SACRAMENTO, CA – Today, Senator Melissa Hurtado’s (D-Sanger) legislative packet on expanding health services proceeded through the Senate Health Committee. The bills, SB 207, SB 260 and SB 331, will move onto the Appropriations Committee.  

“Communities throughout California continue to face limited availability to health care services. More specifically, regions within the Central Valley are expected to continue experiencing a lack of access to timely care,” stated Senator Melissa Hurtado. “SB 207, SB 260 and SB 331 will address the Central Valley’s challenges by taking a more proactive approach in how we work across the state to increase access to care for Central Valley families and help prevent and treat health crises,” continued Senator Melissa Hurtado.

Senator Melissa Hurtado’s Health Care Legislative Packet

SB 207 will allow Medi-Cal reimbursement for asthma education and home trigger assessments that are provided by qualified, non-licensed professionals including community health workers. The bill would also increase financial support for environmental asthma trigger remediation in the home.

“In many asthma patients, the home environment can be a significant contributor to their poorly controlled asthma,” says Heidi He, DNP, FNP-C, Nurse Practitioner, Nursing Program Professor and member of the Asthma Coalition of Kern County. He continued by stating that “a home visit can help patients and health care providers identify the asthma triggers, find ways of avoiding those triggers and allow the patients to be active participants in their own care. Patients with poorly controlled asthma will benefit significantly from asthma education home visits and home trigger environmental assessments.” 

“Managing asthma extends far beyond medication, but addressing the social and environmental factors that impact asthma is very challenging for numerous reasons,” stated Christine Mayor, MSN, RN, CPNP, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner of Zuckerberg San Francisco General. “The hours of care our asthma educators provide is just as important as the time patients spend with me in the clinic. Working together, we have seen better results and lasting outcomes for our asthma patients,” continued Mayor.

“There is robust evidence showing that asthma education and in-home trigger assessments and remediation improve the lives of people with asthma and reduce costly visits to the emergency room,” said Anne Kelsey Lamb, Director of Regional Asthma Management and Prevention. “This legislation will make sure that these services are available to the people who need these services the most.”

SB 260 will require health plans and insurers to give consumers who lose their coverage for any reason notices of the availability of Medi-Cal and Covered California coverage. The bill will also make it easier for Covered California to reach out to consumers, who have lost their coverage to help minimize gaps in their coverage.

“We are glad the Legislature is advancing this bill to keep Californians covered during life transitions which improves access to care and financial security for them and their families, as well as the community as a whole. When Californians make a change in their lives and income, whether moving to a new home, getting married, or changing a job, this bill ensures that consumers can get the direct help they need to re-enroll in health care coverage without any lapse," said Anthony Wright, Executive Director of Health Access California and co-sponsor of SB 260. "This legislation is more important than ever so that a pay raise, like the scheduled increase in the minimum wage, doesn't inadvertently lead to a gap in health coverage.”

“SB 260 will help people who become ineligible for Medi-Cal land in a Covered California plan that they are eligible for without a gap in coverage,” stated Jen Flory of Western Center on Law & Poverty. Flory added that “even short gaps in coverage can cause big financial losses.”

SB 331, led by Senator Melissa Hurtado, along with principal co-author Assemblymember Marc Levine (D-San Rafael) and co-author Sen. Jim Beall (D-San Jose), will emphasize a more proactive approach on preventing suicides. The bill will require that all California counties develop a suicide prevention plan while focusing on the staggering rise in deaths among adolescents.

“The Steinberg Institute is proud to sponsor SB 331 and to partner with affected families to develop the public health approach needed to reverse the devastating epidemic of suicide,” said Adrienne Shilton of the Steinberg Institute. “With Senator Hurtado’s leadership, SB 331 can be a turning point against this crisis.”

About Senator Melissa Hurtado

Senator Melissa Hurtado is an advocate for expanding access to health care and clean water, growing educational opportunities and creating more quality jobs. She represents the 14^th Senate District in California, which includes cities in Fresno, Kern, Kings and Tulare counties. Senator Hurtado was born in Fresno, California and was raised in the City of Sanger, where she still resides with her family.

###