Analysis of Senate Bill 1555 (Maternity Services): A Report to the 2003-2004 California Legislature

Summary

Published Date: April 01, 2004

This memorandum provides estimates of the financial impact of Senate Bill (SB) 1555, updating a previous analysis by the California Health Benefits Review Program (CHBRP) of the impacts of SB 897. Like SB 1555, SB 897 proposed mandatory maternity services coverage. However, SB 897 applied to plans and policies regulated by Knox-Keene1 and the California Department of Insurance, whereas SB 1555 applies only to plans regulated by the Department of Insurance. As indicated by your committee’s staff in recent conversations, 100 percent of enrollees in Knox-Keene plans are already covered for maternity services because Knox-Keene regulations are assumed to require health maintenance organizations to cover maternity services through both basic (prenatal) and emergency (delivery and immediate postpartum) care.