CALIFORNIA FUTURE OF ABORTION COUNCIL
Categorical Checklist
For California leaders and policymakers who seek to take meaningful action to expand and protect access to equitable abortion services and related health care, the following checklist highlights the CA FAB Council’s recommendations by action type:
NOTE: Legislation may appear twice as it may include multiple recommendations put forth by the CA FAB Council
OUTSTANDING
Improve access to and capacity of Medi-Cal Transportation Services. Improve Medi-Cal reimbursement rates.
Update Medi-Cal abortion policies so that coverage and reimbursement for abortion and related care are consistent across Medi-Cal managed care plans.
Limit reimbursement delays and claim denials for abortion services. Ensure that commercial plans have fair and reasonable rates.
Provide financial support for abortion service providers to access affordable insurance coverage.
Ensure that primary care and family medicine education programs provide training in miscarriage management, medication abortion, and aspiration abortion.
Provide grants to implement and/or re-introduce medication abortion (MAB) in clinics.
Update Medi-Cal billing policies around medication abortion to facilitate equitable access to MAB for Medi-Cal beneficiaries.
Explore mechanisms, including working with other states, for California providers to offer MAB services to patients who reside in another state using telehealth.
Update Medi-Cal abortion policies that limit access to abortion care for Medi-Cal beneficiaries. Address existing barriers to abortion care later in pregnancy.
Assess and address gaps in abortion access in areas of the state that are served primarily by religiously affiliated hospitals and health systems.
Modernize the Presumptive Eligibility for Pregnant Individuals (currently called PE4PW) Program, including eligibility requirements, coverage limitations, and the web-based enrollment system.
Repeal invalidated law requiring parental consent for abortion services.
Ensure implementation and compliance with laws protecting patients' confidentiality when they seek sensitive services.
Adequately fund implementation and monitoring of California’s existing comprehensive sexual health education mandate.
Fund staff educators and community health workers in Medi-Cal Minor Consent to provide comprehensive sexual health education inclusive of abortion education.
Fund research on: 1) the CA FAB Council progress and impact; 2) comprehensive community survey to identify unmet educational and health needs; 3) effectiveness of sexual health education in public schools; 4) effectiveness and impact of the provision of medication abortion in the state; and 5) effectiveness of current reproductive and sexual health education interventions.
IN PROGRESS
(AB 254, Author: Bauer-Kahan) Provide privacy protections for digital data related to patients accessing abortion services in California.
(AB 352, Author: Bauer-Kahan) Enhance privacy protections for medical records related to abortion, pregnancy loss, and other sensitive services through electronic health record sharing and health information exchanges.
(AB 571, Author: Petrie-Norris) Ensure that medical malpractice insurance includes coverage for comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care.
(AB 1194, Author: Carrillo) Protect abortion patients, providers, and those that support them by ensuring that their identities remain confidential and are not publicly disclosed.
(AB 1432, Author: Carrillo) Ensure cost is not a barrier to care and reimbursement
for abortion and abortion-related services are adequate and timely.
(AB 1481, Author: Boerner) Clarify Presumptive Eligibility for Pregnant Individuals (currently called PE4PW) coverage policies and ensure PE4PW patients can access abortion services regardless of other health coverage.
(AB 1646, Author: Nguyen) The state must invest in a diverse California abortion provider workforce
and increase training opportunities for BIPOC and others historically excluded from health care professions.
(SB 385, Author: Atkins) Review competency requirements for abortion training for nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives, and physicians assistants.
(SB 345, Author: Skinner, SB 487, Author: Atkins, & AB 1707, Author: Pacheco) Provide additional safeguards for California abortion providers and other entities and individuals that serve and support abortion patients that reside in states with hostile abortion laws.
2023 Budget Asks:
Provide ongoing funding of Medi-Cal abortion equity and infrastructure payments and expand eligibility to include additional safety net abortion providers.
Improve Medi-Cal reimbursement rates to ensure that rates reflect the real cost of providing care.
Update Medi-Cal abortion policies so that coverage and reimbursement for abortion and related care are consistent across Medi-Cal managed care plans.
Limit reimbursement delays and claim denials for abortion services.
The California Department of Health Care Services must immediately update its Medi-Cal billing policies around medication abortion (MAB) to facilitate equitable access to MAB for Medi-Cal beneficiaries.
Update Medi-Cal abortion policies that limit access to abortion care for Medi-Cal beneficiaries.
