service plan contract or health insurance policy may become effective without written prior notification of the change to the contractholder or policyholder. Existing law prohibits a plan or insurer during the term of a group contract or policy from changing the rate of the premium, copayment, coinsurance, or deductible during specified time periods. This bill would prohibit a health care service plan or health insurer from increasing the premium rate it charges a subscriber or policyholder of an individual contract or policy for a period of 90 days beginning with the date this provision becomes operative. Thereafter, this provision would become inoperative and the bill would prohibit a plan or insurer from increasing premium rates for individual contracts or policies by more than the average percentage increase in the medical care component of the consumer price index for the immediately preceding calendar year, as calculated by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bill would require any plan or insurer filing with the Department of Managed Health Care or the Department of Insurance containing a proposed premium rate increase for an individual contract or policy to comply with all other state and federal laws. The bill would also prohibit a plan or insurer from increasing the premium rate it charges a subscriber or policyholder of an individual contract or policy during the 12 months following the last premium rate increase. The bill would authorize the Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Insurance to adopt regulations implementing these provisions, as specified. Because a willful violation of the bill's requirements with respect to health care service plans would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. From Senate committee without further action.

  2. In committee: Held under submission.

  3. In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR suspense file.

  4. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  5. From committee: Amend, do pass as amended, and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 5. Noes 2.) (June 30).

  6. Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.

  7. Re-referred to Com. on RLS.

  8. Withdrawn from committee.

  9. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  10. In committee: Held under submission.

  11. In committee: Placed on Appropriations suspense file.

  12. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  13. From committee: Amend, do pass as amended, and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 3.) (July 15).

  14. From committee: Do pass, and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH. Re-referred. (Ayes 8. Noes 1.) (July 9).

  15. In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.

  16. Referred to Coms. on B., F. & I. and HEALTH.

  17. In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

  18. Read third time, passed, and to Senate. (Ayes 76. Noes 1. Page 1956.)

  19. Read second time. To third reading.

  20. Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.

  21. From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 12. Noes 5.) (May 28).

  22. In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to APPR. suspense file.

  23. From committee: Do pass, and re-refer to Com. on APPR. Re-referred. (Ayes 19. Noes 0.) (April 28).

  24. From committee: Do pass, and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH. Re-referred. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (April 22).

  25. Re-referred to Com. on INS.

  26. From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on INS. Read second time and amended.

  27. Referred to Com. on INS.

  28. From printer. May be heard in committee March 28.

  29. Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

  • De La Torre · Primary

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 121 not signed on · 1 voted No

Sponsors (1)

  • De La Torre

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (121)

121 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 121 →

"Not signed on" means a member has not sponsored or co-sponsored this bill — it does not imply opposition. Members flagged Voted No have a recorded No vote on this bill.

Whip count is in markup. Polling the chamber and every recorded vote this session. Only the first open is slow. It’s instant for you after this. Calling the roll · Tallying · Engrossing

Votes

Placed on Appropriations Suspense file.

Passed 10 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 10001
Total 10001
% of votes cast 91%0%0%9%
How each member voted (11)
Member Party Vote
Yee — Yea
Wyland — Yea
Corbett — Yea
Alquist — Yea
Ashburn — Yea
Kehoe — Yea
Leno — Yea
Price — Yea
Wolk — Yea
Walters — Not Voting
Emmerson — Yea

Official roll call →

Placed on Appropriations Suspense file.

Passed 13 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 13000
Total 13000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (13)
Member Party Vote
Wyland — Yea
Yee — Yea
Hancock — Yea
Runner — Yea
Corbett — Yea
Leno — Yea
Price — Yea
Wolk — Yea
Kehoe — Yea
Oropeza — Yea
Walters — Yea
Cox — Yea
Denham — Yea

