AB 1643 Advisory Committee

California Health Incentives Improvement Project (CHIIP)

California Institute on Human Services

Sonoma State University (SSU)

May 2007

Background:  AB 1643, authored by Assemblyman Dave Jones and approved by Governor Schwarzenegger in late September 2006, authorizes the Sonoma State University based California Health Incentives Improvement Project (CHIIP), and its research partners, to study the feasibility of expanding the current long-term care (LTC) insurance program offered through the Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) to provide coverage to additional public employees and retirees with disabilities. 

AB 1643 charges CHIIP (and its research partners) to produce a final report including results of a survey of public employees and retirees who have been denied participation in CalPERS’ existing long-term care insurance program, and to explore:

·        Expected costs of providing coverage without underwriting criteria;

·        Feasibility of various options including higher premiums and longer waiting periods;

·        A proposal for an approach that will maintain fiscal stability of the plan;

·        Potential savings of the proposed plan to the public benefit programs; as well as

·        Other options for people denied private long term care insurance that will enable individuals to obtain LTC services so they are not discouraged from seeking employment.

Advisory Committee Purpose:  As a part of AB 1643, CHIIP is to organize an advisory committee.  The purpose of this advisory group is to provide general guidance to CHIIP and its main research partner, the UC Berkeley Survey Research Center to: 1) Shape research questions; 2) Advise on the conduct of the study (including identification of the study sample); and 3) Assist in the preparation of the final report. Other crucial roles anticipated for specific advisory task force members include:  4) Assisting with buy-in from their respective organizations; 5) Helping to figure out the process and mechanism to survey CalPERS members; 6) Assisting in obtaining research design approval from the State Institutional Review Board; 7) Assisting with analysis relating to savings to other public benefits programs such as Medi-Cal; 8) Providing expertise in population demographics; and 9) Providing expertise in exploring long-term care options. 

Advisory Committee Time Commitment:  CHIIP anticipates that the advisory committee will meet on a quarterly basis through December 2008.  The first meeting could be a day-long event.  Subsequent meetings would be much shorter in length and may take place in person or through the use of the gamut of communication technologies.  In addition, individual task force members may be asked to assist the research team on specific topics related to their unique expertise.  A working timeline for the overall project is attached.    

Proposed Advisory Committee Members:  CHIIP proposes to include representation on the advisory task force from a broad group of disability constituents, including: