CA AB 843
vetoedHealth care coverage: language access.
California · 2025-2026 Regular Session · lower
Quick answers
Did CA AB 843 pass?
No. CA AB 843 passed the legislature but was vetoed on 2026-01-22. Latest recorded action (2026-01-22): Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file.
What is CA AB 843 about?
(1) 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, which is under the control of the Insurance Commissioner. Existing law requires the Department of Managed Health Care and the commissioner to develop and adopt regulations establishing standards and requirements to provide enrollees and insureds with appropriate access to language assistance in obtaining health care services and covered benefits. Existing law requires the Department of Managed Health Care and commissioner, in developing the regulations, to require health care service plans and health insurers to assess the linguistic needs of the enrollee and insured population, and to provide for translation and interpretation for medical services, as indicated. This bill would require a health care service plan or health insurer to take reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to each individual with limited English proficiency, including companions with limited English proficiency, eligible to receive services or likely to be directly affected by its programs and activities. The bill would require a health care service plan or health insurer to offer a qualified interpreter or to utilize a qualified translator when interpretation or translation services are required, as specified. The bill would prohibit a health care service plan or health insurer from requiring an individual with limited English proficiency to provide or pay for the costs of their own interpreter. The bill would require a health care service plan or health insurer to comply with specified requirements when providing remote interpreting services. The bill would make a health care service plan or health insurer that violates these provisions liable for administrative penalties, as specified. (2) Existing law requires certain vital documents containing enrollee- or insured-specific information to include a written notice of the availability of interpretation services in certain threshold languages. Existing law requires a health care service plan or health insurer, upon request, to provide a written translation of those documents within a specified timeframe. For those documents that also relate to expedited plan review of a grievance for a case involving an imminent and serious threat to the health of the patient, existing law authorizes a health care service plan or health insurer to satisfy the requirement by providing notice of the availability of oral interpretation services. This bill would authorize a health care service plan or health insurer to satisfy the notice requirement by taking reasonable steps to inform the enrollee or insured of any required actions, including by providing a sight translation of a document. (3) Existing law requires a health care service plan or health insurer that advertises or markets products in a non-English language, as specified, to provide specified documents in the same non-English language. This bill would add to the list of documents required to be provided in the advertised or marketed non-English language, (A) notices related to any termination of coverage and change in covered services, (B) complaint forms to file a grievance or appeal, and (C) communications related to costs and payment of covered services, as specified. (4) Existing law requires a health care service plan or health insurer to notify enrollees or insureds, as applicable, and members of the public of nondiscrimination policies, grievance or complaint procedures, as applicable, and the availability of language assistance services and appropriate auxiliary aids and services, as specified. This bill would require a health care service plan or health insurer to also provide the information to persons seeking coverage. The bill would require a health care service plan or health insurer to notify enrollees or insureds, persons seeking coverage, and members of the public that the plan or insurer provides language assistance services and appropriate auxiliary aids and services, as specified. Existing law requires this information to be provided upon initial enrollment, upon renewal, and annually in or with materials that are routinely disseminated. This bill would require a health care service plan or health insurer to also provide the above-described information in clear and prominent physical locations, as specified, and upon request. The bill would require a health care service plan or health insurer to provide information regarding the provision of language assistance services, as described above, in a notice when specified forms or communications are provided, as specified. (5) Existing law requires a health care service plan or health insurer to report to the applicable department on internal policies and procedures relating to cultural appropriateness in specified contexts. This bill would require a health care service plan or health insurer to additionally report to the applicable department on internal policies and procedures relating to language access, as specified. (6) 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.
Who sponsors CA AB 843?
Garcia is the primary sponsor of CA AB 843.
