What SB 1202 does
An act to amend Section 14005.36 of, and to add Sections 14005.365 and 14197.81 to, the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to Medi-Cal.
Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is in part governed by, and funded pursuant to, federal Medicaid program provisions.
Existing federal law, enacted on July 4, 2025, sets forth various changes to Medicaid eligibility with regard to community engagement reporting, redeterminations, retroactive coverage, and cost sharing, among other factors, for certain Medicaid populations pursuant to a specified implementation timeline.
This bill would require the department to establish a data dashboard that provides data on applications, enrollment, redeterminations, disenrollments, and terminations, with certain objectives in consideration, related to the impact of the above-described federal law on Medi-Cal eligibility and enrollment, as specified. The bill would require the dashboard to track and report on the specific data for work or community engagement requirements and exemptions. The bill would require the department, commencing no later than January 1, 2028, to operationalize the dashboard and to post the information on a monthly basis in a downloadable format.
The bill would require the department to undertake efforts to conduct outreach about work or community engagement requirements, more frequent redeterminations, and changes to retroactive eligibility to impacted Medi-Cal beneficiaries, and to conduct listening sessions, as specified. Under the bill, beneficiary outreach and education would be coordinated across public social services programs to help minimize barriers to administrative disenrollments.
The bill would require a Medi-Cal managed care plan to establish and conduct an outreach and education plan for its enrollees about the work or community engagement guidelines set forth in federal law based on guidance provided by the department. The bill would require the outreach and education plan to address certain information on Medi-Cal eligibility, the right to appeal or reinstate Medi-Cal coverage, and resources, and to meet certain cultural and linguistic appropriateness standards.
Existing law requires a county to undertake outreach efforts to beneficiaries receiving Medi-Cal benefits in order to, in part, facilitate the Medi-Cal redetermination process. Existing law authorizes a county to collaborate with community-based organizations in implementing this provision.
This bill would incorporate the requirements of the above-described federal law into the Medi-Cal redetermination facilitation process. The bill would require a county to make a good faith effort to collaborate with community-based organizations, as specified. The bill would require the county outreach efforts to meet cultural and linguistic appropriateness standards.
By creating new duties for counties relating to Medi-Cal outreach, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
Existing law requires the department to encourage and facilitate efforts by managed care plans to report updated beneficiary contact information to counties. When a managed care plan obtains a beneficiary’s updated contact information, existing law requires the plan to ask the beneficiary for approval to provide the beneficiary’s updated contact information to the appropriate county. If the managed care plan does not obtain that approval, existing law requires the county to attempt to verify that the information that it receives from the plan is accurate, as specified, before updating the beneficiary’s case file.
This bill would remove the requirement for the managed care plan to ask the beneficiary for approval for purposes of providing the contact information to the county. The bill would remove the requirement for the county to make the verification attempt and would remove a related provision on the method of contact. The bill would require the department to share, or require each county to share, beneficiary redetermination data with applicable managed care plans to aid in managed care plans’ efforts to assist beneficiaries with retaining Medi-Cal coverage, as specified. To the extent the bill creates new duties for counties relating to the sharing of Medi-Cal redetermination data, it would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to the statutory provisions noted above.
Summary from the Legislative Counsel's Digest of the amended assembly text, June 16, 2026. Read the full text on leginfo.
How it got here
Senator Weber Pierson introduced SB 1202 on February 19, 2026, with coauthors Senator Smallwood-Cuevas and Assembly Member Patel. The text was amended 4 times, 1 in the Assembly and 3 in the Senate, and heard in 6 committee hearings before its final floor votes.
- Senate Floor, May 19, 2026: 39 ayes, 0 noes.
Committee votes along the way:
- Senate Health, April 8, 2026: Do pass as amended, but first amend, and re-refer to the Committee on [Appropriations] with the recommendation: To Consent Calendar, 11-0.
- Senate Appropriations, April 20, 2026: Placed on suspense file, 7-0.
- Senate Appropriations, May 14, 2026: Do pass as amended, 7-0.
- Assembly Health, June 9, 2026: Do pass as amended, and be re-referred to the Committee on [Appropriations] with recommendation: To Consent Calendar, 15-0.
Who supports and opposes SB 1202
The Assembly Health analysis dated June 5, 2026 lists 77 organizations in support and 0 in opposition. When Senate Health first listed positions on April 6, 2026, the count was 50 in support and 0 opposed. By the Assembly Health analysis of June 5, 2026 it was 77 to 0.
In support: National Health Law Program (sponsor); Justice in Aging (sponsor); Health Access California (sponsor); Western Center on Law & Poverty (sponsor); Alzheimer's Greater Los Angeles; Alzheimer's Orange County; Alzheimer's San Diego; American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network Inc; and 69 more.
Read the Assembly Health analysis.
What happens next
It is in Assembly Appropriations. The last recorded action was on August 13, 2026.
The Governor can sign the bill, veto it, or let it become law without a signature. Until the decision, sign and veto request letters are the remaining channel, and the Department of Finance's enrolled bill report carries weight on anything with a fiscal effect. If signed, most provisions take effect January 1, and implementation moves to the agencies named in the bill.
What it means for health care organizations
This is the stage where language still changes. Amendments taken in committee are the ones that reach the Governor, so an organization with a stake in the drafting has a reason to be in that conversation now rather than after the vote.
The health care group at Capitol Axis handles that for health care clients.
Questions about SB 1202
What does SB 1202 do?
This bill would require the department to establish a data dashboard that provides data on applications, enrollment, redeterminations, disenrollments, and terminations, with certain objectives in consideration, related to the impact of the above-described federal law on Medi-Cal eligibility and enrollment, as specified. The bill would require the dashboard to track and report on the specific data for work or community engagement requirements and exemptions. The bill would require the department, commencing no later than January 1, 2028, to operationalize the dashboard and to post the informati
Has SB 1202 passed the California Legislature?
It is in Assembly Appropriations. The last recorded action was on August 13, 2026.
Who supports and opposes SB 1202?
The Assembly Health analysis dated June 5, 2026 lists 77 organizations in support and 0 in opposition. Supporters include National Health Law Program (sponsor); Justice in Aging (sponsor); Health Access California (sponsor).
What happens next with SB 1202?
It still has committee and floor votes ahead of it. Amendments taken now are the ones that reach the Governor, so this is the stage where language changes are still possible.