SACRAMENTO, Calif.—Employers that authorize workers compensation medical care cannot rescind or modify the authorization for treatment already provided, according to legislation California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has signed into law.
Bonnie Lowenthal, D-Long Beach, introduced A.B. 361 on behalf of the California Chiropractic Assn., according to a legislative analysis of the bill that the governor signed into law during the weekend.
The governor also signed a bill removing a Dec. 31 sunset date from a law that allows employees to designate in advance the doctor who would treat their workers comp injuries.
Some employers opposed S.B. 186, introduced by Sen. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord, because it allows a predesignated physician to refer injured workers to specialists outside employers' provider networks.
Gov. Schwarzenegger also signed A.B. 483, introduced by Joan Buchanan, D-San Ramon. It requires the California Workers' Compensation Rating Bureau to establish a Web site that allows the public to identify whether an employer is insured for workers comp claims.