AB-1643 (Dave Jones) Approved!

Great news! AB 1643, a first step in correcting discrimination against people with disabilities in long term care insurance, went into effect
January 1, 2007.

AB 1643 provides for a study of the feasibility to expand coverage in the long-term care insurance program offered by the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS). Currently, employees and recent retirees with disabilities are often excluded because they don’t meet the underwriting criteria. AB 1643 is the first step in bringing this long-term care benefit in line with other benefits.

The study will also consider factors such as the extent to which the proposal might result in savings to public benefit programs by encouraging persons with disabilities to go to work. It will also review the effects of eliminating the need for such employees to deplete assets to qualify for public benefits in order to obtain long-term care coverage after retirement.

The study will be funded through a Medicaid infrastructure grant from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and will be managed by the California Health Incentives Improvement Project of the California Institute for Human Services at Sonoma State University.

If you have questions regarding the study or want to participate in the study, please contact me via the “Contact Us” link at the top of this page.