California 2019-2020 Regular Session Status: Enacted 1 D cosponsors

AB 744 — Health care coverage: telehealth.

Last action — Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 867, Statutes of 2019.

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

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 19, 2019. Enacted.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 72% · moderate confidence

Where this bill stands today.

Odds of enactment

High

How often bills like it became law.

  • Enacted

    Current position in the legislative process.

  • 1 sponsor

    1 primary, 0 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (1 D).

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 8 recorded votes so far.

Prognosis reads this bill's own signals — stage, sponsorship breadth, committee status, recorded votes and cross-state momentum. Odds come from a model trained on which bills have become law.

Summary

Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Under existing law, face-to-face contact between a health care provider and a patient is not required under the Medi-Cal program for teleophthalmology, teledermatology, and teledentistry by store and forward. Existing law requires a Medi-Cal patient receiving teleophthalmology, teledermatology, or teledentistry by store and forward to be notified of the right to receive interactive communication with a distant specialist physician, optometrist, or dentist, and authorizes a patient to request that interactive communication. This bill would delete those interactive communication provisions, and would instead specify that face-to-face contact between a health care provider and a patient is not required under the Medi-Cal program for any health care services provided by store and forward. 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 provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law prohibits a health care service plan or health insurer from requiring that in-person contact occur between a health care provider and a patient, and from limiting the type of setting where services are provided, before payment is made for covered services provided appropriately through telehealth services. This bill would require a contract issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2021, between a health care service plan and a health care provider for the provision of health care services to an enrollee or subscriber, or a contract issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2021, between a health insurer and a health care provider for an alternative rate of payment to specify that the health care service plan or health insurer reimburse a health care provider for the diagnosis, consultation, or treatment of an enrollee, subscriber, insured, or policyholder appropriately delivered through telehealth services on the same basis and to the same extent that the health care service plan or health insurer is responsible for reimbursement for the same service through in-person diagnosis, consultation, or treatment. The bill would authorize a health care service plan or health insurer to offer a contract or policy containing a copayment or coinsurance requirement for a health care service delivered through telehealth services, subject to specified limitations. The bill would require telehealth services covered under a health care service plan contract or policy or health insurance issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2021, to be subject to the same deductible and annual or lifetime dollar maximum as for equivalent services that are not provided through telehealth. Because a willful violation of the bill's requirements relative to health care service plans would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 2290.5 of the Business and Professions Code proposed by AB 1519 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1519 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. 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.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 867, Statutes of 2019.

  2. Approved by the Governor.

  3. Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3:30 p.m.

  4. Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 79. Noes 0. Page 3562.).

  5. In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

  6. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 36. Noes 1. Page 2919.).

  7. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  8. Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

  9. Joint Rule 61 suspended. (Ayes 28. Noes 8. Page 2733.)

  10. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  11. Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

  12. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  13. From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 6. Noes 1.) (August 30).

  14. In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.

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

  16. From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (July 3).

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

  18. In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.

  19. Referred to Com. on HEALTH.

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

  21. Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 75. Noes 0. Page 1941.)

  22. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

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

  24. From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 18. Noes 0.) (May 16).

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

  26. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (April 23). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  27. Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.

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

  29. Referred to Com. on HEALTH.

  30. From printer. May be heard in committee March 22.

  31. Read first time. To print.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 0 co-sponsors · 121 not signed on

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (0)

None.

Not signed on (121)

121 members have not signed on to this bill.

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"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

AB 744 Aguiar-Curry Concurrence in Senate Amendments

Passed 79 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 52000
Democratic 22000
Republican 5000
Total 79000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (79)
Member Party Vote
Mathis — Yea
Cooley — Yea
Diep — Yea
Chau — Yea
Quirk — Yea
Low — Yea
Burke — Yea
Cooper — Yea
Rendon — Yea
Smith — Yea
Cunningham — Yea
Gonzalez — Yea
Bloom — Yea
Voepel — Yea
Rodriguez — Yea
Chiu — Yea
Gray — Yea
Maienschein — Yea
Mullin — Yea
Kamlager-Dove — Yea
Medina — Yea
Chu — Yea
Ting — Yea
McCarty — Yea
O'Donnell — Yea
Waldron — Yea
Salas — Yea
Brough — Yea
Gloria — Yea
Obernolte — Yea
Holden — Yea
Daly — Yea
Jones-Sawyer — Yea
Friedman — Yea
Nazarian — Yea
Weber — Yea
Fong — Yea
Kiley — Yea
Mayes — Yea
Frazier — Yea
Bigelow — Yea
Santiago — Yea
Eggman — Yea
Levine — Yea
Wood — Yea
Melendez — Yea
Cristina Garcia — Yea
Eduardo Garcia — Yea
Jim Patterson — Yea
Luz Rivas — Yea
Mark Stone — Yea
Wendy Carrillo — Yea
Aguiar-Curry, Cecilia M. Democratic Yea
Arambula, Joaquin Democratic Yea
Bauer-Kahan, Rebecca Democratic Yea
Berman, Marc Democratic Yea
Boerner, Tasha Democratic Yea
Bonta, Mia Democratic Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Cervantes, Sabrina Democratic Yea
Gabriel, Jesse Democratic Yea
Gipson, Mike A. Democratic Yea
Grayson, Timothy S. Democratic Yea
Irwin, Jacqui Democratic Yea
Kalra, Ash Democratic Yea
Limón, Monique Democratic Yea
Muratsuchi, Al Democratic Yea
Petrie-Norris, Cottie Democratic Yea
Quirk-Silva, Sharon Democratic Yea
Ramos, James C. Democratic Yea
Reyes, Eloise Gómez Democratic Yea
Rivas, Robert Democratic Yea
Rubio, Blanca E. Democratic Yea
Wicks, Buffy Democratic Yea
Chen, Phillip Republican Yea
Choi, Steven S. Republican Yea
Flora, Heath Republican Yea
Gallagher, James Republican Yea
Lackey, Tom Republican Yea

