California Assembly Bill 546
Session 20252026
Health care coverage: portable HEPA purifiers.
Active
Vetoed by Governor on Oct 13, 2025
Origin Chamber
Assembly
Type
Bill
Bill Number
546
State
California
Session
20252026
Motion Text
AB 546 Caloza Concurrence in Senate Amendments
Assembly Roll Call Votes
Yes
Other
Yes
Ávila Farías
Yes
Yes
Other
Yes
Yes
Other
Yes
Other
Yes
Yes
Yes
Other
Other
Yes
Yes
Other
Johnson
Other
Yes
Yes
Yes
Other
Other
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Other
Other
Other
Summary
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's requirements a crime. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law sets forth specified coverage requirements for plan contracts and insurance policies, and limits the copayment, coinsurance, deductible, and other cost sharing that may be imposed for specified health care services.
This bill would require a large group health care service plan contract or large group health insurance policy, except a specialized health care service plan contract or health insurance policy, that is issued, amended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2026, to include coverage for one portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) purifier for an enrollee or insured who is pregnant or diagnosed with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease if the enrollee or insured is residing in or displaced from a county where a local or state emergency has been declared due to wildfires and the HEPA purifier is prescribed by the enrollee's or insured's health care provider. The bill would prohibit the cost of the HEPA purifier from exceeding $500, adjusted for inflation, as specified.
Because a willful violation of these provisions by a health care service plan would be a crime, this bill 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 no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.
02/11/25 - Introduced
February 11, 2025
05/01/25 - Amended Assembly
May 1, 2025
07/07/25 - Amended Senate
July 7, 2025
08/29/25 - Amended Senate
August 29, 2025
09/03/25 - Amended Senate
September 3, 2025
09/11/25 - Enrolled
September 11, 2025
04/26/25- Assembly Health
April 26, 2025
05/19/25- Assembly Appropriations
May 19, 2025
05/22/25- ASSEMBLY FLOOR ANALYSIS
May 22, 2025
06/30/25- Senate Health
June 30, 2025
08/15/25- Senate Appropriations
August 15, 2025
08/29/25- Senate Appropriations
August 29, 2025
09/02/25- Sen. Floor Analyses
September 2, 2025
09/06/25- Sen. Floor Analyses
September 6, 2025
09/09/25- ASSEMBLY FLOOR ANALYSIS
September 9, 2025
10/23/25- ASSEMBLY FLOOR ANALYSIS
October 23, 2025
Sort by most recent
10/13/2025
Assembly
Consideration of Governor's veto pending.
10/13/2025
Assembly
Vetoed by Governor.
09/16/2025
California State Legislature
Enrolled and presented to the Governor at 2 p.m.
09/09/2025
Assembly
Senate amendments concurred in. To Engrossing and Enrolling. (Ayes 67. Noes 0. Page 3107.).
09/08/2025
Assembly
In Assembly. Concurrence in Senate amendments pending.
09/08/2025
Senate
Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. Ordered to the Assembly. (Ayes 29. Noes 3.).
09/04/2025
Senate
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
09/03/2025
Senate
Read third time and amended. Ordered to second reading.
09/02/2025
Senate
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
08/29/2025
Senate
Read second time and amended. Ordered returned to second reading.
08/29/2025
Senate
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended. (Ayes 5. Noes 0.) (August 29).
08/18/2025
Senate
In committee: Referred to suspense file.
07/07/2025
Senate
Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
07/03/2025
Senate
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 9. Noes 0.) (July 2).
06/04/2025
Senate
Referred to Com. on HEALTH.
05/28/2025
Senate
In Senate. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment.
05/27/2025
Assembly
Read third time. Urgency clause adopted. Passed. Ordered to the Senate. (Ayes 67. Noes 0. Page 1735.).
05/22/2025
Assembly
Read second time. Ordered to third reading.
05/21/2025
Assembly
From committee: Do pass. (Ayes 11. Noes 0.) (May 21).
05/14/2025
Assembly
In committee: Hearing postponed by committee.
05/05/2025
Assembly
Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
05/01/2025
Assembly
Read second time and amended.
04/30/2025
Assembly
From committee: Amend, and do pass as amended and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 14. Noes 0.) (April 29).
02/24/2025
Assembly
Referred to Com. on HEALTH.
02/12/2025
Assembly
From printer. May be heard in committee March 14.
02/11/2025
Assembly
Read first time. To print.
Sources
Record Created
Feb 12, 2025 4:03:27 PM
Record Updated
Oct 24, 2025 8:37:44 AM