Description
(1) 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, which is under the control of the Insurance Commissioner. Existing law requires the Department of Managed Health Care and the commissioner to develop and adopt regulations establishing standards and requirements to provide enrollees and insureds with appropriate access to language assistance in obtaining health care services and covered benefits. Existing law requires the Department of Managed Health Care and commissioner, in developing the regulations, to require health care service plans and health insurers to assess the linguistic needs of the enrollee and insured population, and to provide for translation and interpretation for medical services, as indicated. This bill would require a health care service plan or health insurer to take reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to each individual with limited English proficiency, including companions with limited English proficiency, eligible to receive services or likely to be directly affected by its programs and activities. The bill would require a health care service plan or health insurer to offer a qualified interpreter or to utilize a qualified translator when interpretation or translation services are required, as specified. The bill would prohibit a health care service plan or health insurer from requiring an individual with limited English proficiency to provide or pay for the costs of their own interpreter. The bill would require a health care service plan or health insurer to comply with specified requirements when providing remote interpreting services. The bill would make a health care service plan or health insurer that violates these provisions liable for administrative penalties, as specified. (2) Existing law requires certain vital documents containing enrollee- or insured-specific information to include a written notice of the availability of interpretation services in certain threshold languages. Existing law requires a health care service plan or health insurer, upon request, to provide a written translation of those documents within a specified timeframe. For those documents that also relate to expedited plan review of a grievance for a case involving an imminent and serious threat to the health of the patient, existing law authorizes a health care service plan or health insurer to satisfy the requirement by providing notice of the availability of oral interpretation services. This bill would authorize a health care service plan or health insurer to satisfy the notice requirement by taking reasonable steps to inform the enrollee or insured of any required actions, including by providing a sight translation of a document. (3) Existing law requires a health care service plan or health insurer that advertises or markets products in a non-English language, as specified, to provide specified documents in the same non-English language. This bill would add to the list of documents required to be provided in the advertised or marketed non-English language, (A) notices related to any termination of coverage and change in covered services, (B) complaint forms to file a grievance or appeal, and (C) communications related to costs and payment of covered services, as specified. (4) Existing law requires a health care service plan or health insurer to notify enrollees or insureds, as applicable, and members of the public of nondiscrimination policies, grievance or complaint procedures, as applicable, and the availability of language assistance services and appropriate auxiliary aids and services, as specified. This bill would require a health care service plan or health insurer to also provide the information to persons seeking coverage. The bill would require a health care service plan or health insurer to notify enrollees or insureds, persons seeking coverage, and members of the public that the plan or insurer provides language assistance services and appropriate auxiliary aids and services, as specified. Existing law requires this information to be provided upon initial enrollment, upon renewal, and annually in or with materials that are routinely disseminated. This bill would require a health care service plan or health insurer to also provide the above-described information in clear and prominent physical locations, as specified, and upon request. The bill would require a health care service plan or health insurer to provide information regarding the provision of language assistance services, as described above, in a notice when specified forms or communications are provided, as specified. (5) Existing law requires a health care service plan or health insurer to report to the applicable department on internal policies and procedures relating to cultural appropriateness in specified contexts. This bill would require a health care service plan or health insurer to additionally report to the applicable department on internal policies and procedures relating to language access, as specified. (6) 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.
- Introduced
- 2025-07-03
- Latest action
- 2026-01-22 — Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file.
- Bill type
- bill
- Last updated
- —
Subjects
Sponsors
- Garciaauthor
Committees
Not provided by source.
Action timeline
2025-02-19
Read first time. To print.
reading-1
2025-02-20
From printer. May be heard in committee March 22.
2025-03-03
Referred to Com. on HEALTH.
referral-committee
2025-03-26
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 13. Noes 0.) (March 25). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable,referral-committee
2025-04-09
In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
2025-04-23
In committee: Set, first hearing. Referred to suspense file.
referral-committee
2025-05-23
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 12. Noes 0.) (May 23).
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-05-27
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-06-02
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 66. Noes 1. Page 1857.)
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-06-03
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
reading-1,referral-committee
2025-06-11
Referred to Coms. on HEALTH and JUD.
referral-committee
2025-07-03
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on JUD. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (July 2).
amendment-introduction,amendment-passage,committee-passage,referral-committee
2025-07-07
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on JUD.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,referral-committee
2025-07-08
Withdrawn from committee.
withdrawal
2025-07-08
Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
referral-committee
2025-08-18
In committee: Referred to suspense file.
referral-committee
2025-08-29
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (August 29).
committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-08-29
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-09-05
Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
amendment-passage,reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-09-08
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
reading-1,reading-2,reading-3
2025-09-09
Read third time. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 34. Noes 1. Page 2656.).
passage,reading-1,reading-3
2025-09-09
In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
2025-09-10
Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 66. Noes 1. Page 3228.).
amendment-passage,committee-passage,committee-passage-favorable
2025-09-22
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 3 p.m.
executive-receipt
2025-10-01
Vetoed by Governor.
executive-veto
2025-10-01
Consideration of Governor's veto pending.
