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Health committee advances AB 843 to align California law with federal language-access rules for health coverage
Summary
AB 843 would codify federal 2024 language-access requirements into California law to ensure people with limited English proficiency can access and understand health insurance and related services.
The Assembly Health Committee on March 25 advanced AB 843, a bill from Assemblymember Garcia to strengthen language access in health insurance coverage by aligning California law with federal language-access requirements adopted in 2024.
Garcia told the committee that more than 6.5 million Californians have lived in the U.S. fewer than five years and face limited English proficiency, and that people with limited English proficiency are three times more likely to be uninsured than English-proficient counterparts. He said language barriers lead to longer hospital stays, surgical delays, and higher readmission risk.
Miguel Bastidas, chief deputy legislative director for the California Department of Insurance, testified that Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara sponsors the bill and that updated federal regulations (issued in 2024) were developed with stakeholder feedback. Bastidas said AB 843 would “modernize California's language access laws to align with federal regulations” and reduce gaps in access caused by weakened federal protections in prior years.
Witnesses speaking in support included representatives from the California Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Western Center on Law and Poverty, Health Access California, and the California Pan Ethnic Health Network. The committee recorded the motion to refer the bill to appropriations.
Discussion versus action: Committee members praised the bill as addressing real-world language barriers but the action recorded in the hearing was to place the bill on call and refer it to appropriations.
