The California State Legislative Bill Introduction Deadline passed on February 20, with nearly 2,000 bills introduced across the Senate and Assembly. The new bills covered every aspect of California’s health care system, from insurance reforms and workforce regulation to artificial intelligence, facility standards, and major structural proposals that could reshape the delivery of care statewide.

As part of its annual review, your legislative team, led by Dr. Wang, reviewed them all, identifying approximately 50 bills for the CRS’s Governmental Relations Committee to analyze and determine potential implications for radiologists, imaging practices, patient access, and the broader health care environment. After thorough vetting, CRS took active positions (Support, Oppose, or Oppose Unless Amended) on 10 of these measures. The positions reflect CRS’s priorities to protect patient safety, ensure high‑quality imaging, preserve physician oversight, promote fair reimbursement, and maintain an environment that allows radiologists to deliver timely, accurate, medically necessary care.

Below is a non-inclusive list of bills from the 2026 session, including both Support and Oppose positions:

SUPPORT

AB 1570 (Wilson) requires health plans to cover screening mammography and medically necessary diagnostic breast imaging without cost‑sharing.  It will remove financial barriers that delay follow‑up imaging, improves early cancer detection, and promotes equitable access.

AB 2256 (Chen) establishes licensure standards for Radiologist Assistants, requires passage of the RA exam, mandates supervision by a radiologist, and restricts misuse of the RA title. The bill strengthens team‑based care, ensures safe delegation, protects patients from unqualified personnel, and improves workflow efficiency.



AB 2431 (Patel) is sponsored by CMA and prevents insurers from using automated tools to downcode claims and requires clear explanations and dispute processes when downcoding occurs. Ultimately, this will enhance fair reimbursement, prevents discriminatory downcoding against high‑acuity practices, and increases transparency.

OPPOSE

AB 2575 (Ortega) requires facilities to disclose use of any “covered tool” (including AI) and mandates notices that clinicians may override tool outputs. The bill provides overly broad definitions, imposes requirements that disrupt workflow, and includes mandated override language that creates liability uncertainty and slows adoption of beneficial AI.

AB 2311 (Schiavo) allows health care districts to employ physicians and charge for professional services, while stating districts may not interfere with clinical judgment. The bill is problematic as it may erode physician independence, potential administrative pressure on imaging decisions, and unclear enforcement of non‑interference protections.

AB 1922 (Lowenthal) prohibits mechanical restraints on incarcerated patients admitted to hospitals, except when hospitals initiate their own medical restraint process. This bill is particularly problematic in radiology settings require close physical proximity; the bill may compromise staff safety without providing adequate flexibility for high‑risk situations. We will be working with CMA to try and resolve our concerns in this bill.

MORE BILLS TO COME

Over the past week, nearly 200 spot bills were amended to include substantive language. We are currently sorting through this new batch and have already identified a handful that will be of interest to CRS. We will continue to keep you up to speed.