Bill Commons

CA AB 546

vetoed

Health care coverage: portable HEPA purifiers.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

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Quick answers

Did CA AB 546 pass?

No. CA AB 546 passed the legislature but was vetoed. Latest recorded action (2026-01-22): Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file.

What is CA AB 546 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's requirements a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law sets forth specified coverage requirements for plan contracts and insurance policies, and limits the copayment, coinsurance, deductible, and other cost sharing that may be imposed for specified health care services. This bill would require a large group health care service plan contract or large group health insurance policy, except a specialized health care service plan contract or health insurance policy, that is issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, to include coverage for one portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) purifier for an enrollee or insured who is pregnant or diagnosed with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease if the enrollee or insured is residing in or displaced from a county where a local or state emergency has been declared due to wildfires and the HEPA purifier is prescribed by the enrollee's or insured's health care provider. The bill would prohibit the cost of the HEPA purifier from exceeding $500, adjusted for inflation, as specified. Because a willful violation of these provisions by a health care service plan would be a crime, this 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. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Who sponsors CA AB 546?

Caloza is the primary sponsor of CA AB 546, 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's requirements a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law sets forth specified coverage requirements for plan contracts and insurance policies, and limits the copayment, coinsurance, deductible, and other cost sharing that may be imposed for specified health care services. This bill would require a large group health care service plan contract or large group health insurance policy, except a specialized health care service plan contract or health insurance policy, that is issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, to include coverage for one portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) purifier for an enrollee or insured who is pregnant or diagnosed with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease if the enrollee or insured is residing in or displaced from a county where a local or state emergency has been declared due to wildfires and the HEPA purifier is prescribed by the enrollee's or insured's health care provider. The bill would prohibit the cost of the HEPA purifier from exceeding $500, adjusted for inflation, as specified. Because a willful violation of these provisions by a health care service plan would be a crime, this 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. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.

Introduced
2025-04-30
Latest action
2026-01-22 — Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file.
Bill type
bill
Last updated
—

Subjects

Sponsors

  • Calozaauthor
  • Rivasprincipal coauthor
  • Cervantescoauthor

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

Newest first

  1. 2026-01-22

    Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file.

    veto-override-failure

  2. 2025-10-13

    Consideration of Governor's veto pending.

  3. 2025-10-13

    Vetoed by Governor.

    executive-veto

  4. 2025-09-16

    Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.

    executive-receipt

  5. 2025-09-09

    Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 67. Noes 0. Page 3107.).

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

  6. 2025-09-08

    In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.

  7. 2025-09-08

    Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 29. Noes 3. Page 2623.).

    amendment-passage,passage,reading-1,reading-3

  8. 2025-09-04

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  9. 2025-09-03

    Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  10. 2025-09-02

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  11. 2025-08-29

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (August 29).

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage

  12. 2025-08-29

    Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2

  13. 2025-08-18

    In committee: Referred to suspense file.

    referral-committee

  14. 2025-07-07

    Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

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

  15. 2025-07-03

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (July 2).

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,referral-committee

  16. 2025-06-04

    Referred to Com. on HEALTH.

    referral-committee

  17. 2025-05-28

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

    reading-1,referral-committee

  18. 2025-05-27

    Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 67. Noes 0. Page 1735.).

    amendment-passage,passage,reading-1,reading-3

  19. 2025-05-22

    Read second time. Ordered to third reading.

    reading-1,reading-2,reading-3

  20. 2025-05-21

    From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (May 21).

    committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable

  21. 2025-05-14

    In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.

  22. 2025-05-05

    Re-referred to Com. on APPR.

    referral-committee

  23. 2025-05-01

    Read second time and amended.

    amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2

  24. 2025-04-30

    From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (April 29).

    amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,referral-committee

  25. 2025-02-24

    Referred to Com. on HEALTH.

    referral-committee

  26. 2025-02-12

    From printer. May be heard in committee March 14.

  27. 2025-02-11

    Read first time. To print.

    reading-1

Versions

  • 02/11/25 - Introduced — 2025-02-11Compare
  • 05/01/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-05-01Compare
  • 07/07/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-07-07Compare
  • 08/29/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-08-29Compare
  • 09/03/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-09-03Compare
  • 09/11/25 - Enrolled — 2025-09-11Compare
  • AB546Compare
  • (document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

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

    2025-04-29 · pass · 14-0

    Member-level votes (16)
    • Chen: yes
    • Flora: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Mark González: 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
    • Patterson: other

  • Do pass.

