Prohibits approved providers of child health insurance coverage from discriminating against health care providers not participating in the insurer's network

Showing the cosponsors who are on Agora, A to Z. The official record may list more.

• Democratic4

Shown in neutral colors by design; Agora is non-partisan.

◆ The sponsor's argument

Why Luis R. Sepúlveda says this is needed

Child Health Plus is a publicly funded insurance assistance program intended to meet the health needs of children who have limited or no health insurance. The program is administered by insurance companies which may also include commercial health maintenance organization (HMO) programs. Some insurance companies that administer Child Health Plus are using the state-funded Child Health Plus program as bait for their commercial, profit-making activities. These companies are forcing health care providers who want to serve uninsured children through the Child Health Plus program to participate in the insurer's commercial HMO. Doctors who refuse to join the commercial HMO are denied the opportunity to provide state-funded health care to uninsured children. This bill would prohibit the discriminatory practice by health insurance compa- nies. Under the bill, doctors who want to serve uninsured children through the Child Health Plus program would be able to do so without being forced to participate in a commercial HMO. As a result, families of uninsured children would have better access to health care through a greater choice of pediatricians and other health care providers.

This is the sponsor's own case for the bill, quoted from their memorandum. It is not Agora's description of what the bill does.