Existing federal law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) , requires each state to establish an American Health Benefit Exchange to facilitate the purchase of qualified health benefit plans by qualified individuals and qualified small employers. Existing state law creates the California Health Benefit Exchange, also known as Covered California, to facilitate the enrollment of qualified individuals and qualified small employers in qualified health plans as required under PPACA. Existing law requires the Exchange to apply to the United States Department of Health and Human Services for a waiver to allow individuals who are not eligible to obtain health coverage through the Exchange because of their immigration status to obtain coverage from the Exchange, by waiving the requirement that the Exchange offer only qualified health plans solely for the purpose of offering coverage to persons otherwise not able to obtain coverage by reason of immigration status. Existing law limits the waiver of that requirement to requiring the Exchange to offer only "California qualified health plans," as specified, to those individuals. Existing law requires an issuer that offers a qualified health plan in the individual market through the Exchange to concurrently offer a California qualified health plan that meets prescribed criteria.
This bill would revise those provisions by deleting the requirement that limits coverage for the described individuals to the California qualified health plans. Contingent upon federal approval of the waiver, specified requirements for applicants eligible for the coverage described in the bill would become operative on January 1, 2025, for coverage effective for qualified health plans beginning January 1, 2026.

Statutes affected:
03/09/23 - Amended Assembly: 100522 GOV