Now that Governor Brown has signed SB 1446, the “Grandmothering” bill, the law has taken immediate effect as an “urgency statute.”

SB 1446 offers transitional relief for small employers renewing September through December 2014. This relief allows the employer plan to be renewed until January 1, 2015, and continue to be in force until December 31, 2015. To qualify, the employer plan must have been in effect as of December 31, 2013 and be enrolled in non-grandfathered plans. The employer is not eligible if already renewed onto ACA compliant plans.

The small employer group policies affected by SB 1446 must still include many ACA and state-based mandated benefits such as preventative healthcare coverage without co-pays or deductibles, no lifetime caps on benefits, maternity care, coverage for autism and the elimination of gender discrimination in setting premiums.