Official roll call →

3rd Reading AB744 Aguiar-Curry By Dodd

Passed 36 Yea · 1 Nay · 3 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 24102
Democratic 10000
Republican 2001
Total 36103
% of votes cast 90%3%0%8%
How each member voted (40)
Member Party Vote
Rubio — Yea
Monning — Yea
Wieckowski — Yea
Mitchell — Yea
Bradford — Yea
Wilk — Yea
Beall — Yea
Atkins — Yea
Hill — Yea
Roth — Yea
Hueso — Yea
Leyva — Yea
Dodd — Yea
Skinner — Yea
Allen — Yea
Borgeas — Yea
Galgiani — Yea
Hertzberg — Yea
Portantino — Yea
Glazer — Yea
Nielsen — Yea
Chang — Yea
Pan — Yea
Morrell — Nay
Moorlach — Not Voting
Bates — Not Voting
Mark Stone — Yea
Archuleta, Bob Democratic Yea
Caballero, Anna M. Democratic Yea
Durazo, Maria Elena Democratic Yea
Gonzalez, Lena A. Democratic Yea
Hurtado, Melissa Democratic Yea
Jackson, Corey A. Democratic Yea
McGuire, Mike Democratic Yea
Stern, Henry I. Democratic Yea
Umberg, Thomas J. Democratic Yea
Wiener, Scott D. Democratic Yea
Dahle, Megan Republican Yea
Grove, Shannon Republican Not Voting
Jones, Brian W. Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Do pass

Passed 6 Yea · 1 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 1000
Unaffiliated 4100
Democratic 1000
Total 6100
% of votes cast 86%14%0%0%
How each member voted (7)
Member Party Vote
Wieckowski — Yea
Portantino — Yea
Hill — Yea
Bradford — Yea
Bates — Nay
Durazo, Maria Elena Democratic Yea
Jones, Brian W. Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Placed on suspense file

Passed 7 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 1000
Unaffiliated 5000
Democratic 1000
Total 7000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (7)
Member Party Vote
Wieckowski — Yea
Portantino — Yea
Bates — Yea
Hill — Yea
Bradford — Yea
Durazo, Maria Elena Democratic Yea
Jones, Brian W. Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations]

Passed 8 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 6000
Democratic 2000
Republican 0001
Total 8001
% of votes cast 89%0%0%11%
How each member voted (9)
Member Party Vote
Rubio — Yea
Monning — Yea
Mitchell — Yea
Pan — Yea
Leyva — Yea
Mark Stone — Yea
Gonzalez, Lena A. Democratic Yea
Hurtado, Melissa Democratic Yea
Grove, Shannon Republican Not Voting

