CA AB2511

Requires the Department of Industrial Relations to conduct a comparable worth study examining compensation disparities between behavioral health providers (psychiatrists, psychologists, therapists, counselors) and similarly situated medical-surgical providers

Mandates health care service plans, health insurers, intermediaries, and health systems to report detailed payment data including reimbursement rates, total payments, and contractual structures for both behavioral health and medical-surgical services

Study must analyze payments across three flows: direct payments to providers, payments to intermediaries/health systems, and payments from intermediaries/health systems to individual providers

Entities failing to comply with reporting requirements face civil penalties of up to $10,000 per day of noncompliance

Department must submit findings to the Legislature by January 1, 2028, including a methodology for determining provider comparability based on education, licensure, training, and working conditions