April 5, 2019 Edition
This week, the
California Legislature maintained a swift pace of committee hearings, bill
negotiations, and amendments. The Legislature will begin its 10-day Spring
Recess upon the adjournment of session next Thursday, April 11. Upon their
return on April 22, legislators will have limited time to move bills along the
legislative process before meeting deadlines. All policy committees must hear
and report all fiscal measures in their house of origin by Friday, April 26.
One week later, all non-fiscal bills must be heard and reported by policy
committees in their house of origin.
Given the
upcoming recess and bill deadlines, the next several weeks in Sacramento are
expected to be particularly busy. Below, we highlight activities on several
bills of interest to CHEAC Members. Our full CHEAC Weekly Bill Chart is available
here.
Drug & Alcohol Services
AB
1031 (Nazarian) as amended March 25, 2019 – SUPPORT
Assembly Member
Adrin Nazarian’s AB 1031 would establish the Youth Substance Use Disorder
Treatment and Recovery Program Act and direct DHCS, in collaboration with
counties and SUD service providers, to establish regulations governing
community-based nonresidential and residential treatment and recovery programs
for those under 21 years of age. AB 1031 was heard in the Assembly Health
Committee on Tuesday and unanimously advanced to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee.
Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
AB
1544 (Gipson) as introduced
on February 22, 2019 – OPPOSE UNLESS AMENDED
AB 1544 by
Assembly Member Mike Gipson would enact the Community Paramedicine or Triage to
Alternate Destination Act to allow local emergency medical services agencies (LEMSAs)
to develop local community paramedicine programs including short-term post
discharge follow-up, case management services to frequent EMS service users,
and alternate transport of patients to behavioral health facilities or sobering
centers. The measure also requires LEMSAs to use or establish local emergency
medical care committees (EMCCs) and establishes the Community Paramedicine Medical
Oversight Committee to advise the EMS authority on and to approve minimum
medical protocols for all community paramedicine programs. The bill requires a
LEMSA to provide a right of first refusal to every public agency that is located
within its jurisdiction to provide community paramedicine program specialties
prior to offering to private EMS providers. The measure is up for hearing in the
Assembly Health Committee next Tuesday. CSAC, RCRC, UCC, CHEAC, EMSAAC, and
EMDAC are all in oppose unless amended positions.
SB
438 (Hertzberg) as amended March 25, 2019 – OPPOSE
SB 438 by
Senator Robert Hertzberg was a recently amended measure to restrict the use of
non-governmental-operated public safety answering points (PSAPs), including
9-1-1 EMS dispatching centers. The measure would circumvent existing oversight
activities of local emergency medical service agency (LEMSA) medical directors to
ensure the appropriate deployment and use of EMS resources. SB 438 is up for
hearing next Wednesday in the Senate Governance & Finance Committee. CSAC,
RCRC, UCC, CHEAC, EMSAAC, and EMDAC are all opposed to the measure.
Health Coverage/Health Care Reform
AB
715 (Wood) as corrected March 21, 2019 – SUPPORT
Assembly Member
Jim Wood’s AB 715 would increase income eligibility for the Medi-Cal Aged and
Disabled Program up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) by
disregarding specified countable income over 100 percent FPL and up to 138
percent FPL. The measure was unanimously advanced on Tuesday from the Assembly
Health Committee to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
AB
1088 (Wood) as introduced February 21, 2019 – SUPPORT
AB 1088 by
Assembly Member Jim Wood would extend Medi-Cal eligibility without a share of
cost for seniors or disabled individuals who would otherwise be eligible if not
for the state buy-in of their Medicare Part B premiums. The measure was
unanimously advanced on Tuesday by the Assembly Health Committee to the
Assembly Appropriations Committee.
SB
207 (Hurtado) as amended March 20, 2019 – SUPPORT
Senator Melissa
Hurtado’s SB 207 would require asthma preventive services to be included as a
Medi-Cal covered benefit. The measure would also require DHCS to approve
accrediting bodies with expertise in asthma to review and approve training curricula
for asthma preventive services. The measure was advanced from the Senate Health
Committee to the Senate Appropriations Committee on an 8-0 vote with one member
not voting.
This week, the
California State Association of Counties (CSAC) and 35 cities and counties
throughout the country filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for
the Fifth Circuit for the case State of
Texas v. United States, which may determine the future of the Affordable
Care Act (ACA).
Recall, in
December 2018, Texas Federal District Court Judge Reed O’Connor struck
down the ACA on the
grounds that the individual health insurance mandate was unconstitutional and
the remaining ACA provisions could not stand without the individual mandate.
