An act to add Section 14132.752 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to Medi-Cal.
Summary
AB 2538 makes two separate changes to the Welfare and Institutions Code. First, it codifies a Department of Health Care Services procedure for Medi-Cal hospice providers in the fee-for-service system to use an online attestation form when a member elects hospice services. The bill requires the form to be submitted within five calendar days of the election, to be completed alongside counseling and informed consent, and to be retained in the patient’s medical record. It also specifies that paper or email submissions are not accepted for this notification, and that the online filing is tied to reimbursement processing, though it does not itself guarantee payment.
Second, the bill updates the state’s gambling disorder prevention and treatment program. It replaces the existing authorization for telephone counseling treatment services with authorization for telehealth counseling, reflecting a shift toward remote service delivery. It also expands who may request program information from the Office of Problem Gambling by adding county health officers to the Governor and Legislature.
Impact
The bill would create a new statutory requirement for Medi-Cal fee-for-service hospice providers to use a department-approved online election notice process, while leaving Medi-Cal managed care providers subject to their health plans’ existing submission requirements. This would formalize current DHCS administrative practice into law and make timely online submission part of the reimbursement eligibility process for hospice claims. On the gambling side, the bill would amend the state’s prevention and treatment framework to recognize telehealth counseling as an allowable state-funded treatment service and to broaden disclosure obligations to county health officers.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests the bill has been received favorably, at least in committee, with a unanimous 16-0 do-pass vote and a recommendation to place it on the consent calendar. The absence of recorded opposition in the provided materials indicates broad procedural support. The bill’s changes also appear largely administrative and modernization-oriented, which may have contributed to the positive reception.
Contention
The main policy issues are operational rather than ideological. For the Medi-Cal hospice provision, the key point is the mandatory use of an online form, the five-day filing deadline, and the link to reimbursement eligibility, which could raise compliance concerns for providers that are slow to adapt to electronic submission requirements. For the gambling disorder section, the notable change is the replacement of telephone counseling with telehealth counseling; this may be viewed as an update to current service delivery, but it could also prompt questions about access for residents with limited broadband or technology. No specific opposition was identified in the provided transcripts or vote record.
An act to add Chapter 10 (commencing with Section 8300) to Division 8 of Section 4755 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to behavioral health. developmental services.