Assemblymember Mia Bonta introduced a bill on Monday to reduce birth center licensing requirements. A birth center is a clinic that provides perinatal services and delivery care during pregnancy.
Nearly half of California’s birth centers have closed since 2020. Only four licensed facilities remain. While birth centers do not need a state license to operate, insurers such as Medi-Cal only work with licensed centers. The bill introduced by Bonta would remove the requirement for birth centers to participate in a specific Medi-Cal benefit known as the comprehensive perinatal services program.
Advocates claim that removing the Medi-Cal requirement will streamline the state licensing process and allow more low-income clients to receive support.
Sandra Poole works for the Western Center On Law and Poverty, and is co-sponsoring the bill.
She said birth center closures disproportionately affect rural communities and racially underrepresented groups.
There are no opposing arguments at this time. The bill is tentatively scheduled to be heard in committee on January 2, 2025.
The bill is part of a wider effort by Bonta to protect reproductive health care. Additional bills aim to preserve access to abortions at all hospitals, and over-the-counter birth control for Medi-Cal patients.