California, along with other states, swiftly filed a motion, ultimately
resulting in Judge O’Connor issuing
a stay on his
order, allowing the ACA to stand while litigation moves forward. Last week, the
Trump Administration reversed course and formally
requested the
federal court to strike down the ACA in its entirety.
The amicus
brief filed by CSAC and other local jurisdictions explains the critical
importance of the ACA in reducing local government indigent health care costs
and enabling local governments to provide better care and services. The brief
further describes how unwinding the ACA would lead to catastrophic health care
costs, chaos, and disruption for residents, jurisdictions, and the entire
health system.
Judge
O’Connor’s ruling invalidating the entire ACA remains on a temporary hold while
the matter is considered by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in
New Orleans. Further developments on the case are expected over the coming
months.
On Tuesday,
California Surgeon General Nadine Burke Harris launched a statewide listening
tour to raise awareness about the connections between adverse childhood
experiences (ACEs), toxic stress, and serious health conditions. In her first
appearance at the Fruit Ridge Community Collaborative in Sacramento, Burke
Harris discussed her priorities as California’s first state surgeon general,
including raising awareness and educating residents about ACEs, such as
emotional abuse or domestic violence, and its nexus with major chronic health
conditions, such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease.
Burke Harris
engaged with community leaders, including those from First 5 Sacramento,
educators, service providers, and residents, to discuss the community’s
health-related priorities and challenges and to underscore the importance of
early interventions in improving health and wellbeing outcomes. To better learn
about and listen to the unique challenges facing communities in various regions
throughout the state, the surgeon general’s listening tour will include stops
in Alameda, Butte, Fresno, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties.
The listening
tour, according to Burke Harris, will bring together stakeholders, residents,
and community leaders to determine strategies for addressing root causes of
serious health conditions and health disparities, as well as how the Office of
the Surgeon General can support communities in prevention and treatment
activities. The press release from the California Health and Human Services
Agency (CHHS) is available
here.
This week, the
California Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the California Emergency
Medical Services Authority (EMSA) released resources and materials for the 2019
Statewide Medical and Health Exercise Program. The materials include templates
for this year’s exercise, slated to occur November 18-22, and feature
discipline-specified objectives, scenarios, situation manuals, and other
important materials. The resources, as well as other information on the
exercise, are available
here.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently launched a new round of media materials from the Tips From Former Smokers, offering a powerful and compelling view into the health consequences of tobacco use. The new media materials include advertisements on national network and cable television, in magazines, and online. The advertisements feature new stories about the impact of smoking on Tips participants and their loved ones and detail smoking-related conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, heart disease, and more.
The
advertisement series began airing on Monday and will run through early October.
As part of the campaign, free resources for public
health professionals
are available to assist in education and awareness about the dangers of
cigarette smoking. New materials are available from the Tips download
center and include
video, audio, print, and digital mediums. Additional information on the CDC Tips From Former Smokers campaign is available
here.
The National
Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) invites local health
department leaders and staff to apply to its advisory workgroups to assist in
informing and guiding NACCHO programming and projects. The advisory groups are
utilized as a primary and recognized vehicle for identifying opportunities and
challenges facing LHDs throughout the country, as well as the field of public
health. NACCHO has a variety of workgroups spanning a wide array of public
health subject matters, including community health, public health preparedness,
environmental health, and public health infrastructure.
Applications to
participate in NACCHO workgroups are due April 22. Descriptions of the
workgroups are available
here and
applications may be accessed
here.
ChangeLab
Solutions recently released “A Blueprint for Changemakers: Achieving Health
Equity Through Law & Policy,” a technical guidance document that provides
an overview of a novel approach to reducing health inequities. Through legal
and policy strategies for policymakers, public health practitioners, and
community members, the blueprint is intended to support jurisdictions in
dismantling systemic barriers to health, collaboratively establishing policies
and laws that benefit children and families, and promoting health equity.
The report
details five fundamental drivers of health inequity, which include:
- Structural
Discrimination
- Income
Inequality and Poverty
- Disparities
in Opportunity
- Disparities
in Political Power
- Governance
That Limits Meaningful Participation
Through a
variety of community-driven principles, the report discusses how local
jurisdictions can ensure that laws and policies lead to equitable outcomes in
health and wellbeing among residents. Those principles include, among other
activities, using place-based strategies, improving access to healthcare, and
promoting early childhood development.
The full
ChangeLab Solutions blueprint is available
here.