    2025-05-21 · pass · 11-0

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

  • AB 546 Caloza Third Reading Urgency

    2025-05-27 · pass · 67-0

    Member-level votes (79)
    • Alanis: yes
    • Carrillo: yes
    • Bonta: yes
    • Mark González: yes
    • Michelle Rodriguez: yes
    • Berman: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Lackey: yes
    • Valencia: yes
    • Pacheco: yes
    • Aguiar-Curry: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Schultz: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Ellis: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Calderon: yes
    • Fong: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Macedo: yes
    • Connolly: yes
    • Lee: yes
    • Rogers: yes
    • Schiavo: yes
    • Chen: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Ahrens: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Celeste Rodriguez: yes
    • Gipson: yes
    • Haney: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Ransom: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Bauer-Kahan: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Quirk-Silva: yes
    • Wilson: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Papan: yes
    • Dixon: yes
    • Wicks: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Alvarez: yes
    • Elhawary: yes
    • Hart: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • Ward: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Wallis: yes
    • Stefani: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Ávila Farías: yes
    • Boerner: yes
    • Gabriel: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • McKinnor: yes
    • Soria: yes
    • Bains: yes
    • Addis: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Arambula: yes
    • Nguyen: other
    • Sanchez: other
    • Castillo: other
    • Bennett: other
    • Hadwick: other
    • Jeff Gonzalez: other
    • Gallagher: other
    • Tangipa: other
    • Ta: other
    • Patterson: other
    • DeMaio: other
    • Flora: other

  • Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations]

    2025-07-02 · pass · 9-0

    Member-level votes (11)
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Limón: yes
    • Weber Pierson: yes
    • Rubio: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Padilla: yes
    • Menjivar: yes
    • Valladares: other
    • 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 as amended

    2025-08-29 · pass · 5-0

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

  • 3rd Reading AB546 Caloza et al. By Limón Urgency Clause

    2025-09-08 · pass · 29-3

    Member-level votes (40)
    • Wahab: yes
    • Laird: yes
    • Rubio: yes
    • McGuire: yes
    • Cortese: yes
    • Richardson: yes
    • Reyes: yes
    • Grayson: yes
    • Limón: yes
    • McNerney: yes
    • Wiener: yes
    • Padilla: yes
    • Umberg: yes
    • Hurtado: yes
    • Blakespear: yes
    • Menjivar: yes
    • Cabaldon: yes
    • Cervantes: yes
    • Weber Pierson: yes
    • Ashby: yes
    • Durazo: yes
    • Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
    • Allen: yes
    • Arreguín: yes
    • Pérez: yes
    • Archuleta: yes
    • Caballero: yes
    • Gonzalez: yes
    • Becker: yes
    • Strickland: no
    • Alvarado-Gil: no
    • Grove: no
    • Niello: other
    • Jones: other
    • Choi: other
    • Stern: other
    • Seyarto: other
    • Ochoa Bogh: other
    • Dahle: other
    • Valladares: other

  • AB 546 Caloza Concurrence in Senate Amendments

    2025-09-09 · pass · 67-0

    Member-level votes (80)
    • Ahrens: 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
    • Stefani: yes
    • Caloza: yes
    • Hoover: yes
    • Sharp-Collins: yes
    • Nguyen: yes
    • Ortega: yes
    • Solache: yes
    • Lowenthal: yes
    • Blanca Rubio: yes
    • Jackson: yes
    • Bryan: yes
    • Gallagher: yes
    • Petrie-Norris: yes
    • Harabedian: yes
    • Gabriel: yes
    • Zbur: yes
    • Davies: yes
    • McKinnor: yes
    • Pellerin: yes
    • Muratsuchi: yes
    • Krell: yes
    • Irwin: yes
    • Ramos: yes
    • Patel: yes
    • Kalra: yes
    • Rivas: yes
    • Chen: yes
    • Garcia: yes
    • Johnson: other
    • Dixon: other
    • Hadwick: other
    • Tangipa: other
    • Lackey: other
    • Macedo: other
    • Sanchez: other
    • Ta: other
    • Castillo: other
    • Ellis: other
    • Flora: other
    • Patterson: other
    • DeMaio: other

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB546

Attribution

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

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