Health care coverage: portable HEPA purifiers.
Vote required
Two Thirds
Fiscal committee
No
Appropriation
No
Current location
Vetoed
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Progress
Where this bill stands in the legislative process.
- Introduced
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Overview
This bill requires large group health care service plans and health insurance policies issued in California on or after January 1, 2026, to cover the cost of a portable HEPA air purifier for pregnant individuals or those diagnosed with asthma or COPD residing in or displaced from counties experiencing wildfire emergencies, provided a health care provider prescribes it. The cost of the purifier cannot exceed $500, adjusted for inflation, if a lower-cost option is available. The bill also addresses applicability to specific public employee and teacher retirement systems and excludes certain types of policies.
Key provisions
- Requires large group health plans and insurance policies to cover HEPA purifiers for pregnant individuals or those with asthma/COPD in wildfire-affected counties.
- Sets a maximum cost of $500 for the HEPA purifier, adjusted for inflation.
- Coverage is triggered by a local or state emergency declaration due to wildfires.
- Applies to Public Employees’ Retirement System and State Teachers’ Retirement System members.
- Excludes Medicare supplement policies and Medi-Cal managed care plans.
- Requires health plans to provide notice to affected enrollees upon implementation or within 30 days of a wildfire emergency declaration.
- Defines ‘local or state emergency’ for the purpose of the bill.
- Declares the bill to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
Who is affected
- Health care service plans
Bill text
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