April 15th, 2025
The Honorable Mia Bonta
Chair, Assembly Health Committee
1020 N Street, Room 390
Sacramento, CA 95814
RE: Support for AB 539 (Schiavo)
Dear Chair Bonta,
Mental Health America of California (MHAC) is pleased to support Assembly Bill 539 (Schiavo), legislation that would allow prior authorizations for health care services to remain valid for one year from the date of approval.
MHAC is a peer-run organization leading the state in behavioral health public policy and advocacy since 1957. The mission of MHAC is to assist and encourage communities, families and individuals to experience hope, wellness and recovery from mental health and substance use disorder issues through voluntary services that are delivered in their local community with compassion and respect for everyone’s dignity and autonomy. Prior authorization procedures can create significant barriers to accessing voluntary mental health and substance use services.
The prior authorization process requires providers to obtain approval from health plans before delivering certain services or support, including mental healthcare. However, it can take anywhere from one to five days before receiving approval. Additionally, prior authorizations are not permanent. How long an authorization remains active is determined by and varies across health plans and may need to be renewed multiple times for the same care within a given year. These delays create unnecessary barriers to addressing known health challenges and will widen the gap in access to vital support and services intended to help individuals before they reach a point of crisis.
This bill helps ensure continuity of care by reducing disruptions caused by repeated prior authorization requests by standardizing the length of approval for at least one year. It is for these reasons MHAC supports AB 539 (Schiavo) and asks for your “Aye” vote. If you have any questions, or if MHAC can provide any assistance on this bill or any behavioral health legislation, please do not hesitate to contact me at hstrunk@mhac.org or our Director of Public Policy, Karen Vicari, at kvicari@mhaofca.org.
In Community,
Heidi L. Strunk
President & CEO
