California 2021-2022 Regular Session Status: Enacted 2 D cosponsors

SB 221 — Health care coverage: timely access to care.

Last action — Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 724, Statutes of 2021.

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

This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 13, 2021. Enacted.

Prognosis

Likely to advance 82% · 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.

  • 6 sponsors

    1 primary, 5 co-sponsors signed on.

  • Single-party support

    Sponsorship is currently within one party (2 D).

  • Cleared a recorded vote

    Passed 10 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, 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. Existing law also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires each department to develop and adopt regulations to ensure that enrollees and insureds have access to needed health care services in a timely manner. Under existing law, a Medi-Cal managed care plan is required to comply with timely access standards developed by the department. Existing regulations require a health care service plan or an insurer to ensure that their contracted provider networks have adequate capacity and availability of licensed health care providers to offer enrollees and insureds appointments that meet specified timeframes. Existing regulations require a health care service plan or an insurer to ensure that for an enrollee requesting a nonurgent appointment with a nonphysician mental health care provider, or an insured requesting a nonurgent appointment with a nonphysician mental health care or substance use disorder provider, appointments are offered within 10 business days of the request for an appointment. Existing regulations also authorize appointments for preventive care services and periodic followup care, including periodic office visits to monitor and treat mental health or substance use disorder conditions, as specified, to be scheduled in advance consistent with professionally recognized standards of practice as determined by the treating licensed health care provider acting within the provider's scope of practice. These regulations of the Department of Managed Health Care are limited in application to mental health care providers, while those regulations of the Department of Insurance are applicable to both mental health care and substance use disorder providers. This bill would codify the regulations adopted by the Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Insurance to provide timely access standards for health care service plans and insurers for nonemergency health care services. The bill would require both a health care service plan and a health insurer, including a Medi-Cal Managed Care Plan, to ensure that appointments with nonphysician mental health and substance use disorder providers are subject to the timely access requirements, as specified. The bill would additionally require, commencing July 1, 2022, a health care service plan and a health insurer, including a Medi-Cal Managed Care Plan, to ensure that an enrollee or insured that is undergoing a course of treatment for an ongoing mental health or substance use disorder condition is able to get a followup appointment with a nonphysician mental health care or substance use disorder provider within 10 business days of the prior appointment. The bill would require that a referral to a specialist by another provider meet the timely access standards. If a health care service plan is operating in a service area that has a shortage of providers and the plan is not able to meet the geographic and timely access standards for providing mental health or substance use disorder services with an in-network provider, the bill would require the plan, including a Medi-Cal Managed Care Plan, to arrange coverage outside the plan's contracted network. By imposing new requirements on health care service plans, the willful violation of which 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.

Bill Text

Action History

  1. Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 724, Statutes of 2021.

  2. Approved by the Governor.

  3. Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2:30 p.m.

  4. Assembly amendments concurred in. (Ayes 35. Noes 1. Page 2546.) Ordered to engrossing and enrolling.

  5. In Senate. Concurrence in Assembly amendments pending.

  6. Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 76. Noes 0. Page 2884.) Ordered to the Senate.

  7. Ordered to third reading.

  8. Read third time and amended.

  9. Ordered to third reading.

  10. Read third time and amended.

  11. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

  12. From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 16. Noes 0.) (August 26).

  13. August 19 set for first hearing. Placed on suspense file.

  14. From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (July 6). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

  15. From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.

  16. Referred to Com. on HEALTH.

  17. In Assembly. Read first time. Held at Desk.

  18. Read third time. Passed. (Ayes 32. Noes 7. Page 1318.) Ordered to the Assembly.

  19. Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

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

  21. From committee: Do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 2. Page 1183.) (May 20).

  22. Set for hearing May 20.

  23. May 3 hearing: Placed on APPR suspense file.

  24. Set for hearing May 3.

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

  26. From committee: Do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 0. Page 532.) (March 17).

  27. From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.

  28. Set for hearing March 17.

  29. Referred to Com. on HEALTH.

  30. From printer. May be acted upon on or after February 13.

  31. Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.

