AB 692

Current law defines a health insurance mandate as a statute that requires an

insurance policy to do any of four things: 1) permit a person to obtain treatment or

services from a particular type of health care provider; 2) provide coverage for the

treatment of a particular disease or condition; 3) provide coverage of a particular type

of health care treatment or service, including particular drugs, supplies, or

equipment; and 4) provide coverage for a particular type of person based on the

person's relationship to the insured. Current law requires that, if any bill contains

a health insurance mandate affecting an insurance policy, plan, or contract, the

Commissioner of Insurance (commissioner) must submit to the presiding officer of

the house in which the bill is introduced a report on the social and financial impact

of the mandate. Current law provides that the presiding officer may require that the

report be printed and distributed as are amendments, but current law does not

specify a time by which the report must be submitted.

This bill requires that the commissioner submit a report if any amendment, as

well as any bill, contains a health insurance mandate. The commissioner may,

however, decide not to prepare a report and submit a written statement that explains

the reason for not preparing a report. In that case, the chairperson of a committee

to which the bill has been referred, the presiding officer of either house, or any other

member of the legislature may request that the commissioner submit a report

instead. The report or statement is printed as an appendix to the bill or amendment

and distributed to the members of the legislature, and made available to the public,

before any public hearing is held on the bill or amendment by a committee or before

any vote is taken on the bill or amendment by either house of the legislature.