CA AB 594

enacted

Student health insurance.

California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower

Description

Existing law, for policy years beginning on or after January 1, 2024, requires student health insurance coverage, as defined, to be considered individual health insurance coverage. Existing law, except as specified, requires a blanket disability insurance policy that meets the definition of student health insurance coverage to comply with insurance provisions that are applicable to nongrandfathered individual health insurance, including, among others, essential health benefits requirements and annual limits on out-of-pocket expenses. Existing law exempts student health insurance coverage from certain requirements otherwise applicable to health insurers and health benefit plans, including the establishment of specified enrollment periods, guaranteed availability and renewability, specified coverage level requirements, and single risk pool rating requirements. Existing law requires a notice to be provided in the student health insurance enrollment materials stating that California requires residents and their dependents to obtain and maintain health coverage, either through student health insurance, or through a different method, including Medi-Cal, Covered California, or, if under 26 years of age, their parent's coverage. This bill would, commencing July 1, 2026, authorize a student certificate holder to request to terminate their student health insurance coverage during the policy year if the student graduates, takes a leave of absence, or is no longer enrolled at the institution of higher education. The bill would require the request to be provided to the institution of higher education at least 30 days before the effective date of termination and would, upon receipt of the request to terminate coverage, require the institution to terminate coverage effective within the same calendar month if feasible, but no later than the last day of the calendar month in which the 30-day period ends. The bill would authorize the student to pay only the premium through the date of the termination, as specified. The bill would require a student or dependent of a student to be notified of premium liability to them, if any, if they choose not to terminate coverage pursuant to these provisions. The bill would, commencing July 1, 2026, if a student requests a waiver from student health insurance coverage, require the waiver to be granted if the student obtains or maintains health coverage that is minimum essential coverage, as specified. The bill would prohibit charging the student a fee or premium if the waiver is granted. Existing law requires a health insurer to file with the Department of Insurance all required rate information for grandfathered individual and specified group health insurance policies at least 120 days before implementing any rate change. This bill would authorize the department to prohibit a requested rate change if the insurer fails to comply with the above-described timelines. This bill would also authorize the Insurance Commissioner to exercise their existing authority to enforce the above-described provisions and prohibits an administrative penalty, if assessed, from exceeding $5,000 for each violation, or $10,000 for a willful violation. The bill would also state the intent of the Legislature to encourage self-funded student health coverage offered by the University of California Student Health Insurance Plan and the University of California Voluntary Dependent Plan to maintain or exceed coverage standards of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and to comply with the above described provisions.

Introduced: 2025-03-13
Status date: —
Latest action: 2025-10-03 — Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 272, Statutes of 2025.
Bill type: bill
Last updated: —

Subjects

Studenthealthinsurance

Committees

Not provided by source.

Action timeline

2025-02-12
Read first time. To print.
reading-1
2025-02-13
From printer. May be heard in committee March 15.
2025-03-13
Referred to Com. on HEALTH.
referral-committee
2025-03-13
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
2025-03-17
Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.
referral-committee
2025-03-27
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
2025-03-28
Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.
referral-committee
2025-04-09
Coauthors revised.
2025-04-09
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (April 8). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-04-23
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 15. Noes 0.) (April 23).
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-04-24
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-05-08
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 73. Noes 0. Page 1477.)
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-05-08
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
reading-1,referral-committee
2025-05-21
Referred to Coms. on HEALTH and JUD.
referral-committee
2025-06-09
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
2025-06-19
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on JUD. with recommendation: To Consent Calendar. (Ayes 10. Noes 0.) (June 18).
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,referral-committee
2025-06-23
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-06-24
In committee: Set, first hearing. Hearing canceled at the request of author.
2025-06-25
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on JUD.
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-06-26
Withdrawn from committee.
withdrawal
2025-06-26
Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
referral-committee
2025-07-07
From committee chair, with author's amendments: Amend, and re-refer to committee. Read second time, amended, and re-referred to Com. on APPR.
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-07-14
From committee: Be ordered to second reading file pursuant to Senate Rule 28.8 and ordered to Consent Calendar.
committee-passage,reading-1,reading-2
2025-07-15
Read second time. Ordered to Consent Calendar.
reading-1,reading-2
2025-07-17
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 35. Noes 0. Page 2137.).
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-07-17
In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
2025-08-25
Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 76. Noes 0. Page 2725.).
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-09-02
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.
executive-receipt
2025-10-03
Approved by the Governor.
executive-signature
2025-10-03
Chaptered by Secretary of State - Chapter 272, Statutes of 2025.
became-law