Sponsors

Sponsorship breakdown

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1 sponsors · 5 co-sponsors · 116 not signed on · 4 voted No

Sponsors (1)

Co-sponsors (5)

Not signed on (116)

116 members have not signed on to this bill.

Show all 116 →

"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

Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]

Passed 7 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Republican 2000
Unaffiliated 2000
Democratic 3001
Total 7001
% of votes cast 88%0%0%13%
How each member voted (8)
Member Party Vote
Glazer — Yea
Skinner — Yea
Blakespear, Catherine S. Democratic Not Voting
Caballero, Anna M. Democratic Yea
Durazo, Maria Elena Democratic Yea
Wiener, Scott D. Democratic Yea
Dahle, Megan Republican Yea
Seyarto, Kelly Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Unfinished Business SB221 Wiener et al. Concurrence

Passed 35 Yea · 1 Nay · 4 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 12001
Unaffiliated 21002
Republican 2101
Total 35104
% of votes cast 88%3%0%10%
How each member voted (40)
Member Party Vote
Borgeas — Yea
Bradford — Yea
Portantino — Yea
Newman — Yea
Dodd — Yea
Melendez — Yea
Kamlager — Yea
Min — Yea
Hueso — Yea
Roth — Yea
Bates — Yea
Rubio — Yea
Skinner — Yea
Hertzberg — Yea
Wieckowski — Yea
Gonzalez — Yea
Pan — Yea
Leyva — Yea
Atkins — Yea
Glazer — Yea
Wilk — Yea
Eggman — Not Voting
Nielsen — Not Voting
Allen, Benjamin Democratic Yea
Archuleta, Bob Democratic Yea
Becker, Josh Democratic Yea
Caballero, Anna M. Democratic Yea
Cortese, Dave Democratic Yea
Durazo, Maria Elena Democratic Yea
Hurtado, Melissa Democratic Yea
Laird, John Democratic Yea
Limón, Monique Democratic Yea
McGuire, Mike Democratic Yea
Stern, Henry I. Democratic Not Voting
Umberg, Thomas J. Democratic Yea
Wiener, Scott D. Democratic Yea
Dahle, Megan Republican Nay
Grove, Shannon Republican Not Voting
Jones, Brian W. Republican Yea
Ochoa Bogh, Rosilicie Republican Yea

Official roll call →

SB 221 Wiener Senate Third Reading By Waldron

Passed 76 Yea · 0 Nay · 4 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 42002
Democratic 27000
Republican 7002
Total 76004
% of votes cast 95%0%0%5%
How each member voted (80)
Member Party Vote
Ting — Yea
Wood — Yea
Low — Yea
Frazier — Yea
Levine — Yea
O'Donnell — Yea
Waldron — Yea
Daly — Yea
McCarty — Yea
Medina — Yea
Burke — Yea
Cunningham — Yea
Cooper — Yea
Chau — Yea
Gray — Not Voting
Smith — Not Voting
Bloom — Yea
Friedman — Yea
Voepel — Yea
Cooley — Yea
Mathis — Yea
Bigelow — Yea
Chiu — Yea
Rendon — Yea
Mullin — Yea
Holden — Yea
Villapudua — Yea
Salas — Yea
Jones-Sawyer — Yea
Santiago — Yea
Maienschein — Yea
Rodriguez — Yea
Quirk — Yea
Kiley — Yea
Mayes — Yea
Nazarian — Yea
Cristina Garcia — Yea
Eduardo Garcia — Yea
Jim Patterson — Yea
Lorena Gonzalez — Yea
Luz Rivas — Yea
Mark Stone — Yea
Vince Fong — Yea
Wendy Carrillo — Yea
Aguiar-Curry, Cecilia M. Democratic Yea
Arambula, Joaquin Democratic Yea
Bauer-Kahan, Rebecca Democratic Yea
Bennett, Steve Democratic Yea
Berman, Marc Democratic Yea
Boerner, Tasha Democratic Yea
Bonta, Mia Democratic Yea
Bryan, Isaac G. 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
Lee, Alex Democratic Yea
Muratsuchi, Al Democratic Yea
Nguyen, Stephanie 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
Ward, Christopher M. Democratic Yea
Weber Pierson, M.D., Akilah Democratic Yea
Wicks, Buffy Democratic Yea
Chen, Phillip Republican Yea
Choi, Steven S. Republican Not Voting
Dahle, Megan Republican Yea
Davies, Laurie Republican Yea
Flora, Heath Republican Yea
Gallagher, James Republican Yea
Lackey, Tom Republican Yea
Seyarto, Kelly Republican Not Voting
Valladares, Suzette Martinez Republican Yea

