Several Healthcare Laws Take Effect

California has enacted a variety of new healthcare related to ring in 2013. Many regulate insurance in anticipation of the rollout of major provisions of the Affordable Care Act in the coming months.

One of the most significant bills is AB 1470. It creates a new agency, the California Department of State Hospitals. It transfer the jurisdiction of state mental health facilities to this new agency from the California Department of Mental Health.  The California Department of Health Care Services will also have some regulatory authority over the state's mental healthcare facilities. It also limits the period of time county jails can provide mental healthcare services to those facing criminal charges but may have been adjudged mentally incompetent to stand trial.

Other significant laws include:

• AB 1761 prohibits any individual or business to represent themselves as affiliated with the California Health Benefit Exchange without prior consent of exchange officials or a valid contract in place.

• AB 999 provides some premium cost controls for long-term healthcare insurance policies.

• AB 2303 gives authority to the California Insurance Commissioner to take over any carrier deemed insolvent by the U.S. Treasury Department.

• AB 1453 mandates healthcare insurance coverage adheres to ACA guidelines.

• AB 137 compels insurers to pay for mammographies if the patient is referred by a nurse practitioner or other non-physician healthcare professionals.

• AB 377 allows hospital networks to operate a central compounding pharmacy for up to two facilities if they are within 75 miles of one another.

• AB 439 reduces the liability of parties who breach confidential patient information if they can prove they provided notification of the breach in a timely manner and had taken proper steps to secure it in the first place.