(1) Existing law requires the California Health and Human Services Agency (CHHSA) to enter into partnerships resulting in the production of generic prescription drugs, including at least one form of insulin made available at production and dispensing costs, if one does not already exist in the market. Existing law requires the insulin production partnership to consider guaranteeing priority access to insulin supply for the state.

This bill, the Preventive Treatment Health Care Act, would require the above-described partnerships to also include the acquisition of brand name prescription drugs and the acquisition or production of pens, vial injections, pills, and patches of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) semaglutide, GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA), glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide plus GLP-1 (GIP+GLP-1) tirzepatide, and future chronic weight disease products made available at production and dispensing costs and to consider guaranteeing priority access to GLP-1 semaglutide, GLP-1RA, GIP+GLP-1 tirzepatide, and future chronic weight disease products supply for the state.

(2) Existing law authorizes the Board of Administration of the Public Employees’ Retirement System to contract with carriers to provide health benefit plans and contracts for employees and annuitants. Existing law sets forth specified coverage requirements for these health benefit plans and contracts.

Commencing January 1, 2027, until January 1, 2032, this bill would require a health benefit plan or contract offered to public employees and annuitants to offer optional coverage for weight loss management, including nutritional information and GLP-1 semaglutide, GLP-1RA, GIP+GLP-1 tirzepatide, and future chronic weight disease products as part of one of its health plan options. The bill would specify cost and usage requirements for these covered chronic weight disease management items. The bill would require CHHSA to make chronic weight disease management medications available to state and local government employers, and to determine if chronic weight disease management medications should be made available to all Californians, at the costs for which they are available under a Public Employees’ Retirement System health benefit plan or contract.