Official roll call →

Do pass.

Passed 16 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 8000
Democratic 6000
Republican 2000
Total 16000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (16)
Member Party Vote
Levine — Yea
Quirk — Yea
Bigelow — Yea
Chau — Yea
Eduardo Garcia — Yea
Lorena Gonzalez — Yea
Vince Fong — Yea
Wendy Carrillo — Yea
Bryan, Isaac G. Democratic Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Gabriel, Jesse Democratic Yea
Kalra, Ash Democratic Yea
Rivas, Robert Democratic Yea
Weber Pierson, M.D., Akilah Democratic Yea
Dahle, Megan Republican Yea
Davies, Laurie Republican Yea

Official roll call →

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

Passed 15 Yea · 0 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 11000
Democratic 3000
Republican 1000
Total 15000
% of votes cast 100%0%0%0%
How each member voted (15)
Member Party Vote
McCarty — Yea
Mayes — Yea
Bigelow — Yea
Wood — Yea
Waldron — Yea
Maienschein — Yea
Rodriguez — Yea
Santiago — Yea
Nazarian — Yea
Luz Rivas — Yea
Wendy Carrillo — Yea
Aguiar-Curry, Cecilia M. Democratic Yea
Arambula, Joaquin Democratic Yea
Calderon, Lisa Democratic Yea
Flora, Heath Republican Yea

Official roll call →

3rd Reading SB221 Wiener et al.

Passed 32 Yea · 7 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Democratic 13000
Unaffiliated 19301
Republican 0400
Total 32701
% of votes cast 80%18%0%3%
How each member voted (40)
Member Party Vote
Glazer — Yea
Roth — Yea
Eggman — Yea
Gonzalez — Yea
Portantino — Yea
Bradford — Yea
Min — Yea
Hertzberg — Yea
Skinner — Yea
Wieckowski — Yea
Leyva — Yea
Nielsen — Yea
Atkins — Yea
Newman — Yea
Hueso — Yea
Kamlager — Yea
Pan — Yea
Rubio — Yea
Dodd — Yea
Bates — Nay
Wilk — Nay
Melendez — Nay
Borgeas — Not Voting
Allen, Benjamin Democratic Yea
Archuleta, Bob Democratic Yea
Becker, Josh Democratic Yea
Caballero, Anna M. Democratic Yea
Cortese, Dave Democratic Yea
Durazo, Maria Elena Democratic Yea
Hurtado, Melissa Democratic Yea
Laird, John Democratic Yea
Limón, Monique Democratic Yea
McGuire, Mike Democratic Yea
Stern, Henry I. Democratic Yea
Umberg, Thomas J. Democratic Yea
Wiener, Scott D. Democratic Yea
Dahle, Megan Republican Nay
Grove, Shannon Republican Nay
Jones, Brian W. Republican Nay
Ochoa Bogh, Rosilicie Republican Nay

