SB 326 Summary

• Removes conditional language that tied California health insurance requirements to the continued operation of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and its individual mandate, making these protections permanent under state law.

• Requires health insurers and health care service plans to prohibit preexisting condition exclusions, ensure guaranteed issue coverage, and provide essential health benefits without conditioning operation on federal law.

• Applies comprehensive market reforms to both individual and small group health insurance markets in California, including community rating requirements, single risk pool structures, and limits on rating variations based only on age, geographic region, and family versus individual coverage.

• Establishes special enrollment periods and open enrollment requirements for both individual and small group coverage, with specific effective dates for coverage eligibility.

• Imposes state-mandated local program requirements by making violations of these health insurance protections subject to state criminal penalties indefinitely.