Ensure implementation and compliance with laws protecting patient confidentiality when they seek sensitive services.
Support research in the following areas to inform long-term access to care and mobilization of resources:
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Educational and health awareness needs of populations most impacted by lack of access to abortion.
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Effectiveness of sexual health education in public schools.
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How youth/young people access sexual and reproductive health services and education.
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Effectiveness and impact of the provision of medication abortion (MAB) in the state.
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Community preferences for types of abortion services and levels of care.
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Access to Telehealth.
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Effectiveness of current reproductive and sexual health education interventions, including the extent to which interventions are patient-centered and/or community-based.
Update Medi-Cal policies to improve access to mifepristone and misoprostol.
Secure ongoing and adequate funding for the Reproductive Health Service Corps.
COMPLETED
(AB 2134, Author: Weber) Establish a gap coverage program to provide coverage to Californians lacking coverage for abortion and abortion-related care, including those who are uninsured and underinsured.
(SB 245, Author: Gonzalez) Eliminate cost-sharing for abortion and abortion-related services regardless of a patient’s insurance type.
(SB 1375, Author: Atkins) Review competency requirements for abortion training for nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives, and physicians assistants.
(AB 1666, Author: Bauer-Kahan & AB 2223, Author: Wicks) Enact legal protections from civil and criminal liability to the extent possible for clinicians that provide abortions to patients who reside in other states with hostile abortion laws.
(AB 2223, Author: Wicks) Protect people from prosecutions and criminalization of abortion or pregnancy loss.
(AB 2223, Author: Wicks) Protect patients that self-manage their abortion.
(AB 2091, Author: Bonta) Enhance privacy protections for medical records related to abortion and pregnancy.
(AB 1242, Author: Bauer Kahan, Bonta & Garcia & AB 2223, Author: Wicks) Protect Californians from third-party enforcement of abortion restrictions at the local level.
(SB 1142, Authors: Caballero and Skinner) Fund the work of abortion fund organizations, abortion providers, or other community-based organizations that secure practical support needs for patients.
(SB 1142, Authors: Caballero and Skinner) Invest in the development of an abortion access landing page for centralized information for people seeking abortion care in California.
(SB 1142, Authors: Caballero and Skinner) and (SB 1245, Author: Kamlager) Fund practical support infrastructure, capacity building, coordination, and safety measures for providers, clinics, patients, and funds.
(AB 2134, Author: Weber) Create and fund a program to reimburse providers for services they provide to individuals without other means of paying for care.
Establish an enhanced reimbursement program.
(AB 32, Authors: Aguiar-Curry and Rivas) Standardize telehealth policies across Medi-Cal and commercial payors.
(AB 1918, Author: Petrie-Norris) Improve the education pipeline by creating a California Reproductive Service Corps.
(AB 1918, Author: Petrie-Norris) Optimize loan repayment for clinicians.
(AB 1918, Author: Petrie-Norris) Create and fund a grant program for abortion training and providers serving medically underserved populations.
Expand the Song-Brown Healthcare Workforce Training Program to include certified nurse-midwives.
(AB 1918, Author: Petrie-Norris) Establish funding for California-based organizations providing and enabling clinical abortion training in primary care.
Provide funding for security infrastructure and allocate funds to implement training and enforcement of existing security and privacy laws to protect reproductive health care providers, patients, and clinics.
(AB 2586, Author: Garcia) Fund culturally relevant, community-based organizations that serve and provide medically accurate, comprehensive sexual and reproductive health education, including on abortion, to various communities (e.g. immigrants, homeless, foster youth, BIPOC, LGBTQ, etc.).
(AB 657, Author: Cooper) Will expedite licensure for providers and clinicians committed to provide abortion care in California
(AB 2205, Author: Carrillo) Requires the qualified health plans under Covered California to report annually to the Department of Insurance and Department of Managed Health Care the total amounts of funds collected in the segregated accounts (established under the ACA to hold premium payment of $1 per member per month and from which claims for abortions must be paid) to better understand how much money is currently in those accounts and how much is being used each year to pay claims.
(SCA 10, Authors: Atkins & Rendon) Legislation seeking to amend the California State Constitution to explicitly protect abortion and contraception (NOTE: The legislation successfully passed both CA Senate and CA Assembly. It now heads to the ballot this November where it needs a simple majority of California voters)