New California healthcare laws 2027: taking effect in 2027
39 new California laws on healthcare take effect in 2027. Each is listed below with its date, what it does and a link to the official text.
- 39 laws take effect on 1 January 2027.
Updated 25 October 2026
One-line summaries are drafted by software from the bill text and are not reviewed by an attorney.
New California healthcare laws in 2027
AB 1126: Medi-Cal managed care plans: enrollees with other health care coverage.
Requires the State Department of Health Care Services to ensure that providers billing Medi-Cal managed care plans for dual-covered enrollees face no excessive administrative requirements compared to fee-for-service billing.
AB 1199: Medical staff: health care provider credentialing.
AB 1587: Prescription drug refills: prescriber notifications.
AB 1629: Dental coverage.
AB 1637: Physicians and surgeons: medical records.
AB 1696: Emergency services and care: nurse-midwives.
AB 173: Health.
AB 1760: Dentistry.
AB 1770: Arbitration: health care service plans: Lindalee's Law.
AB 1811: Health professionals.
AB 1843: Communicable diseases: hepatitis C.
Prohibits health care service plans and health insurers from requiring prior authorization for medically necessary direct-acting antiviral drugs treating hepatitis C.
AB 1876: Health care coverage: nondiscrimination.
AB 1887: Prescription drug coverage for rare diseases.
AB 1906: Health care coverage: home test kits.
AB 1979: Health care services: artificial intelligence.
Requires health care chatbots to comply with patient confidentiality rules and ensures licensed health care professionals retain independent judgment when using clinical decision support systems.
AB 2233: Behavioral health treatment plans.
AB 2311: Health care districts: employment.
AB 2499: Health care coverage: claims payments.
Requires health care service plans and insurers to accept electronic medical records and supporting documentation through standard electronic submission methods and prohibits them from denying or delaying claims solely because their systems cannot accept otherwise compliant documentation.
AB 2531: Public health: abortion services.
AB 2562: Alcohol or other drug recovery and treatment programs and facilities: suicide prevention.
AB 2598: Health care facilities: notification of next of kin.
AB 2613: Health care service plans: provider contract termination: notice.
AB 2775: Chiropractic Act.
AB 280: Health care coverage: provider directories.
AB 375: Medical Practice Act: health care providers: qualified autism service paraprofessionals.
SB 1023: Health care coverage: antiretroviral drugs, drug devices, and drug products.
Requires health care service plans and health insurers to cover antiretroviral drugs, devices, and products for HIV prevention without prior authorization or step therapy, and mandates coverage under both medical and prescription drug benefits starting 1 January 2027.
SB 1049: Health care claims reimbursement.
SB 1094: Prescription drugs.
SB 1124: Public health.
SB 1302: Nursing.
SB 1323: Health care providers: patient access: immigration enforcement.
Some duties start later: the text names an operative date.
SB 1400: Alameda Health System: hospital authority.
SB 329: Alcohol and drug recovery: licensed treatment facilities and certified programs: investigations.
SB 331: Health care coverage: hearing aids.
SB 503: Health care services: artificial intelligence.
Requires developers and deployers of artificial intelligence systems supporting clinical decisions to identify, mitigate, and monitor risks of biased impacts, with annual reporting to the state department beginning 1 January 2027.
SB 626: Perinatal health screenings and treatment.
SB 874: Medi-Cal: behavioral health treatment: stakeholder feedback.
SB 950: Health care coverage: dementia.
SB 964: Prescription drug coverage: dose adjustments.
Requires health care service plans and health insurers to grant treating providers' written requests to adjust prescription drug doses or frequency without prior authorization if specified conditions are met.
Next year's healthcare laws are bills now. Follow them in every state with the Healthcare Legislation Tracker.
Questions about new California healthcare laws in 2027
When do new healthcare laws take effect in California in 2027?
Most take effect on 1 January 2027. Of the 39 laws listed here, 39 start on 1 January 2027. In California, a statute from a regular session takes effect on the 1 January after 90 days from enactment unless it is an urgency measure (Cal. Const. art. IV, sec. 8(c)(1)).
What new healthcare laws take effect on 1 January 2027 in California?
39 laws in healthcare, including California AB 1126 (Medi-Cal managed care plans: enrollees with other health care coverage), California AB 1199 (Medical staff: health care provider credentialing), California AB 1587 (Prescription drug refills: prescriber notifications), California AB 1629 (Dental coverage) and California AB 1637 (Physicians and surgeons: medical records). The full list, with what each one does, is above.
Is this legal advice?
No. Dates and the one-line summaries are drafted by software from the bill text and are not reviewed by an attorney. Each law links to the legislature’s own record: check the text before relying on it.
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