127671. (a) The Legislature finds and declares that California has a substantial public interest in the price, cost, utilization, equity, and quality of health care services. California is a major purchaser of health coverage through the Public Employees’ Retirement System, the State Department of Health Care Services, the Department of General Services, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the California Health Benefit Exchange, and other entities acting on behalf of a state purchaser. California also provides major tax expenditures through the tax exclusion of employer-sponsored coverage and tax deductibility of coverage purchased by individuals, as well as tax deductibility of excess health care costs for individuals and families.
(b) It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this chapter to establish a system to collect information regarding health care costs, utilization, quality, and equity. Health care data is reported and collected through many disparate systems. Creating a process to aggregate and use this data will provide greater transparency regarding health care costs, utilization, quality, and equity, and the information may be used to inform policy decisions regarding the provision of quality health care, improving public health, reducing disparities, advancing health coverage, reducing health care costs, oversight of the health care system and health care companies, and providing public benefit for Californians and the state, while preserving consumer privacy.
(c) It is the intent of the Legislature to improve data transparency to achieve a sustainable health care system with more equitable access to affordable and quality health care for all.
(d) It is the intent of the Legislature in enacting this chapter to encourage state agencies, researchers, health care service plans, health insurers, providers, suppliers, and other stakeholders to use this data to develop innovative approaches, services, and programs that may have the potential to deliver health care that is both cost effective and responsive to the needs of enrollees, including recognizing the diversity of California and the impact of social determinants of health.
(e) It is the intent of the Legislature that the development of a Health Care Payments Data System be substantially completed no later than July 1, 2023, pursuant to this chapter.
(f) For purposes of this chapter:
(1) “Director” means the Director of the Department of Health Care Access and Information.
(2) “Fund” means the Health Care Payments Data Fund established pursuant to Section 127674.
(3) “Department” means the Department of Health Care Access and Information.
(4) “Program” means the Health Care Payments Data Program established pursuant to Section 127671.1.
(5) “Qualified applicants” includes state agencies, mandatory submitters, established nonprofit research institutions, the University of California, nonprofit educational institutions, providers, suppliers, labor unions, self-insured multiemployer plans that submit data to the system, and consumer organizations certified for the Consumer Participation Program administered by the Department of Managed Health Care pursuant to Section 1348.9 that have been awarded reasonable advocacy and witness fees in a proceeding or proceedings of the department.
(6) “Research” has the same meaning as defined in Section 164.501 of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(7) “System” means the Health Care Payments Data System.
(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 89. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)