Versions

02/12/25 - Introduced — 2025-02-12Compare
03/13/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-03-13Compare
03/27/25 - Amended Assembly — 2025-03-27Compare
06/09/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-06-09Compare
06/23/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-06-23Compare
06/25/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-06-25Compare
07/07/25 - Amended Senate — 2025-07-07Compare
08/27/25 - Enrolled — 2025-08-27Compare
10/03/25 - Chaptered — 2025-10-03Compare
AB594Compare
(document, no version)Compare

Documents

Votes

Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
2025-04-08 · pass · 15-0
Member-level votes (15)
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- Krell: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Carrillo: yes
- Patel: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Sanchez: yes
- Chen: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Flora: yes
- Addis: yes
- Bonta: yes
Do pass.
2025-04-23 · pass · 15-0
Member-level votes (15)
- Pacheco: yes
- Ta: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Hart: yes
- Solache: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Fong: yes
- Sanchez: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Tangipa: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Dixon: yes
AB 594 Solache Assembly Third Reading
2025-05-08 · pass · 73-0
Member-level votes (79)
- Gabriel: yes
- McKinnor: yes
- Gallagher: yes
- Hoover: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Lowenthal: yes
- Bains: yes
- Ramos: yes
- Wallis: yes
- Nguyen: yes
- Gipson: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Berman: yes
- Dixon: yes
- Zbur: yes
- Sanchez: yes
- Chen: yes
- Haney: yes
- Macedo: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Patterson: yes
- Ward: yes
- Carrillo: yes
- Lackey: yes
- Davies: yes
- Hart: yes
- Michelle Rodriguez: yes
- DeMaio: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Ellis: yes
- Hadwick: yes
- Garcia: yes
- Ávila Farías: yes
- Papan: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Ahrens: yes
- Bennett: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Fong: yes
- Patel: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Flora: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Valencia: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Solache: yes
- Castillo: yes
- Alanis: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Krell: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Bonta: yes
- Ransom: yes
- Rivas: yes
- Soria: yes
- Tangipa: yes
- Rogers: yes
- Alvarez: yes
- Schultz: yes
- Blanca Rubio: yes
- Addis: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Petrie-Norris: yes
- Ta: yes
- Muratsuchi: yes
- Quirk-Silva: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Jeff Gonzalez: other
- Arambula: other
- Irwin: other
- Celeste Rodriguez: other
- Boerner: other
- Lee: other
Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Judiciary] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar
2025-06-18 · pass · 10-0
Member-level votes (11)
- Menjivar: yes
- Valladares: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Limón: yes
- Grove: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Padilla: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Rubio: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- Gonzalez: other
Consent Calendar 2nd AB594 Solache et al.
2025-07-17 · pass · 35-0
Member-level votes (40)
- Ochoa Bogh: yes
- Limón: yes
- Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
- Archuleta: yes
- Pérez: yes
- Dahle: yes
- Laird: yes
- Strickland: yes
- Menjivar: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Gonzalez: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Cervantes: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Arreguín: yes
- Cortese: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Niello: yes
- Stern: yes
- Blakespear: yes
- Choi: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- McNerney: yes
- Seyarto: yes
- Jones: yes
- Valladares: yes
- Rubio: yes
- Allen: yes
- Grove: yes
- McGuire: yes
- Hurtado: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Umberg: other
- Becker: other
- Padilla: other
- Reyes: other
- Alvarado-Gil: other
AB 594 Solache Concurrence in Senate Amendments
2025-08-25 · pass · 76-0
Member-level votes (79)
- Alvarez: yes
- Hart: yes
- Macedo: yes
- Muratsuchi: yes
- Gabriel: yes
- Hoover: yes
- Patel: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Blanca Rubio: yes
- Quirk-Silva: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Flora: yes
- Carrillo: yes
- Gallagher: yes
- Garcia: yes
- Wallis: yes
- Chen: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Ávila Farías: yes
- Valencia: yes
- Hadwick: yes
- Michelle Rodriguez: yes
- Lee: yes
- Lackey: yes
- Soria: yes
- Gipson: yes
- Ward: yes
- Rogers: yes
- Alanis: yes
- DeMaio: yes
- Solache: yes
- Dixon: yes
- Ellis: yes
- Haney: yes
- McKinnor: yes
- Sanchez: yes
- Krell: yes
- Addis: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Papan: yes
- Petrie-Norris: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Berman: yes
- Boerner: yes
- Ahrens: yes
- Lowenthal: yes
- Castillo: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Ramos: yes
- Bennett: yes
- Tangipa: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Fong: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Patterson: yes
- Ransom: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- Rivas: yes
- Davies: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Ta: yes
- Zbur: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Irwin: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Nguyen: yes
- Schultz: yes
- Jeff Gonzalez: yes
- Arambula: other
- Bonta: other
- Bains: other

Related bills

No related bills recorded for this bill.

Official source

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB594

Attribution

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

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 594. 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.

See the methodology page for data sources and limitations.