Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez unveiled a bill today that he says would ready California for expanded new health-insurance options that federal law requires by 2014.
Assembly Bill 1602 sets up the California Health Benefit Exchange, which will serve as a marketplace for small businesses and individuals to buy insurance under terms that will now include federal tax breaks and subsidies, Pérez said at a press conference.
Jan. 1 is the federal deadline for setting up the initial exchange framework. The exchange's executive board will be appointed by the Legislature and the governor.
Pérez said that the option of buying insurance through the exchange will give small businesses new advantages in the form of tax credits and support from the state, which will negotiate terms.
Pérez said thousands of individuals will also get tax breaks and subsidies for buying insurance they can't get through employers.
"There are huge numbers of people across the state" who could benefit from the exchange, he said. Under federal eligibility terms, families of three people earning between $24,000 and $73,000 a year could potentially benefit.
The bill also would prohibit excluding anyone younger than 19 from any new or renewed health insurance plan after Sept. 23.
Pérez was asked whether he thought Republicans might oppose the bill, especially since GOP leaders had called for California to join some states in lawsuits to stop the Obama-backed federal overhaul.
"I think that is a short-sighted and short-term position by the Republicans," Pérez said. "My sense is that over time they will appreciate the value of what this means for the average Californian and, quite frankly, for small businesses in the state."
PHOTO CREDIT: Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez, meets with members of the Bee's Capitol Bureau on March 3. Hector Amezcua/hamezcua@sacbee.com
Latest posts:
About Comments
Reader comments on Sacbee.com are the opinions of the writer, not The Sacramento Bee. If you see an objectionable comment, click the "report abuse" button below it. We will delete comments containing inappropriate links, obscenities, hate speech, and personal attacks. Flagrant or repeat violators will be banned. See more about comments here.