CA AB 1126
enactedMedi-Cal managed care plans: enrollees with other health care coverage.
California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower
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Quick answers
Did CA AB 1126 pass?
Yes. CA AB 1126 has been enacted into law. Latest recorded action (2026-09-15): Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 193, Statutes of 2026.
What is CA AB 1126 about?
Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services, under fee-for-service or managed care delivery systems. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Under existing federal law, in accordance with third-party liability rules, Medicaid is generally the payer of last resort if a beneficiary has another source of health care coverage in addition to Medicaid coverage. This bill would require the department, in the case of a Medi-Cal managed care plan enrollee who also has other health care coverage and for whom the Medi-Cal program is a payer of last resort, to ensure that a provider that is not contracted with the plan and that is billing the plan for Medi-Cal allowable costs not paid by the other health care coverage does not face administrative requirements significantly in excess of the administrative requirements for billing those same costs to the Medi-Cal fee-for-service delivery system. Under the bill, in the case of an enrollee who meets those coverage criteria, except as specified, a Medi-Cal fee-for-service provider would not be required to contract as an in-network provider with the Medi-Cal managed care plan in order to bill the plan for Medi-Cal allowable costs for covered health care services. The bill would authorize a Medi-Cal managed care plan to require a letter of agreement, or a similar agreement, under specified circumstances, including if a covered service requires prior authorization, or if a service is not covered by the other health care coverage but is a covered service under the plan, as specified. The bill would require the department to take the actions that it deems necessary to provide clarification regarding the conditions for billing plans to providers that render services to enrollees who also have other health care coverage. The bill would specify the intent of the Legislature that the department offer educational resources to an enrollee who needs assistance with understanding continuity of care and coordinating Medi-Cal and their other health care coverage when requested by the enrollee. The bill would require the department, annually from 2027 through 2030, to update the legislative health committees on the effectiveness of implementing these provisions. The bill would authorize the department to implement these provisions through plan letters or similar instructions. The bill would condition implementation of these provisions on receipt of any necessary federal approvals and the availability of federal financial participation.
Who sponsors CA AB 1126?
Patterson is the primary sponsor of CA AB 1126.
Description
Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services, under fee-for-service or managed care delivery systems. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Under existing federal law, in accordance with third-party liability rules, Medicaid is generally the payer of last resort if a beneficiary has another source of health care coverage in addition to Medicaid coverage. This bill would require the department, in the case of a Medi-Cal managed care plan enrollee who also has other health care coverage and for whom the Medi-Cal program is a payer of last resort, to ensure that a provider that is not contracted with the plan and that is billing the plan for Medi-Cal allowable costs not paid by the other health care coverage does not face administrative requirements significantly in excess of the administrative requirements for billing those same costs to the Medi-Cal fee-for-service delivery system. Under the bill, in the case of an enrollee who meets those coverage criteria, except as specified, a Medi-Cal fee-for-service provider would not be required to contract as an in-network provider with the Medi-Cal managed care plan in order to bill the plan for Medi-Cal allowable costs for covered health care services. The bill would authorize a Medi-Cal managed care plan to require a letter of agreement, or a similar agreement, under specified circumstances, including if a covered service requires prior authorization, or if a service is not covered by the other health care coverage but is a covered service under the plan, as specified. The bill would require the department to take the actions that it deems necessary to provide clarification regarding the conditions for billing plans to providers that render services to enrollees who also have other health care coverage. The bill would specify the intent of the Legislature that the department offer educational resources to an enrollee who needs assistance with understanding continuity of care and coordinating Medi-Cal and their other health care coverage when requested by the enrollee. The bill would require the department, annually from 2027 through 2030, to update the legislative health committees on the effectiveness of implementing these provisions. The bill would authorize the department to implement these provisions through plan letters or similar instructions. The bill would condition implementation of these provisions on receipt of any necessary federal approvals and the availability of federal financial participation.
- Introduced
- 2025-03-20
- Latest action
- 2026-09-15 — Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 193, Statutes of 2026.
