California Legislature (healthcare bills) · October 6, 2025 · Primary source
CA SB 402: Health care coverage: autism.
Summary
California SB 402, chaptered as Chapter 413 of the 2025 Statutes, relocates definitions of qualified autism service provider, qualified autism service professional, and qualified autism service paraprofessional from the Health and Safety Code and Insurance Code into the Business and Professions Code. The bill applies to coverage requirements under the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act and companion insurance statutes that mandate behavioral health treatment coverage for autism and pervasive developmental disorder. The bill also contains conforming amendments that are conditioned on concurrent enactment of AB 280, AB 951, and AB 653 or SB 848.
What this may mean
Health care service plans and health insurers subject to California's autism coverage mandate must apply the relocated provider qualification definitions now codified in the Business and Professions Code when credentialing and reimbursing qualified autism service providers, professionals, and paraprofessionals. The change is structural rather than substantive, but contracts and credentialing policies that cross-reference the former Health and Safety Code or Insurance Code sections will reference incorrect statutory locations. Conditional amendments to Health and Safety Code sections 1367.27, 1374.73, and Insurance Code sections 10133.15 and 10144.51 take effect only if the companion bills were also enacted.
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