AB1906 - Health care coverage: home test kits.

Amended IN Senate August 21, 2026 Amended IN Senate June 22, 2026 Amended IN Senate June 08, 2026 CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION Assembly Bill No. 1906 Introduced by Assembly Member Aguiar-Curry February 12, 2026 An act to amend Section 1367.66 of the Health and Safety Code, to amend Section 10123.18 of the Insurance Code, and to amend Sections 14132, 14132.17, and 24007 Section 14132.17 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to health care coverage. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1906, as amended, Aguiar-Curry. Health care coverage: home test kits. (1) Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care, and makes a willful violation of the act a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law requires a health care service plan contract or health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2002, to provide coverage for an annual cervical cancer screening test upon the referral of the patient’s health care provider. This bill would require a health care service plan contract or health insurance policy policy, except for a vision-only, dental-only, or Medicare supplement contract or policy, issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027, to provide coverage without cost sharing for cervical cancer screening, including the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-authorized or cleared self-collected cervical screening kits, when ordered or provided by an in-network provider and consistent with nationally recognized clinical guidelines. specified recommendations published by the State Department of Public Health. For health savings account-eligible plans or policies, the bill would require the above-described coverage only to the extent the plan is a high deductible health plan under specified federal law. Because a willful violation of the bill’s requirements relative to health care service plans would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which health care services are provided to low-income individuals pursuant to a schedule of benefits. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. An annual cervical cancer test for screening or diagnostic purposes, upon the referral of a patient’s physician, is a covered benefit under the Medi-Cal program to the extent required or permitted by federal law. This bill would instead include cervical cancer tests for screening that are ordered by a patient’s health care provider and consistent with nationally recognized clinical guidelines specified recommendations published by the State Department of Public Health as a covered benefit under the Medi-Cal program on or after January 1, 2027. The bill would additionally include FDA-authorized or cleared cervical cancer home test kits for screening that are ordered by a patient’s health care provider and consistent with nationally recognized clinical guidelines specified recommendations published by the State Department of Public Health and Medi-Cal policies as a covered benefit under the Medi-Cal program on or after January 1, 2027, without cost sharing, to the extent required or permitted by federal law. that federal financial participation is available and not otherwise jeopardized and any necessary federal approvals have been obtained. (3) Under existing law, the Medi-Cal program administers the Family Planning, Access, Care, and Treatment (Family PACT) Program within the State Department of Health Care Services to provide comprehensive clinical family planning services to a person with a family income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. Existing law authorizes the department to provide reimbursement for sexually transmitted disease-related services as part of the Family PACT Program. Existing law establishes within the department the State-Only Family Planning Program to provide comprehensive clinical family planning services to any individual who is a resident of the state, has a family income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, has no other health coverage, except as described, and is not otherwise eligible for Medi-Cal services without a share of cost. Existing law includes in the benefits for Medi-Cal, the Family PACT Program, and the State-Only Family Planning Program home test kits for sexually transmitted diseases and the laboratory testing required to process those kits that are deemed medically necessary or appropriate and are ordered directly by a health care provider or furnished through a standing order for patient use based on clinical guidelines and individual patient health needs, contingent upon the addition of billing codes specific to home test kits in the Current Procedural Terminology or Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System. This bill would remove the above-described requirements related to the addition of billing codes for the above-described programs. (4) (3) 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason. Digest Key Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: YES Bill Text The people of the State of California do enact as follows: SECTION 1. Section 1367.66 of the Health and Safety Code is amended to read: 1367.66. (a) (1) A individual or group health care service plan contract, except for a specialized health care service plan, issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027, shall provide coverage for cervical cancer screening when ordered or provided by an in-network provider operating within their permitted scope of practice and consistent with nationally recognized clinical guidelines. any relevant recommendations published pursuant to Section 120164. (2) The coverage for a cervical cancer screening test provided pursuant to this subdivision shall include the conventional Pap test, a human papillomavirus screening test that is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including FDA-authorized or cleared self-collected cervical screening kits that allow patients to self-collect samples at a location outside of a clinical setting, and the option of any cervical cancer screening test approved by the FDA that is ordered or provided by the patient’s health care provider. (b) A health care service plan contract, except for a specialized health care service plan, issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2024, shall provide coverage for the human papillomavirus vaccine for enrollees for whom the vaccine is approved by the FDA. (c) A health care service plan contract shall not impose a deductible, coinsurance, copayment, or any other cost-sharing requirement on the coverage provided pursuant to this section. (d) The cost-sharing requirements described in subdivision (c) shall only apply to a health savings account-eligible health care service plan to the extent the plan does not fail to be treated as a high deductible health plan under Section 223 of Title 26 of the United States Code. (e) This section does not apply to a vision-only, dental-only, or Medicare supplement health care service plan contract. (e) (f) This section does not limit the application of Section 1367.002. (g) This