Official roll call →

Do pass as amended

Passed 5 Yea · 2 Nay
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 4100
Democratic 1000
Republican 0100
Total 5200
% of votes cast 71%29%0%0%
How each member voted (7)
Member Party Vote
Kamlager — Yea
Portantino — Yea
Bradford — Yea
Bates — Nay
Wieckowski — Yea
Laird, John Democratic Yea
Jones, Brian W. Republican Nay

Official roll call →

Placed on suspense file

Passed 6 Yea · 0 Nay · 1 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 4001
Republican 1000
Democratic 1000
Total 6001
% of votes cast 86%0%0%14%
How each member voted (7)
Member Party Vote
Portantino — Yea
Bradford — Yea
Wieckowski — Yea
Kamlager — Yea
Bates — Not Voting
Laird, John 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 9 Yea · 0 Nay · 2 Other
Party YeaNayPresentNot Voting
Unaffiliated 6001
Democratic 3000
Republican 0001
Total 9002
% of votes cast 82%0%0%18%
How each member voted (11)
Member Party Vote
Eggman — Yea
Rubio — Yea
Leyva — Yea
Gonzalez — Yea
Pan — Yea
Melendez — Not Voting
Roth — Yea
Hurtado, Melissa Democratic Yea
Limón, Monique Democratic Yea
Wiener, Scott D. Democratic Yea
Grove, Shannon Republican Not Voting

Official roll call →

Subjects

healthcare health-insurance
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Frequently asked questions

What does SB 221 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. Existing law also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires each department to develop and adopt regulations to ensure that enrollees and insureds have access to needed health care services in a timely manner. Under existing law, a Medi-Cal managed care plan is required to comply with timely access standards developed by the department. Existing regulations require a health care service plan or an insurer to ensure that their contracted provider networks have adequate capacity and availability of licensed health care providers to offer enrollees and insureds appointments that meet specified timeframes. Existing regulations require a health care service plan or an insurer to ensure that for an enrollee requesting a nonurgent appointment with a nonphysician mental health care provider, or an insured requesting a nonurgent appointment with a nonphysician mental health care or substance use disorder provider, appointments are offered within 10 business days of the request for an appointment. Existing regulations also authorize appointments for preventive care services and periodic followup care, including periodic office visits to monitor and treat mental health or substance use disorder conditions, as specified, to be scheduled in advance consistent with professionally recognized standards of practice as determined by the treating licensed health care provider acting within the provider's scope of practice. These regulations of the Department of Managed Health Care are limited in application to mental health care providers, while those regulations of the Department of Insurance are applicable to both mental health care and substance use disorder providers. This bill would codify the regulations adopted by the Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Insurance to provide timely access standards for health care service plans and insurers for nonemergency health care services. The bill would require both a health care service plan and a health insurer, including a Medi-Cal Managed Care Plan, to ensure that appointments with nonphysician mental health and substance use disorder providers are subject to the timely access requirements, as specified. The bill would additionally require, commencing July 1, 2022, a health care service plan and a health insurer, including a Medi-Cal Managed Care Plan, to ensure that an enrollee or insured that is undergoing a course of treatment for an ongoing mental health or substance use disorder condition is able to get a followup appointment with a nonphysician mental health care or substance use disorder provider within 10 business days of the prior appointment. The bill would require that a referral to a specialist by another provider meet the timely access standards. If a health care service plan is operating in a service area that has a shortage of providers and the plan is not able to meet the geographic and timely access standards for providing mental health or substance use disorder services with an in-network provider, the bill would require the plan, including a Medi-Cal Managed Care Plan, to arrange coverage outside the plan's contracted network. By imposing new requirements on health care service plans, the willful violation of which 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.
Who sponsors SB 221?
SB 221 is sponsored by Wiener, Scott D. (Democratic), Leyva, Kamlager, Newman, Arambula, Joaquin (Democratic), and Waldron.
What is the current status of SB 221?
This bill has been enacted into law. Introduced January 13, 2021. Enacted.
Where can I track SB 221?
Track SB 221 free on One Click Politics — get push/email alerts when it moves.

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