Board backs bill to track medical‑vision measures for Medicaid enrollees

The California State Board of Optometry voted to support AB2756 (sponsored by the California Optometric Association), legislation that would require the Department of Health Care Services to define and publicly report standardized performance measures for medical‑vision services to track utilization, access and availability for children and adults enrolled in Medi‑Cal.

Board members discussed the bill’s origins: a COA study found very low utilization among school‑age children in medical coverage (the study cited 16% receiving recommended primary eye care), and sponsors told the board the goal is to make measures and benchmarks available so policymakers can address access gaps. Christine Schultz, executive director of the California Optometric Association, told the board the bill mirrors reporting requirements that exist for other safety‑net services and that sponsors expect to take amendments clarifying data sources to reduce any fiscal impact.

Board member Klepa moved to support AB2756 and the motion passed in a roll‑call vote. Staff noted there is not a required fiscal impact to the board itself; DHCS would be required to consult stakeholders as it develops measures and to publish an annual summary of outcomes and complaints. Members asked staff to track the bill’s committee hearings and fiscal analyses.

The board also reviewed two other bills: AB1558 (Uniform Emergency Volunteer Health Practitioner Act) — staff are monitoring and did not recommend a position at this time — and SB1445 (technical fix to a fee floor for nonresident dispensing optician registration), which the board supported because it corrected a statutory drafting error and had no net revenue impact to the board.