Existing law requests the University of California to establish the California Health Benefit Review Program (CHBRP) to assess legislation proposing to mandate a health care benefit or service or repeal a mandated benefit or service and to prepare a written analysis. Existing law authorizes an appropriate policy or fiscal committee chairperson, the Speaker of the Assembly, or the President pro Tempore of the Senate to request that written analysis. Under existing law, a written analysis is requested to be provided to the Legislature not later than 60 days after a request for analysis is made. Existing law establishes the Health Care Benefits Fund, funded by an annual fee on health care service plans and health insurers, to support the University of California and CHBRP.

This bill would request the University of California to establish the Health Mandates Review Program to assess legislation proposing to mandate new or additional services or activities for a designated provider, beginning no later than January 1, 2028. The bill would require the appropriate policy or fiscal committee within the legislation’s house of origin to request the program to assess legislation if the legislation is expected to affect the operations of a majority of the state’s hospitals, or a majority of hospitals within a recognized class of hospitals, by requiring specified actions. The bill would request the Health Mandates Review Program to provide a written analysis of the legislation, as specified, and would request that the analysis include information on specified impacts. The bill would request that the program publish an annual summary of legislation it analyzed and that it convene a workgroup of members with relevant expertise in hospital finance or operations to advise on the development and implementation of the program.

This bill would establish the Health Care Mandates Fund in the State Treasury to support the University of California and its work in implementing the Health Mandates Review Program, including providing bill analyses. The bill would require the Department of Health Care Access and Information to annually transfer an unspecified amount from the California Health Data and Planning Fund to the Health Care Mandates Fund starting in the 2027–28 fiscal year.