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CA Governor Signs Some Health Bills, Vetoes Others, Including Mental Health Parity Expansion

The week of October 11, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) signed AB 119, prohibiting California health insurers from charging different premiums based on gender, and AB 108, preventing health insurers from canceling policies after they have been in effect for 24 months. In addition, Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed AB 2, AB 98, and AB 244. AB 2 would have created an independent review process for insurers seeking to rescind coverage or alter medical underwriting requirements, and limited insurer rescissions to instances where enrollees willfully misrepresented themselves. AB 98 would have required all individual insurance policies to cover maternity services, and AB 244 would have expanded mental health parity.

Wisconsin Legislators Propose Bill Requiring MH/SU Parity for Small Group Health Plans

On October 7, Senator Dave Hansen (D) and Representative Sandy Pasch (D) proposed the Wisconsin Mental Health and Substance Abuse Parity Act. The proposed legislation would expand the coverage guaranteed under the Federal Wellstone-Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008, which does not mandate mental health/substance use (MH/SU) coverage but requires that all employer-sponsored group health plans with 51 or more employees that offer MH/SU coverage to do so on an equal basis with general health care. Wisconsin’s law would require the same parity between MH/SU and general health care coverage from small employer plans. The Wisconsin Legislature will likely not take up the issue until the spring; however, Representative Pasch believes that the bill has a good chance of passing with bipartisan support.

Brief Examines Maryland’s Effort To Use Income Tax Data To Target Children Eligible for Medicaid and CHIP

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation released a brief examining the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s program to use state tax return data to target children eligible for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Medicaid. After passage of the Kids First Act, Maryland officials were able to identify and enroll 27 percent of the state’s 1.4 million eligible children by utilizing state tax return data. The brief also examines lessons learned from the Maryland program that may be applicable to other states.

An Arizona Mayo Clinic Unit No Longer Accepting Medicare

Beginning January 1, the Mayo Clinic Family Medicine-Arrowhead will no longer accept Medicare for primary care services. The program, which Mayo officials are calling a 2-year pilot, will only affect the 3,000 Medicare patients at the Arrowhead location. The pilot comes as Medicare rates have been stagnant for more than 10 years, while costs have increased 4 to 8 percent annually.

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