CA AB 539
vetoedHealth care coverage: prior authorizations.
California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower
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Quick answers
Did CA AB 539 pass?
No. CA AB 539 passed the legislature but was vetoed. Latest recorded action (2026-09-20): Vetoed by Governor.
What is CA AB 539 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 provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law provides that a health care service plan or a health insurer that authorizes a specific type of treatment by a health care provider shall not rescind or modify this authorization after the provider renders the health care service in good faith and pursuant to the authorization. This bill would require an approved prior authorization for a health care service requested by an in-network provider to remain valid for at least one year from the date of approval, or the period requested by the treating provider if less than one year. Because a violation of the bill 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 539?
Schiavo is the primary sponsor of CA AB 539.
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 provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law provides that a health care service plan or a health insurer that authorizes a specific type of treatment by a health care provider shall not rescind or modify this authorization after the provider renders the health care service in good faith and pursuant to the authorization. This bill would require an approved prior authorization for a health care service requested by an in-network provider to remain valid for at least one year from the date of approval, or the period requested by the treating provider if less than one year. Because a violation of the bill 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
- 2025-04-24
- Latest action
- 2026-09-20 — Vetoed by Governor.
- Bill type
- bill
- Last updated
- —
Subjects
Sponsors
- Schiavoauthor
Committees
Not provided by source.
Action timeline
Newest first
2026-09-20
Vetoed by Governor.
executive-veto
2026-09-03
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 4 p.m.
executive-receipt
2026-08-26
Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 64. Noes 4.).
2026-08-26
Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 64. Noes 4. Page 6560.).
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2026-08-25
In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
2026-08-25
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 31. Noes 0.).
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2026-08-24
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2026-08-21
Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2026-08-13
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2026-08-13
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (August 13).
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2026-08-03
In committee: Referred to APPR. suspense file.
referral-committee
2026-07-02
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 8. Noes 0.) (July 1).
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,referral-committee
2026-07-02
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-06-23
In committee: Set, second hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
2025-06-18
In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
2025-05-21
Referred to Com. on HEALTH.
referral-committee
2025-05-13
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
reading-1,referral-committee
2025-05-12
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 64. Noes 2. Page 1518.)
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-05-08
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-05-07
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (May 7).
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-04-29
Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
referral-committee
2025-04-28
Read second time and amended.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2
2025-04-24
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (April 22).
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,referral-committee
2025-02-24
Referred to Com. on HEALTH.
referral-committee
2025-02-12
From printer. May be heard in committee March 14.
2025-02-11
Read first time. To print.
reading-1
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Votes
Do pass as amended and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
2025-04-22 · pass · 12-0
Member-level votes (16)
- Patel: yes
- Rogers: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Krell: yes
- Carrillo: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- Bonta: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Addis: yes
- Chen: other
- Flora: other
- Sanchez: other
- Patterson: other
Do pass.
2025-05-07 · pass · 11-0
Member-level votes (15)
- Calderon: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Fong: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Hart: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Solache: yes
- Tangipa: other
- Sanchez: other
- Ta: other
- Dixon: other
AB 539 Schiavo Assembly Third Reading
2025-05-12 · pass · 64-2
Member-level votes (79)
- Carrillo: yes
- Alanis: yes
- Hart: yes
- Michelle Rodriguez: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Addis: yes
- Ward: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Garcia: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Lowenthal: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Wallis: yes
- Gabriel: yes
- Jeff Gonzalez: yes
- Petrie-Norris: yes
- Bonta: yes
- Soria: yes
- Chen: yes
- Alvarez: yes
- Solache: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Ahrens: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Muratsuchi: yes
- Papan: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Valencia: yes
- Lee: yes
- Ramos: yes
- Irwin: yes
- Quirk-Silva: yes
- Rivas: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Fong: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Rogers: yes
- Blanca Rubio: yes
- McKinnor: yes
- Haney: yes
- Ávila Farías: yes
- Bennett: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Berman: yes
- Ransom: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Krell: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- Nguyen: yes
- Davies: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Zbur: yes
- Patel: yes
- Boerner: yes
- Bains: yes
- Gipson: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Schultz: yes
- Tangipa: no
- DeMaio: no
- Lackey: other
- Ellis: other
- Gallagher: other
- Flora: other
- Hoover: other
- Sanchez: other
- Macedo: other
- Patterson: other
- Castillo: other
- Stefani: other
- Dixon: other
- Ta: other
- Hadwick: other
Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations]
2026-07-01 · pass · 8-0
Member-level votes (11)
- Durazo: yes
- Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
- Padilla: yes
- Gonzalez: yes
- Pérez: yes
- Menjivar: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- Grove: other
- Rubio: other
- Valladares: other
Related bills
No related bills recorded for this bill.
Official source
Attribution
Data from openstates_api_sync, retrieved 2026-09-21T20:02:07.756944Z
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