Major Proposals Print E-mail
AB 8 (Núñez): "Health Care Coverage"

As of 10/24/07: Governor Schwarzenegger vetoed AB 8 on October 12. Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez’s (D-Los Angeles) health reform proposal, AB 8, aimed to significantly expand affordable health coverage for Californians. The bill would have established a "pay or play" system and allowed employees of firms that “pay” to enroll in a newly created California Cooperative Health Insurance Purchasing Program (Cal-CHIPP) to receive coverage. AB 8 would have expanded eligibility for public health insurance programs for children and parents. The proposal also aimed to improve access to coverage on the individual insurance market by standardizing medical underwriting, clarifying eligibility for the high-risk pool, and facilitating comparison shopping.

AB 8 would have been financed through employer and employee contributions and new federal matching dollars associated with public program expansion. The proposal included specific elements to help control health care costs.


The Proposal
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Bill
Summary of the Proposal's Features

The Full Proposal (PDF)

Status
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Assembly Speaker Núñez introduced AB 8 on December 4, 2006. The full Assembly passed the bill on June 7. On June 20, 2007, AB 8 was amended to include some details from SB 48 (Perata). The bill was amended again on September 5, and the full Senate passed it on September 10. The Governor called a special session to continue negotiations and vetoed AB 8 on October 12 (as of 10/14/07).

Official Legislative Information for AB 8: History and Status


Analysis
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Elliot Wicks, Ph.D., Framework assessment of AB 8 (Núñez), 11/2007. 

California Assembly , Floor analysis, 11/14/07.

Blue Sky Consulting, The Impact of Health Care Reform Proposals on California Counties, 10/1/07.

California Assembly, Floor analysis, 9/10/07.

California Senate, Floor analysis, 9/8/07.

Senate Appropriations Committee, Bill analysis, 8/30/07.

Senate Appropriations Committee, Projected Cost and Coverage Changes under AB, 8/20/07.

Senate Appropriations Committee, Bill analysis, 8/20/07.

Senate Health Committee, Bill analysis, 7/11/07.

Assembly floor analysis, 6/4/07. 

Jonathan Gruber, Ph.D. (MIT), Modeling Health Reform in California (PDF), 5/16/07. Watch Dr. Gruber's presentation (video).

Supporting Materials from Assembly member Núñez, 5/15/07.

Assembly Committee on Health, Bill analysis, 4/24/07.


Additional Materials
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Fabian Núñez, Healthcare reform -- now; We can't let radicals stop my sensible plan for helping desperate Californians, Los Angeles Times, 8/30/07.

Senate Office of Research, "AB 48 (Perata) and AB 8 (Nunez): Roadmap to Health Care Cost Containment" (PDF).

Assembly Committee on Health, Hearing on AB 8 (video), 4/24/07.

Speaker Núñez's office,  Press release, 2/15/07.

Assembly Committee on Health, Health Care Reform: What Are the Choices?
 
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