Bill Text: CA AB505 | 2013-2014 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Medi-Cal: managed care: language assistance services.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2014-09-29 - Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 788, Statutes of 2014. [AB505 Detail]

Download: California-2013-AB505-Amended.html

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BILL NUMBER: AB 505	AMENDED
	BILL TEXT

	AMENDED IN SENATE  MAY 19, 2014
	AMENDED IN SENATE  JUNE 19, 2013
	AMENDED IN SENATE  JUNE 14, 2013
	AMENDED IN SENATE  JUNE 4, 2013
	AMENDED IN ASSEMBLY  APRIL 17, 2013

INTRODUCED BY   Assembly Member Nazarian

                        FEBRUARY 20, 2013

   An act to add Section 14029.91 to the Welfare and Institutions
Code, relating to Medi-Cal.


	LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST


   AB 505, as amended, Nazarian. Medi-Cal: managed care: language
assistance services.
   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, one of the methods
by which Medi-Cal services are provided is pursuant to contracts with
various types of managed care plans.
   This bill would require the department to require all managed care
plans contracting with the department to provide Medi-Cal services,
except as specified, to provide language assistance services, which
includes oral interpretation and translation services, to
limited-English-proficient Medi-Cal beneficiaries, as defined. The
bill would require the department to determine when a
limited-English-proficient population meets the requirement for
translation services, as prescribed.
   Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes.
State-mandated local program: no.


THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

  SECTION 1.  Section 14029.91 is added to the Welfare and
Institutions Code, to read:
   14029.91.  (a) The department shall require all managed care plans
contracting with the department to provide Medi-Cal services to
provide language assistance services to limited-English-proficient
(LEP) Medi-Cal beneficiaries who are mandatorily enrolled in managed
care in the following manner:
   (1) Oral interpretation services shall be provided in any language
on a 24-hour basis at key points of contact.
   (2) Translation services shall be provided to the language groups
identified by the department.
   (b) The department shall determine when an LEP population meets
the requirement for translation services using one of the following
numeric thresholds:
   (1) A population group of  3,000   at least
3,000 or 5 percent of the beneficiary population, whichever is fewer,
mandatory  Medi-Cal beneficiaries  who are mandatorily
enrolled in managed care  , residing in the service area,
who indicate their primary language as other than English.
   (2) A population group of  mandatory  Medi-Cal
beneficiaries  who are mandatorily enrolled in managed care
 , residing in the service area, who indicate their primary
language as other than English, and that meet a concentration
standard of 1,000 beneficiaries in a single ZIP Code or 1,500
beneficiaries in two contiguous ZIP Codes.
   (c) The department shall make this determination if any of the
following occurs:
   (1) A nonmanaged care county becomes a new managed care county.
   (2) A new population group becomes a mandatory Medi-Cal managed
care beneficiary population.
   (3) A period of three years has passed since the last
determination.
   (d) The department shall instruct managed care plans, by means of
incorporating the requirement into plan contracts, all-plan letters,
or similar instructions, of the language groups that meet the numeric
thresholds.
   (e) For purposes of this section, a person is
"limited-English-proficient" if he or she speaks English less than
very well.
   (f) This section shall not apply to mental health plans
contracting with the department pursuant to Section 14712.