Bill Commons

CA AB 224

enacted

Health care coverage: essential health benefits.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

Quick answers

Did CA AB 224 pass?

Yes. CA AB 224 has been enacted into law as of 2025-10-13. Latest recorded action (2025-10-13): Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 680, Statutes of 2025.

What is CA AB 224 about?

Existing law requires the Department of Insurance to regulate health insurers. Existing law requires an individual or small group health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2017, to include, at a minimum, coverage for essential health benefits pursuant to the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Existing law requires a health insurance policy to cover the same health benefits that the benchmark plan, the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Small Group HMO 30 plan, offered during the first quarter of 2014, as specified. This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to review California's essential health benefits benchmark plan and establish a new benchmark plan for the 2027 plan year for health insurers. The bill would require, commencing January 1, 2027, if the United States Department of Health and Human Services approves a new essential health benefits benchmark plan for the state, as specified, the benchmark plan for health insurers to include certain additional benefits, including coverage for specified fertility services and specified durable medical equipment.

Who sponsors CA AB 224?

Bonta is the primary sponsor of CA AB 224, joined by 1 cosponsor.

Description

Existing law requires the Department of Insurance to regulate health insurers. Existing law requires an individual or small group health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2017, to include, at a minimum, coverage for essential health benefits pursuant to the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Existing law requires a health insurance policy to cover the same health benefits that the benchmark plan, the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Small Group HMO 30 plan, offered during the first quarter of 2014, as specified. This bill would express the intent of the Legislature to review California's essential health benefits benchmark plan and establish a new benchmark plan for the 2027 plan year for health insurers. The bill would require, commencing January 1, 2027, if the United States Department of Health and Human Services approves a new essential health benefits benchmark plan for the state, as specified, the benchmark plan for health insurers to include certain additional benefits, including coverage for specified fertility services and specified durable medical equipment.

Introduced
2025-04-23
Latest action
2025-10-13 — Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 680, Statutes of 2025.
Bill type
bill
Last updated

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Bontaauthor
  • Menjivarprincipal coauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

  1. 2025-01-09

    Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

  2. 2025-01-10

    From printer. May be heard in committee February 9.

  3. 2025-02-03

    Referred to Com. on HEALTH.

    referral-committee

  4. 2025-04-23

    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

  5. 2025-04-24

    Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.

    referral-committee

  6. 2025-04-30

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (April 29). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  7. 2025-05-14

    In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file.

    referral-committee

  8. 2025-05-23

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (May 23).

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  9. 2025-05-27

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  10. 2025-05-29

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 60. Noes 1. Page 1782.)

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  11. 2025-05-29

    In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.

    reading-1,referral-committee

  12. 2025-06-11

    Referred to Com. on HEALTH.

    referral-committee

  13. 2025-07-08

    From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee

  14. 2025-07-17

    From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (July 16). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee

  15. 2025-08-18

    In committee: Referred to suspense file.

    referral-committee

  16. 2025-08-29

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  17. 2025-08-29

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 7. Noes 0.) (August 29).

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  18. 2025-09-03

    Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 40. Noes 0. Page 2464.).

    passage,reading-1,reading-3

  19. 2025-09-03

    In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

  20. 2025-09-08

    Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 71. Noes 0. Page 3013.).

    amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  21. 2025-09-15

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4:30 p.m.

    executive-receipt

  22. 2025-10-13

    Approved by the Governor.

    executive-signature

  23. 2025-10-13

    Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 680, Statutes of 2025.

    became-law

Versions

  • 01/09/25 - Introduced — 2025-01-09Compare
  • 04/23/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-04-23Compare
  • 07/08/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-07-08Compare
  • 09/10/25 - Enrolled — 2025-09-10Compare
  • 10/13/25 - Chaptered — 2025-10-13Compare
  • AB224Compare
  • (document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

  • Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]

    2025-04-29 · pass · 14-0

    Member-level votes (16)
    • Flora: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Patterson: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Addis: yes
    • Sanchez: other
    • Chen: other
  • Do pass.

    2025-05-23 · pass · 11-0

    Member-level votes (15)
    • Calderon: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Ta: other
    • Sanchez: other
    • Dixon: other
    • Tangipa: other
  • AB 224 Bonta Assembly Third Reading

    2025-05-29 · pass · 60-1

    Member-level votes (79)
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Gabriel: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Patterson: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Addis: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Jeff Gonzalez: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • McKinnor: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Wallis: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Boerner: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • DeMaio: no
    • Gallagher: other
    • Alvarez: other
    • Nguyen: other
    • Sanchez: other
    • Sharp-Collins: other
    • Chen: other
    • Hadwick: other
    • Solache: other
    • Ta: other
    • Bryan: other
    • Ward: other
    • Lackey: other
    • Flora: other
    • Ellis: other
    • Castillo: other
    • Tangipa: other
    • Soria: other
    • Dixon: other
  • Do pass, but first be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]

    2025-07-16 · pass · 10-0

    Member-level votes (11)
    • Weber Pierson: yes
    • Limón: yes
    • Padilla: yes
    • Valladares: yes
    • Rubio: yes
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Menjivar: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Grove: other
  • Placed on suspense file

    2025-08-18 · pass · 7-0

    Member-level votes (7)
    • Richardson: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Grayson: yes
  • Do pass

    2025-08-29 · pass · 7-0

    Member-level votes (7)
    • Richardson: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
  • 3rd Reading AB224 Bonta et al. By Menjivar

    2025-09-03 · pass · 40-0

    Member-level votes (40)
    • Becker: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Stern: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Blakespear: yes
    • Rubio: yes
    • Hurtado: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Limón: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Allen: yes
    • Valladares: yes
    • Padilla: yes
    • McNerney: yes
    • Pérez: yes
    • Cortese: yes
    • Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
    • Dahle: yes
    • Choi: yes
    • Menjivar: yes
    • Strickland: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • McGuire: yes
    • Niello: yes
    • Cervantes: yes
    • Weber Pierson: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Archuleta: yes
    • Laird: yes
    • Ochoa Bogh: yes
    • Seyarto: yes
    • Jones: yes
    • Alvarado-Gil: yes
    • Grove: yes
    • Wahab: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • Reyes: yes
    • Caballero: yes
  • AB 224 Bonta Concurrence in Senate Amendments

    2025-09-08 · pass · 71-0

    Member-level votes (80)
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Johnson: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Addis: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Bennett: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Jeff Gonzalez: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Boerner: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Alanis: yes
    • Wallis: yes
    • Patterson: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Gabriel: yes
    • Ellis: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • McKinnor: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Sanchez: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Chen: yes
    • Flora: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • Dixon: other
    • Nguyen: other
    • Hadwick: other
    • Tangipa: other
    • Lackey: other
    • Gallagher: other
    • Ta: other
    • Castillo: other
    • DeMaio: other

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

Attribution

Data from openstates_bulk_csv, retrieved 2026-07-24T01:34:27.960412Z

Inspect retained evidence for changes recorded after evidence tracking began:

Use this data

Every field on this page is available from the free public API — no key or licence required. Fetch this bill as JSON: GET /api/v1/bills?jurisdiction=CA&identifier=AB 224. See the API docs or the MCP server for AI assistants.

Known limitations

  • Sponsor party and chamber affiliation are not yet captured by this API.
  • Committee referrals are not yet captured.
  • Some documents have no extracted text yet, so version comparison may be limited.

See the methodology page for data sources and limitations.