CA AB 1970
in committeeHealth care coverage: mental health or substance use disorders.
California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower
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Quick answers
Did CA AB 1970 pass?
Not yet. CA AB 1970 is in committee and has not come to a final vote. Latest recorded action (2026-08-13): In committee: Held under submission.
What is CA AB 1970 about?
Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law authorizes health care service plans and health insurers that cover prescription drugs to utilize reasonable medical management practices, including prior authorization and step therapy, consistent with applicable law. This bill would prohibit a health care service plan contract or a health insurance policy that is issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027, from imposing step therapy as a prerequisite to authorizing coverage of any prescription drug used for the treatment of a serious mental illness or substance use disorder, as those terms are defined, except as specified. The bill would specify that the prohibition on step therapy does not apply when the United States Food and Drug Administration-labeled indications and usage of a drug indicate that some prior medication must be taken. Because a willful violation of this provision by a health care service plan would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
Who sponsors CA AB 1970?
Harabedian is the primary sponsor of CA AB 1970, joined by 2 cosponsors.
Description
Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law also provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law authorizes health care service plans and health insurers that cover prescription drugs to utilize reasonable medical management practices, including prior authorization and step therapy, consistent with applicable law. This bill would prohibit a health care service plan contract or a health insurance policy that is issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027, from imposing step therapy as a prerequisite to authorizing coverage of any prescription drug used for the treatment of a serious mental illness or substance use disorder, as those terms are defined, except as specified. The bill would specify that the prohibition on step therapy does not apply when the United States Food and Drug Administration-labeled indications and usage of a drug indicate that some prior medication must be taken. Because a willful violation of this provision by a health care service plan would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
- Introduced
- 2026-03-24
- Latest action
- 2026-08-13 — In committee: Held under submission.
- Bill type
- bill
- Last updated
- —
Subjects
Sponsors
- Harabedianauthor
- Addiscoauthor
- Ahrenscoauthor
Committees
Not provided by source.
Action timeline
Newest first
2026-08-13
In committee: Held under submission.
2026-08-03
In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.
2026-06-29
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2026-06-25
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (June 24).
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,referral-committee
2026-06-15
In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
2026-05-27
Referred to Com. on HEALTH.
referral-committee
2026-05-18
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
reading-1,referral-committee
2026-05-18
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 69. Noes 0. Page 5133.)
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2026-05-14
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2026-05-13
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (May 13).
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2026-04-22
Coauthors revised.
2026-04-22
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (April 21). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2026-03-25
Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.
referral-committee
2026-03-24
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
2026-03-02
Referred to Com. on HEALTH.
referral-committee
2026-02-14
From printer. May be heard in committee March 16.
2026-02-13
Read first time. To print.
reading-1
Versions
Documents
- application/pdf
- application/pdf
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- text/html
- application/pdf(no extracted text yet)
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Votes
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
2026-04-21 · pass · 15-0
Member-level votes (16)
- Patel: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Ahrens: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Chen: yes
- Bonta: yes
- Rogers: yes
- Sanchez: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Carrillo: yes
- Patterson: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Addis: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Johnson: other
Do pass.
2026-05-13 · pass · 14-0
Member-level votes (15)
- Pacheco: yes
- Krell: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Ellis: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Hoover: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Ta: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Fong: yes
- Solache: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Tangipa: other
AB 1970 Harabedian Assembly Third Reading
2026-05-18 · pass · 69-0
Member-level votes (80)
- Ransom: yes
- Solache: yes
- Ward: yes
- Irwin: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Soria: yes
- Bonta: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Ahrens: yes
- Ellis: yes
- Gabriel: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Michelle Rodriguez: yes
- Muratsuchi: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Chen: yes
- Berman: yes
- Hoover: yes
- Rogers: yes
- Haney: yes
- Schultz: yes
- Nguyen: yes
- Sanchez: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- McKinnor: yes
- Ta: yes
- Papan: yes
- Boerner: yes
- Rivas: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Bains: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Lowenthal: yes
- Addis: yes
- Lackey: yes
- Macedo: yes
- Bennett: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Alvarez: yes
- Alanis: yes
- Hart: yes
- Carrillo: yes
- Gipson: yes
- Garcia: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Hadwick: yes
- Patel: yes
- Petrie-Norris: yes
- DeMaio: yes
- Davies: yes
- Jeff Gonzalez: yes
- Krell: yes
- Fong: yes
- Ramos: yes
- Ávila Farías: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Zbur: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Patterson: yes
- Wallis: yes
- Valencia: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Castillo: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Blanca Rubio: yes
- Dixon: other
- Gallagher: other
- Quirk-Silva: other
- Flora: other
- Stefani: other
- Tangipa: other
- Calderon: other
- Celeste Rodriguez: other
- Johnson: other
- Lee: other
- Wicks: other
Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations]
2026-06-24 · pass · 9-0
Member-level votes (11)
- Pérez: yes
- Gonzalez: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
- Rubio: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Padilla: yes
- Menjivar: yes
- Grove: other
- Valladares: other
Related bills
No related bills recorded for this bill.
Official source
Attribution
Data from openstates_api_sync, retrieved 2026-08-01T14:16:02.923288Z
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