9541. (Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 337, Sec. 26.)

(a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(1) The purpose of the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program is to provide Medicare beneficiaries and those imminent of becoming eligible for Medicare with counseling and advocacy as to Medicare, private health insurance, and related health care coverage plans, on a statewide basis, and preserving service integrity.

(2) Lack of health insurance literacy skills can lead to misinformation or mismatched insurance needs.

(3) As health care options become increasingly complex, the Health Insurance Counseling and Advocacy Program plays a vital role in clarifying all aspects of the Medicare Program to the beneficiary served.

(b) The department shall be responsible for, but not limited to, doing both of the following:

(1) To act as a clearinghouse for information and materials relating to Medicare, managed care, health and long-term care related life and disability insurance, and related health care coverage plans.

(2) To develop additional information and materials relating to Medicare, managed care, and health and long-term care related life and disability insurance, and related health care coverage plans, as necessary.

(c) Notwithstanding the terms and conditions of the contracts, direct services contractors shall be responsible for, but not limited to, all of the following:

(1) Advising, educating, and empowering Medicare beneficiaries to make informed choices among the array of options to best fit their needs.

(2) Community education to the public on Medicare, long-term care planning, private health and long-term care insurance, managed care, and related health care coverage plans.

(3) Counseling and informal advocacy with respect to Medicare, long-term care planning, private health and long-term care insurance, managed care, and related health care coverage plans.

(4) Referral services for legal representation or legal representation with respect to Medicare appeals, Medicare related managed care appeals, and life and disability insurance problems. Legal services provided under this program shall be subject to the understanding that the legal representation and legal advocacy shall not include the filing of lawsuits against private insurers or managed health care plans. In the event that legal services are contracted for by the agency separately from counseling and education services, a formal system of coordination and referral from counseling services to legal services shall be established and maintained.

(5) Educational services supporting long-term care educational activities aimed at the general public, employers, employee groups, older adult organizations, and other groups expressing interest in long-term care planning issues.

(6) Educational services emphasizing the importance of long-term care planning, promotion of self-reliance and independence, and options for long-term care.

(7) To the extent possible, support additional emphasis on community educational activities that would provide for announcements on television and in other media describing the limited nature of Medicare, the need for long-term care planning, the function of long-term care insurance, and the availability of counseling and educational literature on those subjects.

(8) Recruitment, training, coordination, and registration, with the department, of health insurance counselors, including a large contingent of volunteer counselors designed to expand services as broadly as possible.

(9) A systematic means of capturing and reporting all required community-based services program data, as specified by the department.

(e) The department, the Department of Managed Health Care, and the Department of Insurance shall jointly develop interagency procedures for referring and investigating suspected instances of misrepresentation in advertising or sales of services provided by Medicare, managed health care plans, and life and disability insurers and agents.

(f) (1) A health insurance counselor shall not provide counseling services under this chapter, unless the health insurance counselor is registered with the department.

(2) A registered volunteer health insurance counselor shall not be liable for a negligent act or omission in providing counseling services under this chapter. Immunity shall not apply to health insurance counselors for any grossly negligent act or omission or intentional misconduct.

(3) A registered volunteer health insurance counselor shall not be liable to any insurance agent, broker, employee thereof, or similarly situated person, for defamation, trade libel, slander, or similar actions based on statements made by the counselor when providing counseling, unless a statement was made with actual malice.

(4) Before providing any counseling services, a health insurance counselor shall disclose, in writing, to a recipient of counseling services pursuant to this chapter that the counselor is acting in good faith to provide information about health insurance policies and benefits on a volunteer basis, but that the information shall not be construed to be legal advice, and that the counselor is generally not liable unless their acts and omissions are grossly negligent or there is intentional misconduct on the part of the counselor.

(5) The department shall not register any applicant under this section unless the applicant has satisfactorily completed training that is approved by the department, and that consists of at least 24 hours of training that shall include, but is not limited to, all of the following subjects:

(A) Medicare.

(B) Life and disability insurance.

(C) Managed care.

(D) Retirement benefits and principles of long-term care planning.

(E) Counseling skills.

(F) Any other subject determined by the department to be necessary to the provision of counseling services under this chapter.

(6) The department shall not register any applicant under this section unless the applicant has completed all training requirements and has served an internship of cocounseling of at least 10 hours with an experienced counselor and is determined by the local program manager to be capable of discharging the responsibilities of a counselor. An applicant shall sign a conflict of interest and confidentiality agreement, as specified by the department.

(7) A counselor shall not continue to provide health insurance counseling services unless the counselor has received continuing education and training, in a manner prescribed by the department, on Medicare, managed care, life and disability insurance, and other subjects during each calendar year.