BILL NUMBER: SB 485INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Senator Hernandez FEBRUARY 17, 2011 An act relating to Medi-Cal. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST SB 485, as introduced, Hernandez. Medi-Cal. Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income persons receive health care services. Existing law requires the department to develop a program to provide information and assistance to enable Medi-Cal beneficiaries to understand and successfully use the services of the Medi-Cal managed care plans in which they enroll. This bill would declare the intent of the Legislature regarding legislation that would require the department to provide specified information regarding community clinics to Medi-Cal beneficiaries who do not have a primary care physician, but who utilize the emergency unit of a general acute care hospital for care of routine physical ailments. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. It is the intent of the Legislature to enact legislation that would, as a pilot program, require the State Department of Health Care Services to mail a letter to Medi-Cal beneficiaries who do not have a primary care physician, but who utilize the emergency unit of a general acute care hospital for care of routine physical ailments, that explains the availability of, and identifies, nearby clinics to visit for care of these ailments.