- Bill type
- bill
- Last updated
- —
Subjects
Sponsors
- Pattersonauthor
Committees
Not provided by source.
Action timeline
Newest first
2026-09-15
Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 193, Statutes of 2026.
became-law
2026-09-15
Approved by the Governor.
executive-signature
2026-09-14
Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 193, Statutes of 2026.
became-law
2026-09-14
Approved by the Governor.
executive-signature
2026-08-27
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
2026-08-20
In Assembly. Ordered to Engrossing and Enrolling.
2026-08-20
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0.).
2026-08-20
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 39. Noes 0. Page 5588.).
2026-08-18
Ordered to special consent calendar.
2026-08-13
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 13).
2026-08-13
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
2026-06-15
In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.
referral-committee
2026-06-04
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (June 3). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2026-05-06
Referred to Com. on HEALTH.
referral-committee
2026-01-29
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
reading-1,referral-committee
2026-01-29
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 70. Noes 0. Page 3884.)
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2026-01-26
Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.
reading-1,reading-2
2026-01-22
From committee: Do pass. To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (January 22).
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2026-01-13
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (January 13). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2026-01-06
Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.
referral-committee
2026-01-05
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH. Read second time and amended.
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-04-10
In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
2025-03-24
Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.
referral-committee
2025-03-20
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to Com. on HEALTH. Read second time and amended.
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-03-10
Referred to Com. on HEALTH.
referral-committee
2025-02-21
From printer. May be heard in committee March 23.
2025-02-20
Read first time. To print.
reading-1
Versions
Documents
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Votes
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar
2026-01-13 · pass · 15-0
Member-level votes (16)
- Bonta: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Patel: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Gallagher: yes
- Krell: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Addis: yes
- Sanchez: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Patterson: yes
- Carrillo: yes
- Chen: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: other
Do pass. To Consent Calendar.
2026-01-22 · pass · 15-0
Member-level votes (15)
- Hoover: yes
- Tangipa: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Krell: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Solache: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Fong: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Ta: yes
- Dixon: yes
AB 1126 Patterson Consent Calendar Second Day
2026-01-29 · pass · 70-0
Member-level votes (80)
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Ramos: yes
- Schultz: yes
- Ahrens: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Carrillo: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Michelle Rodriguez: yes
- Alvarez: yes
- Bains: yes
- Haney: yes
- Patterson: yes
- Sanchez: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Berman: yes
- Ta: yes
- Solache: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Muratsuchi: yes
- Macedo: yes
- Papan: yes
- Gallagher: yes
- Nguyen: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Boerner: yes
- Bennett: yes
- Tangipa: yes
- Rivas: yes
- Fong: yes
- Rogers: yes
- Hadwick: yes
- Jeff Gonzalez: yes
- Ávila Farías: yes
- Petrie-Norris: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Irwin: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Patel: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Soria: yes
- Bonta: yes
- Blanca Rubio: yes
- DeMaio: yes
- McKinnor: yes
- Lackey: yes
- Hoover: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Wallis: yes
- Johnson: yes
- Gabriel: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Castillo: yes
- Krell: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Zbur: yes
- Davies: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Addis: yes
- Ward: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Dixon: yes
- Quirk-Silva: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Alanis: yes
- Hart: yes
- Garcia: yes
- Lowenthal: yes
- Arambula: other
- Bauer-Kahan: other
- Celeste Rodriguez: other
- Chen: other
- Ransom: other
- Flora: other
- Gipson: other
- Lee: other
- Ellis: other
- Valencia: other
Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar
2026-06-03 · pass · 9-0
Member-level votes (11)
- Grove: yes
- Padilla: yes
- Menjivar: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Pérez: yes
- Valladares: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Gonzalez: yes
- Rubio: other
- Smallwood-Cuevas: other
Placed on suspense file
2026-06-15 · pass · 7-0
Member-level votes (7)
- Seyarto: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Cervantes: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Dahle: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
Related bills
No related bills recorded for this bill.
Official source
Attribution
Data from openstates_api_sync, retrieved 2026-10-06T10:38:14.751474Z
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