Committee advances AB 315 to expand Home and Community‑Based Alternatives waiver capacity and study rates

The Assembly Health Committee on March 25 advanced AB 315, which seeks to expand capacity in the Home and Community‑Based Alternatives (HCBA) waiver and require a study of service rates to help the state plan managed‑care incorporation of waiver services.

Author Assemblymember Buonton (presenting as author) said the HCBA waiver allows medically fragile individuals to receive in‑home or community‑based care that would otherwise be provided in institutional settings. The bill asks the Department of Health Care Services to seek federal approval to increase the number of waiver slots and directs a rate study because current service rates have not kept pace with inflation, making it harder for waiver agencies to secure necessary services.

Proponents described the program as cost‑effective and dignity‑preserving: testimony from Cardea Health and a long‑time recipient of waiver services said the waiver reduced hospital and nursing‑facility use and improved quality of life. Cardea Health executives and many waiver providers and advocates — including Disability Rights California, Children’s Hospital Association of California, Family Voices, and the Alzheimer’s Association — testified in support.

Committee members recorded the motion to refer the bill to appropriations. Testimony emphasized that expanding slots and understanding rates could reduce emergency and institutional care costs and help people remain in community settings.

Discussion versus action: The committee accepted the motion and referred AB 315 to appropriations; no final budgetary decisions were made in the hearing.