Official roll call →

AB 591 DE LA TORRE Assembly Third Reading

Passed 87 Yea · 1 Nay · 4 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 81104
Democratic 3000
Republican 3000
Total 87104
% of votes cast 95%1%0%4%
How each member voted (92)
Member Party Vote
Davis — Yea
Hagman — Yea
Eng — Yea
Carter — Yea
Chesbro — Yea
Conway — Yea
Cook — Yea
Tom — Yea
Feuer — Yea
Fuentes — Yea
Fuller — Yea
Furutani — Yea
Charles — Yea
Garrick — Yea
Gilmore — Yea
Hall — Yea
Hayashi — Yea
De — Yea
La — Yea
Torre — Yea
De — Yea
Leon — Yea
Hill — Yea
Fletcher — Yea
Fong — Yea
Ammiano — Yea
Beall — Yea
Coto — Yea
Bonnie — Yea
Lowenthal — Yea
V. — Yea
Manuel — Yea
Perez — Yea
John — Yea
A. — Yea
Perez — Yea
Portantino — Yea
Salas — Yea
Saldana — Yea
Audra — Yea
Bill — Not Voting
Huffman — Yea
Jeffries — Yea
Bass — Yea
Krekorian — Yea
Logue — Yea
Mendoza — Yea
Miller — Not Voting
Monning — Yea
Nava — Yea
Nestande — Yea
Price — Yea
Ruskin — Yea
Silva — Yea
Smyth — Yea
Solorio — Yea
Swanson — Yea
Torlakson — Yea
Torrico — Yea
Tran — Yea
Adams — Yea
Anderson — Yea
Blakeslee — Yea
Block — Not Voting
Blumenfield — Yea
Brownley — Yea
Buchanan — Yea
Harkey — Yea
Hernandez — Yea
Huber — Yea
Knight — Yea
Lieu — Yea
Ma — Yea
Nielsen — Nay
Skinner — Yea
Torres — Yea
Villines — Yea
Emmerson — Yea
Evans — Yea
DeVore — Yea
Duvall — Yea
Yamada — Yea
Galgiani — Yea
Beth Gaines — Yea
Bill Berryhill — Yea
Bill Berryhill — Not Voting
Arambula, Joaquin Democratic Yea
Caballero, Anna M. Democratic Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Jones, Brian W. Republican Yea
Niello, Roger W. Republican Yea
Strickland, Tony Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Do pass as amended.

Passed 16 Yea · 6 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 15500
Republican 0100
Democratic 1000
Total 16600
% of votes cast 73%27%0%0%
How each member voted (22)
Member Party Vote
Audra — Nay
Harkey — Nay
Duvall — Nay
Solorio — Yea
Hall — Yea
Charles — Yea
De — Yea
Leon — Yea
John — Yea
A. — Yea
Perez — Yea
Ammiano — Yea
Krekorian — Yea
Miller — Nay
Nielsen — Nay
Price — Yea
Skinner — Yea
Torlakson — Yea
Davis — Yea
Fuentes — Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Strickland, Tony Republican Nay

Official roll call →

Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on Appropriations.

Passed 26 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 23000
Republican 2000
Democratic 1000
Total 26000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (26)
Member Party Vote
Hall — Yea
Carter — Yea
Conway — Yea
De — Yea
La — Yea
Torre — Yea
De — Yea
Leon — Yea
Fletcher — Yea
Gaines — Yea
Bonnie — Yea
V. — Yea
Ammiano — Yea
Hayashi — Yea
Nava — Yea
Manuel — Yea
Perez — Yea
Salas — Yea
Audra — Yea
Adams — Yea
Block — Yea
Hernandez — Yea
Emmerson — Yea
Lowenthal, Josh Democratic Yea
Jones, Brian W. Republican Yea
Strickland, Tony Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Subjects

healthcare health-insurance
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Frequently asked questions

What does AB 591 do?
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. Under existing law, no change in premium rates or coverage in a health care service plan contract or health insurance policy may become effective without written prior notification of the change to the contractholder or policyholder. Existing law prohibits a plan or insurer during the term of a group contract or policy from changing the rate of the premium, copayment, coinsurance, or deductible during specified time periods. This bill would prohibit a health care service plan or health insurer from increasing the premium rate it charges a subscriber or policyholder of an individual contract or policy for a period of 90 days beginning with the date this provision becomes operative. Thereafter, this provision would become inoperative and the bill would prohibit a plan or insurer from increasing premium rates for individual contracts or policies by more than the average percentage increase in the medical care component of the consumer price index for the immediately preceding calendar year, as calculated by the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics. The bill would require any plan or insurer filing with the Department of Managed Health Care or the Department of Insurance containing a proposed premium rate increase for an individual contract or policy to comply with all other state and federal laws. The bill would also prohibit a plan or insurer from increasing the premium rate it charges a subscriber or policyholder of an individual contract or policy during the 12 months following the last premium rate increase. The bill would authorize the Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Insurance to adopt regulations implementing these provisions, as specified. Because a willful violation of the bill's requirements with respect to health care service plans would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Who sponsors AB 591?
AB 591 is sponsored by De La Torre.
What is the current status of AB 591?
This bill died with 2009-2010 Regular Session. It reached “Passed Assembly” and never advanced before the session ended, so it can no longer move — a new version would have to be reintroduced in the current session.
Where can I track AB 591?
Track AB 591 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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