Wine Country Times

The California Health Committee has unanimously passed legislation aimed at improving health care coverage for residents across the state.

According to the legislation, Assembly Bill 32 aims to make new, more flexible regulations for the usage and reimbursement of telehealth services permanent under state law.

"Our #telehealth bill passed its first vote yesterday! Telehealth has been critical in providing health care during #COVID19," District 4 Assemblymember, Cecilia Aguiar-Curry said in a tweet.

Curry, who introduced the bill with fellow assembly member Robert Rivas, believes that making the telehealth rules and reimbursements more flexible will help enable California residents to receive quality health care.

"This bill ensures telehealth can continue, increasing access to health care services for all Californians," Curry said.

Curry also noted that telehealth would increase access to health care for more Californians in the most vulnerable communities.

The bill's legislative language reads as follows: "This bill would require health care services furnished by an enrolled clinic through telehealth to be reimbursed by Medi-Cal on the same basis, to the same extent, and at the same payment rate as those services are reimbursed if furnished in person."

Essentially, the bill would prevent the State Department of Health Care Services from limiting an enrolled clinic's ability to offer and be reimbursed for telehealth services, as well as requiring the department to keep the telehealth flexibilities in place indefinitely.

Additionally, the bill mandates the formation of an advisory board by the State Department of Health Care Services to provide guidance to the department on the implementation of a revised Medi-Cal telehealth policy that adheres to certain principles.

The bill also mandates that the department report its evaluations and recommendations to the relevant policy and fiscal committees of the Legislature by Oct. 31, 2024.