2026-01-22
Consideration of Governor's veto stricken from file.
veto-override-failure
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Votes
Do pass and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations]
2025-03-25 · pass · 13-0
Member-level votes (15)
- Arambula: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Krell: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Bonta: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Patel: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- Flora: yes
- Addis: yes
- Carrillo: yes
- Chen: other
- Sanchez: other
Do pass.
2025-05-23 · pass · 12-0
Member-level votes (15)
- Calderon: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Hart: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Solache: yes
- Ta: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Fong: yes
- Sanchez: other
- Dixon: other
- Tangipa: other
AB 843 Garcia Assembly Third Reading
2025-06-02 · pass · 66-1
Member-level votes (79)
- Addis: yes
- Garcia: yes
- Lee: yes
- Rivas: yes
- Petrie-Norris: yes
- Bryan: yes
- Michelle Rodriguez: yes
- Rogers: yes
- Wicks: yes
- Irwin: yes
- Arambula: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Ahrens: yes
- Krell: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Harabedian: yes
- Mark González: yes
- Calderon: yes
- Nguyen: yes
- Ward: yes
- Carrillo: yes
- Blanca Rubio: yes
- Muratsuchi: yes
- Patel: yes
- Solache: yes
- McKinnor: yes
- Bonta: yes
- Lowenthal: yes
- Papan: yes
- Jeff Gonzalez: yes
- Schiavo: yes
- Gabriel: yes
- Pacheco: yes
- Ávila Farías: yes
- Aguiar-Curry: yes
- Ransom: yes
- Connolly: yes
- Celeste Rodriguez: yes
- Fong: yes
- Quirk-Silva: yes
- Ramos: yes
- Soria: yes
- Wallis: yes
- Pellerin: yes
- Elhawary: yes
- Davies: yes
- Kalra: yes
- Alanis: yes
- Haney: yes
- Gipson: yes
- Hart: yes
- Boerner: yes
- Alvarez: yes
- Bauer-Kahan: yes
- Schultz: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Berman: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Wilson: yes
- Ta: yes
- Zbur: yes
- Flora: yes
- Bennett: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Bains: yes
- Valencia: yes
- DeMaio: no
- Hoover: other
- Gallagher: other
- Chen: other
- Lackey: other
- Tangipa: other
- Ellis: other
- Hadwick: other
- Macedo: other
- Castillo: other
- Dixon: other
- Patterson: other
- Sanchez: other
Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Judiciary]
2025-07-02 · pass · 11-0
Member-level votes (11)
- Gonzalez: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Valladares: yes
- Grove: yes
- Limón: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- Rubio: yes
- Richardson: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Padilla: yes
- Menjivar: yes
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 · 5-0
Member-level votes (7)
- Richardson: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Dahle: other
- Seyarto: other
3rd Reading AB843 Garcia By Menjivar
2025-09-09 · pass · 34-1
Member-level votes (40)
- Richardson: yes
- Menjivar: yes
- Cortese: yes
- Weber Pierson: yes
- McNerney: yes
- Stern: yes
- Smallwood-Cuevas: yes
- Becker: yes
- Valladares: yes
- McGuire: yes
- Cervantes: yes
- Hurtado: yes
- Cabaldon: yes
- Rubio: yes
- Durazo: yes
- Laird: yes
- Padilla: yes
- Limón: yes
- Strickland: yes
- Pérez: yes
- Reyes: yes
- Archuleta: yes
- Niello: yes
- Wiener: yes
- Ashby: yes
- Arreguín: yes
- Grayson: yes
- Allen: yes
- Gonzalez: yes
- Caballero: yes
- Choi: yes
- Wahab: yes
- Umberg: yes
- Blakespear: yes
- Alvarado-Gil: no
- Ochoa Bogh: other
- Dahle: other
- Grove: other
- Jones: other
- Seyarto: other
AB 843 Garcia Concurrence in Senate Amendments
2025-09-11 · pass · 66-1
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
- Patterson: yes
- Stefani: yes
- Ta: yes
- Caloza: yes
- Sharp-Collins: yes
- Nguyen: yes
- Ortega: yes
- Solache: yes
- Lowenthal: yes
- Blanca Rubio: yes
- Jackson: yes
- Bryan: 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
- Garcia: yes
- DeMaio: no
- Johnson: other
- Dixon: other
- Hoover: other
- Hadwick: other
- Tangipa: other
- Lackey: other
- Macedo: other
- Gallagher: other
- Sanchez: other
- Chen: other
- Castillo: other
- Ellis: other
- Flora: other
Related bills
No related bills recorded for this bill.
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