Health Care Coverage – Advisory Panel on Health Care Delivery Systems and Universal Coverage: This bill would establish the Advisory Panel on Health Care Delivery Systems and Universal Coverage in the California Health and Human Services Agency and would require the advisory panel to develop a plan to achieve universal coverage and a unified publicly financed health care system. The bill would require the Secretary of California Health and Human Services to appoint members to the advisory panel, as provided, and would require the advisory panel to convene public meetings at least quarterly, beginning on or before March 1, 2019.

The bill would require the plan developed by the advisory panel to include a timeline of the benchmarks and steps necessary to implement a universal and unified publicly financed health care system. The bill would require the plan to include, among other things, a multiyear financial model, a consideration of requirements necessary to seek federal waivers or federal statutory changes, and a consideration of the requirements for state constitutional amendments. The bill would require the advisory panel to submit a report detailing its progress in developing the plan to the health committees of the Senate and the Assembly on or before January 1, 2020, and to submit a followup progress report every 6 months thereafter. The bill would also also set deadlines for the advisory panel to submit proposals to implement certain portions of the plan to the Legislature for approval or review. The bill’s provisions would be repealed on January 1, 2024.