Health-related bills signed into California law will take effect on January 1 and directly impact Californians in 2025. Numerous bills are passed yearly.
The California Coalition for Chronic Care annually reviews proposed draft laws to make sure patients' voices are heard and their needs are taken under consideration. These five bills passed could have the best impact on California patients with chronic and rare diseases.
1. AB 2258 (Zbur) – Health insurance: cost sharing
This bill codifies federal guidelines that require health plans and health insurers to cover services essential to providing really useful preventive services without incurring out-of-pocket costs. Under AB 2258, patients can expect a reduced financial burden because health plans are prohibited from adding cost-sharing for services related to preventive services and screenings which can be considered critical under the California Code.
2. AB 2613 (Zbur) – Advisory Board for Rare Diseases
This bill establishes the Jacqueline Marie Zbur Rare Disease Advisory Board to extend patient access to rare disease services by developing recommendations, applying for grants, and advocating for people with rare diseases.
3. SB 729 (Menjivar) – Health insurance: InferClity diagnosis and treatment
This bill expands health care coverage by requiring insurance providers to cover infertility diagnosis and services, ensuring comprehensive treatment for people affected by infertility.
4. SB 1061 (Limón) – Medical Debt
This bill prohibits health care providers from reporting patients' medical debt to credit reporting agencies, thereby providing relief to individuals burdened by medical expenses.
5. AB 1842 (Reyes) – MedicaCon-assisted treatment
Hundreds of bills are passed every year in California which have the potential to affect access to health care, treatment, and insurance coverage.
“The California Chronic Care Coalition monitors proposed bills and decides which ones will have a positive impact on people with chronic illnesses. However, it is important for everyone to review their health plan annually to ensure that their providers, medications and other treatments remain available and that they understand how to include associated fees and cost-sharing in their plan,” explained President and CEO Liz Helms. “In the coming year, we will review the proposed bills and work with member advocates, legislators and others to advance the interests and concerns of California patients.”
These bills don’t represent a representative sample of the big variety of bills passed in 2024, but CCCC believes they could have probably the most significant impact on Californians facing ongoing and long-term treatment.
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