Key Takeaways
- California lawmakers have passed AB 2756, which would establish performance measures examining utilization, access, and availability of vision services for children enrolled in Medi-Cal
- Data cited by the California Optometric Association indicate that 84% of school-age Medi-Cal enrollees are not receiving basic primary eye care, with utilization declining over the past decade
- The bill now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom, with supporters arguing that better data could help California identify care gaps and reduce reliance on emergency departments for nonemergent eye conditions
California lawmakers have passed legislation that would establish new performance measures for children's vision services under Medi-Cal, sending the measure to Gov. Gavin Newsom for consideration.
AB 2756, authored by Assemblymember Patrick Ahrens and sponsored by the California Optometric Association (COA), is intended to strengthen state oversight of the utilization, access, and availability of vision services. The legislation received unanimous bipartisan support in the Assembly and Senate, according to the COA.
The measure comes amid concerns about low utilization of primary eye care among children enrolled in Medi-Cal. An analysis of California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) data cited by the association found that 84% of school-age Medi-Cal enrollees are not receiving basic primary eye care services.
“When California is paying Medi-Cal plans for children’s primary eye care but only one in six school-age children enrolled is receiving it, we need better tools to understand where children are falling through the cracks and how we can improve access,” Rachelle Lin, OD, president of the COA, said in a statement.
According to the data cited by the COA, the proportion of school-age children receiving primary eye care declined from 19.2% in 2015-2016 to 15.8% during 2022-2024. Medi-Cal managed care plans in 47 counties reportedly served a smaller proportion of children than they had 7 years earlier. In 23 counties, the proportion of children receiving primary eye care services declined by more than 50%.
AB 2756 would require California to establish performance measures assessing the utilization, access, and availability of vision services. Supporters say the resulting data could help policymakers identify disparities in care and determine where improvements are needed in access to primary vision services and follow-up treatment.
The coalition supporting the legislation includes optometrists, pediatricians, and education advocates, according to the COA.
Supporters are also pointing to the potential health care costs associated with inadequate access to routine eye care. Research cited by the association found that more than 300,000 California children visited emergency departments for nonemergent eye conditions over a 10-year period.
“AB 2756 will provide state policymakers with the critical data needed to connect children with the eye care they need, helping prevent non-emergent eye conditions from being treated in costly emergency departments when they could be more appropriately addressed through routine outpatient care,” Dr. Lin said.