section does not apply to Medi-Cal managed care plan contracts with the State Department of Health Care Services pursuant to Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000), Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 14200), or Chapter 8.75 (commencing with Section 14591) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. SEC. 2. Section 10123.18 of the Insurance Code is amended to read: 10123.18. (a) (1) A health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2027, shall provide coverage for cervical cancer screening when ordered or provided by an in-network provider operating within their permitted scope of practice and consistent with nationally recognized clinical guidelines. any relevant recommendations published pursuant to Section 120164 of the Health and Safety Code. (2) The coverage for a cervical cancer screening test provided pursuant to this subdivision shall include the conventional Pap test, a human papillomavirus screening test that is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA), including FDA-authorized or cleared self-collected cervical screening kits that allow patients to self-collect samples at a location outside of a clinical setting, and the option of any cervical cancer screening test approved by the FDA that is ordered or provided by the patient’s health care provider. (3) This subdivision does not require an individual or group policy to cover treatment or surgery for cervical cancer or to prevent application of deductible or copayment provisions contained in the policy or certificate, and does not require that coverage under an individual or group policy be extended to any other procedures. (b) A health insurance policy issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2024, that provides coverage for hospital, medical, or surgical benefits shall provide coverage for the human papillomavirus vaccine for insureds for whom the vaccine is approved by the FDA. (c) A health insurance policy shall not impose a deductible, coinsurance, copayment, or any other cost-sharing requirement on the coverage provided pursuant to this section. (d) The cost-sharing requirements described in subdivision (c) shall only apply to a health savings account-eligible health insurance policy to the extent it does not fail to be treated as a high deductible health plan under Section 223 of Title 26 of the United States Code. (e) This section does not apply to a vision-only, dental-only, or Medicare supplement insurance policy. (e) (f) This section does not limit the application of Section 10112.2. SEC. 3. Section 14132 of the Welfare and Institutions Code is amended to read: 14132. The following is the schedule of benefits under this chapter: (a) Outpatient services are covered as follows: Physician, hospital or clinic outpatient, surgical center, respiratory care, optometric, chiropractic, psychology, podiatric, occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, audiology, acupuncture to the extent federal matching funds are provided for acupuncture, and services of persons rendering treatment by prayer or healing by spiritual means in the practice of any church or religious denomination insofar as these can be encompassed by federal participation under an approved plan, subject to utilization controls. (b) (1) Inpatient hospital services, including, but not limited to, physician and podiatric services, physical therapy, and occupational therapy, are covered subject to utilization controls. (2) For a Medi-Cal fee-for-service beneficiary, emergency services and care that are necessary for the treatment of an emergency medical condition and medical care directly related to the emergency medical condition. This paragraph does not change the obligation of Medi-Cal managed care plans to provide emergency services and care. For the purposes of this paragraph, “emergency services and care” and “emergency medical condition” have the same meanings as those terms are defined in Section 1317.1 of the Health and Safety Code. (c) Nursing facility services, subacute care services, and services provided by any category of intermediate care facility for the developmentally disabled, including podiatry, physician, nurse practitioner services, and prescribed drugs, as described in subdivision (d), are covered subject to utilization controls. Respiratory care, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and audiology services for patients in nursing facilities and any category of intermediate care facility for persons with developmental disabilities are covered subject to utilization controls. (d) (1) Purchase of prescribed drugs is covered subject to the Medi-Cal List of Contract Drugs and utilization controls. (2) Purchase of drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction or any off-label uses of those drugs are covered only to the extent that federal financial participation is available. (3) (A) To the extent required by federal law, the purchase of outpatient prescribed drugs, for which the prescription is executed by a prescriber in written, nonelectronic form on or after April 1, 2008, is covered only when executed on a tamper-resistant prescription form. The implementation of this paragraph shall conform to the guidance issued by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, but shall not conflict with state statutes on the characteristics of tamper-resistant prescriptions for controlled substances, including Section 11162.1 of the Health and Safety Code. The department shall provide providers and beneficiaries with as much flexibility in implementing these rules as allowed by the federal government. The department shall notify and consult with appropriate stakeholders in implementing, interpreting, or making specific this paragraph. (B) Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, the department may take the actions specified in subparagraph (A) by means of a provider bulletin or notice, policy letter, or other similar instructions without taking regulatory action. (4) (A) (i) For the purposes of this paragraph, “nonlegend” has the same meaning as defined in subdivision (a) of Section 14105.45. (ii) Nonlegend acetaminophen-containing products, including children’s acetaminophen-containing products, selected by the department are covered benefits. (iii) Nonlegend cough and cold products selected by the department are covered benefits. (B) Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, the department may take the actions specified in subparagraph (A) by means of a provider bulletin or notice, policy letter, or other similar instruction without taking regulatory action. (e) Outpatient dialysis services and home hemodialysis services, including physician services, medical supplies, drugs, and equipment required for dialysis, are covered, subject to utilization controls. (f) Anesthesiologist services when provided as part of an outpatient medical procedure, nurse anesthetist services when rendered in an inpatient or outpatient setting under conditions set forth by the director, outpatient laboratory services, and x-ray services are covered, subjec [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]