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Assembly Health Committee advances bill to extend, fund California Health Benefit Review Program
Summary
The Assembly Health Committee voted to send SB 439, which would extend the sunset for the California Health Benefit Review Program by six years and add $1 million annually to its budget, to the Appropriations Committee after testimony from the bill author and CHBRP representatives.
The California State Assembly Health Committee on June 17 voted to send SB 439 to the Appropriations Committee. The bill would extend the sunset of the California Health Benefit Review Program (CHBRP) by six years and increase its annual budget by $1,000,000.
CHBRP’s sponsor and witnesses told the committee the program supplies independent, evidence-based analyses to inform state health policy. Senator Weber Pearson, the bill’s sponsor, opened the presentation and asked members for an aye vote on the measure. Jen Chase, testifying for the University of California as a sponsor representative, said the university supports the bill and “would ask respectfully for an aye vote.”
Garen Corbett, director of the California Health Benefit Review Program, described CHBRP’s work and needs. Corbett said he has led the program since 2011 and that CHBRP has completed nearly 250 requests, producing resources specific to California that are publicly available. He said the program’s funding has not kept pace with inflation, adding that CHBRP has had only one budget increase in more than 20 years. “The critical funding increase will help us manage inflationary pressures and restore our ability to produce more analyses for you each year,” Corbett said.
Committee members did not record opposition and offered general support during questioning. Following testimony, the committee clerk called the roll and the motion to pass the measure to the Appropriations Committee carried with members recorded as voting aye. The measure’s formal next step is review by the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
SB 439, as presented, would (1) extend the program’s statutory sunset by six years and (2) increase its annual budget by $1,000,000. Testimony described CHBRP’s statutory role as providing fiscal and policy analysis of health benefit mandate bills and other requests. Corbett and Chase said the additional resources would allow CHBRP to respond to evolving state and federal policy changes and produce more analyses each year.
The hearing included a consent calendar listing several other bills placed on consent; those items were not debated and were moved as a block earlier in the meeting. With SB 439 advanced to Appropriations, the committee concluded its session.
