CaliforniaHealth care coverage: portable HEPA purifiers.
What it does
Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act's requirements a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law sets forth specified coverage requirements for plan contracts and insurance policies, and limits the copayment, coinsurance, deductible, and other cost sharing that may be imposed for specified health care services.
More detail
This bill would require a large group health care service plan contract or large group health insurance policy, except a specialized health care service plan contract or health insurance policy, that is issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, to include coverage for one portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) purifier for an enrollee or insured who is pregnant or diagnosed with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease if the enrollee or insured is residing in or displaced from a county where a local or state emergency has been declared due to wildfires and the HEPA purifier is prescribed by the enrollee's or insured's health care provider. The bill would prohibit the cost of the HEPA purifier from exceeding $500, adjusted for inflation, as specified.
Because a willful violation of these provisions by a health care service plan would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Where do you stand?
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Where it stands
- Introduced
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Looking ahead
No hearings or votes scheduled.
History
- 2026
- Jan 22Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file.Latest
- 2025
- Oct 13Consideration of Governor's veto pending.
- Oct 13Vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom.Major
- Sep 16Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.To Governor
- Sep 9Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 67. Noes 0. Page 3107.).Major
- Vote recorded AB 546 Caloza Concurrence in Senate Amendments. Result: pass.Lower
- Sep 8In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
- Vote recorded 3rd Reading AB546 Caloza et al. By Limón Urgency Clause. Result: pass.Upper
- Sep 8Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 29. Noes 3. Page 2623.).Passed Senate
- Sep 4Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Sep 3Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.Major
- Sep 2Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- Aug 29Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.Major
- Vote recorded Do pass as amended. Result: pass.Upper
- Aug 29From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (August 29).Major
- Aug 18In committee: Referred to suspense file.Minor
- Vote recorded Placed on suspense file. Result: pass.Upper
- Jul 7Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Major
- Jul 3From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (July 2).Major
- Jul 2
- Vote recorded Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations]. Result: pass.Upper
- Jun 4Referred to Com. on HEALTH.Minor
- May 28In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.Minor
- May 27Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 67. Noes 0. Page 1735.).Passed Assembly
- Vote recorded AB 546 Caloza Third Reading Urgency. Result: pass.Lower
- May 22Read second time. Ordered to third reading.Minor
- May 21From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (May 21).Minor
- Vote recorded Do pass. Result: pass.Lower
- May 14In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
- May 5Re-referred to Com. on APPR.Minor
- May 1Read second time and amended.Major
- Apr 30From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (April 29).Major
- Apr 29
- Vote recorded Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]. Result: pass.Lower
- Feb 24Referred to Com. on HEALTH.Minor
- Feb 12From printer. May be heard in committee March 14.
- Feb 11Read first time. To print.Introduced