Medical Services. Regulation. Consumer Protection.

MEDICAL SERVICES. REGULATION. CONSUMER PROTECTION. INITIATIVE STATUTE. Prohibits health care businesses from: discouraging health care professionals from informing patients or advocating for treatment; offering incentives for withholding care; refusing services recommended by physician or nurse without examination by business\u27 own professional. Requires health care businesses to: make tax returns and other financial information public; disclose certain financial information to consumers including administrative costs; establish criteria for authorizing or denying payments; provide for minimum safe and adequate staffing of health care facilities. Authorizes public and private enforcement actions. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local governments: Unknown direct and indirect costs to state and local governments of potentially $10 million to several hundreds of millions of dollars