California Senate Bill 1037
Session 20252026
Health care coverage: rate review.
Introduced
Introduced in Senate on Feb 11, 2026
Origin Chamber
Senate
Type
Bill
Bill Number
1037
State
California
Session
20252026
Motion Text
Placed on suspense file
Senate Roll Call Votes
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 violation of the act by a health care service plan a misdemeanor. Existing law provides for the regulation of health insurers by the Department of Insurance. Existing law defines "unreasonable rate increase," for these purposes, to have the same meaning as in the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which is that an unreasonable rate increase exists when the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services makes a determination that a rate increase is excessive, unjustified, or unfairly discriminatory, among other things.
This bill would instead define "unreasonable rate increase," for the above-described purposes, to mean a rate increase that the Director of the Department of Managed Health Care or the Insurance Commissioner, as applicable, determines is excessive, unjustified, unfairly discriminatory, or otherwise unreasonable.
Existing law requires a health care service plan or health insurer to submit rates to their regulating entity for review and to demonstrate the impact of any changes in the rate of growth of health care costs resulting from health care cost targets.
This bill would instead require a health care service plan or health insurer to demonstrate the impact of health care cost targets on rate development, including medical trends, medical inflation, and medical administrative costs. If a plan or insurer asserts that aging, high-cost drugs, or other cost drivers explain a rate increase, the bill would require the plan or insurer to explain how it reconciles this information with analysis published by the Office of Health Care Affordability. Because a willful violation of these provisions by a health care service plan would be a crime, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
Existing law requires the director or the commissioner, as applicable, in determining whether a rate is unreasonable or not justified for purposes of the above-described review, to consider the impact on changes in health care costs as a result of the health care cost targets described above.
This bill would require the director or the commissioner, as applicable, to additionally consider any excessive tangible net equity of the plan or the insurer in the above-described determination. The bill would require the Department of Managed Health Care and the Department of Insurance, in collaboration with the Office of Health Care Affordability, to each conduct an enhanced rate review to determine if health care premiums are affordable for individual and group purchasers. The bill would require the review to include the annual change in premiums and cost sharing for the prior 5 years, including deductibles, copayments, coinsurance, and any other cost sharing that impact actuarial value.
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.
02/11/26 - Introduced
February 11, 2026
04/07/26 - Amended Senate
April 7, 2026
04/13/26- Senate Health
April 13, 2026
04/24/26- Senate Appropriations
April 24, 2026
Sort by most recent
04/27/2026
Senate
April 27 hearing: Placed on APPR. suspense file.
04/17/2026
Senate
Set for hearing April 27.
04/16/2026
Senate
From committee: Do pass and re-refer to Com. on APPR. (Ayes 7. Noes 1.) (April 15). Re-referred to Com. on APPR.
04/07/2026
Senate
From committee with author's amendments. Read second time and amended. Re-referred to Com. on HEALTH.
04/02/2026
Senate
Set for hearing April 15.
04/01/2026
Senate
April 8 set for first hearing canceled at the request of author.
03/23/2026
Senate
Set for hearing April 8.
02/18/2026
Senate
Referred to Com. on HEALTH.
02/12/2026
Senate
From printer. May be acted upon on or after March 14.
02/11/2026
Senate
Introduced. Read first time. To Com. on RLS. for assignment. To print.
Sources
Record Created
Feb 12, 2026 8:27:39 AM
Record Updated
Apr 28, 2026 8:37:45 AM