[UCRDBR] Anthem - Implementation of California Legislation for UC Non-Medicare PPO Plans

[Departmental Benefits Representatives]

[A blue text on a black background  Description automatically generated]



May 12, 2025

To:
Department Benefits Representatives (DBRs)
From:
Central HR Benefits Office on behalf of UC Office of the President
Re:
Anthem - Implementation of California Legislation for UC Non-Medicare PPO Plans

DBRs, please share this information via your internal listserv.  Do not reply to this email.  Please
send a separate email with questions to benefits at ucr.edu<mailto:benefits at ucr.edu>.

The University of California Self-Funded Health Plans team has provided guidance to Anthem on implementing benefits that align with the following California legislative provisions:

California Assembly Bill 2556 (Notice:  Behavioral Health and Wellness Screenings)

  *   This legislation requires health plans to provide annual written or electronic notices to enrollees, informing them of the benefits of behavioral health and wellness screenings for children and adolescents 8 to 18 years of age.  The goal is to promote early identification of mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.
  *   Anthem plans to send the custom member notice (see sample below) in early July 2025.

California Assembly Bill 2843 (Health Care Coverage: Rape and Sexual Assault)

  *   This legislation mandates that health plans cover emergency and follow-up medical care related to rape or sexual assault without cost-sharing.  It also prohibits insurers from requiring a police report, criminal charges, or a conviction as conditions for coverage.
  *   All benefits documents (Summary Plan Descriptions or SPDs) will be updated accordingly and posted online to comply with AB 2843.
  *   Implementation for this mandate is on July 1, 2025.

California Assembly Bill 3059 (Coverage: Human Milk)

  *   This legislation requires health plans to cover medically necessary pasteurized donor human milk obtained from a licensed tissue bank as a basic health care service.  This ensures that all families with commercial insurance in California have access to medically necessary donor milk, which was previously limited by insurance coverage barriers.  The law also simplifies the process for hospitals to distribute donor milk by removing certain regulatory hurdles.
  *   Although the effective implementation date is May 8, 2025, Anthem has not completed updating their system to adjudicate claims.  However, Accolade is informed and instructed to work with Anthem if members call to avail themselves of this benefit.

UC Plans Affected:

  *   CORE
  *   UC Care
  *   UC Health Savings Plan

Additional information will be shared when more Assembly Bill details are made available.





[A blue and white logo  AI-generated content may be incorrect.][Blue text on a white background  AI-generated content may be incorrect.]



DATE (Month + Year)


Important information regarding behavioral health and wellness screenings
A behavioral health and wellness screening is a screening, test, or assessment to identify indicators or symptoms of behavioral health issues in an individual, including but not limited to depression or anxiety.  Included as part of your routine healthcare, these behavioral health and wellness screenings are especially beneficial for younger family members.  Children and adolescents aged 8 to 18 have behavioral health and wellness screenings covered by their health care service plan or insurance policy.
Typically, your child's primary care physician (PCP) will ask a standard set of questions to gauge mood, thinking, memory, and behavior, looking for symptoms of mental health conditions.* If you or your child's PCP suggests further assessment, the PCP may suggest connecting with a mental health professional or they may discuss coming up with a treatment plan.  If you seek therapy for you or your dependent children, please contact the Member Services telephone number on the back of your Anthem medical identification card.
Mental health screenings play a vital role in overall well-being at every age.  Symptoms of mental health issues may indicate underlying physical conditions, and some mental disorders can heighten the risk of physical health problems.  By catching issues early, your child's overall functioning and quality of life can significantly improve following early intervention.  In addition, behavioral health and wellness screenings can initiate an open conversation on the importance of mental health, particularly for common mental disorders and behavioral health issues like depression and anxiety.*

* MedlinePlus: Mental Health Screening (accessed January 2025): medlineplus.gov.
Anthem Blue Cross is the trade name of Blue Cross of California.  Independent licensee of the Blue Cross Association.  Anthem is a registered trademark of Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc.

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.ucr.edu/pipermail/ucrdbr/attachments/20250512/d60f0bde/attachment.htm>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.png
Type: image/png
Size: 16028 bytes
Desc: image001.png
URL: <https://lists.ucr.edu/pipermail/ucrdbr/attachments/20250512/d60f0bde/attachment.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image002.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 15153 bytes
Desc: image002.jpg
URL: <https://lists.ucr.edu/pipermail/ucrdbr/attachments/20250512/d60f0bde/attachment.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image003.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 2501 bytes
Desc: image003.jpg
URL: <https://lists.ucr.edu/pipermail/ucrdbr/attachments/20250512/d60f0bde/attachment-0001.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image004.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 22021 bytes
Desc: image004.jpg
URL: <https://lists.ucr.edu/pipermail/ucrdbr/attachments/20250512/d60f0bde/attachment-0002.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image005.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 3429 bytes
Desc: image005.jpg
URL: <https://lists.ucr.edu/pipermail/ucrdbr/attachments/20250512/d60f0bde/attachment-0003.jpg>