Official roll call →

AB 744 Aguiar-Curry Assembly Third Reading

Passed 75 Yea · 0 Nay · 5 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 44004
Democratic 25000
Republican 6001
Total 75005
% of votes cast 94%0%0%6%
How each member voted (80)
Member Party Vote
Brough — Yea
Mayes — Yea
Salas — Yea
Mathis — Yea
Bigelow — Yea
Smith — Yea
Cunningham — Yea
Gonzalez — Yea
Diep — Yea
Chau — Yea
Gloria — Yea
Bloom — Yea
Rodriguez — Yea
Santiago — Yea
Obernolte — Yea
Voepel — Yea
Chiu — Yea
Gray — Yea
Holden — Yea
Daly — Yea
Eggman — Yea
Maienschein — Yea
Jones-Sawyer — Yea
Quirk — Yea
Mullin — Yea
Friedman — Yea
Ting — Yea
Kamlager-Dove — Yea
Levine — Yea
Melendez — Yea
McCarty — Yea
Low — Yea
Nazarian — Yea
Burke — Yea
Cooper — Yea
Wood — Yea
Medina — Yea
Rendon — Yea
Chu — Yea
O'Donnell — Yea
Weber — Yea
Waldron — Yea
Kiley — Not Voting
Frazier — Not Voting
Cooley — Not Voting
Cristina Garcia — Yea
Eduardo Garcia — Not Voting
Mark Stone — Yea
Aguiar-Curry, Cecilia M. Democratic Yea
Arambula, Joaquin Democratic Yea
Bauer-Kahan, Rebecca Democratic Yea
Berman, Marc Democratic Yea
Boerner, Tasha Democratic Yea
Bonta, Mia Democratic Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Carrillo, Juan Democratic Yea
Cervantes, Sabrina Democratic Yea
Fong, Mike Democratic Yea
Gabriel, Jesse Democratic Yea
Gipson, Mike A. Democratic Yea
Grayson, Timothy S. Democratic Yea
Irwin, Jacqui Democratic Yea
Kalra, Ash Democratic Yea
Limón, Monique Democratic Yea
Muratsuchi, Al Democratic Yea
Petrie-Norris, Cottie Democratic Yea
Quirk-Silva, Sharon Democratic Yea
Ramos, James C. Democratic Yea
Reyes, Eloise Gómez Democratic Yea
Rivas, Robert Democratic Yea
Rivas, Robert Democratic Yea
Rubio, Blanca E. Democratic Yea
Wicks, Buffy Democratic Yea
Chen, Phillip Republican Yea
Choi, Steven S. Republican Yea
Dahle, Megan Republican Yea
Flora, Heath Republican Not Voting
Gallagher, James Republican Yea
Lackey, Tom Republican Yea
Patterson, Joe Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Do pass as amended.

Passed 18 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 7000
Unaffiliated 11000
Total 18000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (18)
Member Party Vote
Bloom — Yea
Brough — Yea
Obernolte — Yea
Maienschein — Yea
Bigelow — Yea
Quirk — Yea
Eggman — Yea
Gonzalez — Yea
Diep — Yea
Chau — Yea
Eduardo Garcia — Yea
Bonta, Mia Democratic Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Carrillo, Juan Democratic Yea
Fong, Mike Democratic Yea
Gabriel, Jesse Democratic Yea
Petrie-Norris, Cottie Democratic Yea
Rivas, Robert Democratic Yea

Official roll call →

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

Passed 14 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 9000
Democratic 5000
Republican 0001
Total 14001
% of votes cast 93%0%0%7%
How each member voted (15)
Member Party Vote
Burke — Yea
Wood — Yea
Rodriguez — Yea
Santiago — Yea
Mayes — Yea
Bigelow — Yea
McCarty — Yea
Waldron — Yea
Nazarian — Yea
Aguiar-Curry, Cecilia M. Democratic Yea
Bonta, Mia Democratic Yea
Carrillo, Juan Democratic Yea
Limón, Monique Democratic Yea
Ramos, James C. Democratic Yea
Flora, Heath Republican Not Voting

Official roll call →

Subjects

healthcare health-insurance
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Frequently asked questions

What does AB 744 do?
Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Under existing law, face-to-face contact between a health care provider and a patient is not required under the Medi-Cal program for teleophthalmology, teledermatology, and teledentistry by store and forward. Existing law requires a Medi-Cal patient receiving teleophthalmology, teledermatology, or teledentistry by store and forward to be notified of the right to receive interactive communication with a distant specialist physician, optometrist, or dentist, and authorizes a patient to request that interactive communication. This bill would delete those interactive communication provisions, and would instead specify that face-to-face contact between a health care provider and a patient is not required under the Medi-Cal program for any health care services provided by store and forward. 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 provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law prohibits a health care service plan or health insurer from requiring that in-person contact occur between a health care provider and a patient, and from limiting the type of setting where services are provided, before payment is made for covered services provided appropriately through telehealth services. This bill would require a contract issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2021, between a health care service plan and a health care provider for the provision of health care services to an enrollee or subscriber, or a contract issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2021, between a health insurer and a health care provider for an alternative rate of payment to specify that the health care service plan or health insurer reimburse a health care provider for the diagnosis, consultation, or treatment of an enrollee, subscriber, insured, or policyholder appropriately delivered through telehealth services on the same basis and to the same extent that the health care service plan or health insurer is responsible for reimbursement for the same service through in-person diagnosis, consultation, or treatment. The bill would authorize a health care service plan or health insurer to offer a contract or policy containing a copayment or coinsurance requirement for a health care service delivered through telehealth services, subject to specified limitations. The bill would require telehealth services covered under a health care service plan contract or policy or health insurance issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2021, to be subject to the same deductible and annual or lifetime dollar maximum as for equivalent services that are not provided through telehealth. Because a willful violation of the bill's requirements relative to health care service plans would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 2290.5 of the Business and Professions Code proposed by AB 1519 to be operative only if this bill and AB 1519 are enacted and this bill is enacted last. 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.
Who sponsors AB 744?
AB 744 is sponsored by Aguiar-Curry, Cecilia M. (Democratic).
What is the current status of AB 744?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced February 19, 2019. Enacted.
Where can I track AB 744?
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