CHAPTER 6. Children’s Hospitals [16996. - 16996.2.]

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC 6.

in effect

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 16996. Section 16996.

For purposes of this chapter, “children’s hospital” means the following facilities: (a) Valley Children’s Hospital, Fresno. (b) Earl and Loraine Miller Children’s Hospital and Medical Center of the Memorial Hospital of Long Beach, Long Beach. (c) Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, Los Angeles. (d) Children’s Hospital Medical Center of Northern California, Oakland. (e) Children’s Hospital of Orange County, Orange. (f) Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford, Palo Alto. (g) Children’s Hospital and Health Center, San Diego.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 16996.1. Section 16996.1.

Funds appropriated to the department for the purposes of this chapter shall be distributed as follows: (a) The department shall compute the annual amount of financial assistance available to each eligible children’s hospital based upon the ratio of each hospital’s uncompensated care costs to the total uncompensated care costs of all children’s hospitals in the state. (b) The department shall enter into a contract with each children’s hospital receiving funding pursuant to this section and may make quarterly payments provided that the hospital has complied with subdivision (a) of Section 16996.2. (c) Each children’s hospital shall, as a condition of receiving financial assistance under this section, submit reports to the department, as required by the department, describing its use of funds received pursuant to this section.

Cal. Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC § 16996.2. Section 16996.2.

(a) As a condition of receiving funds under Section 16996.1, a hospital shall provide medically necessary inpatient treatment, including prescription drugs, for any condition detected as part of a child health and disability prevention screen for any child eligible for services under Section 104395 of the Health and Safety Code. Inpatient hospital services shall be provided at no cost upon referral by a child health and disability prevention program provider, whether that provider is a physician, a county, or a primary care clinic, unless the child is eligible to receive care with no share of cost under the Medi-Cal program, is covered under another publicly funded program, or the services are payable under private insurance coverage. (b) The department shall report to the Legislature on the distribution and use of funds provided to hospitals under Section 16996.1 on an annual basis.

Source: CA Legislative Counsel Bulk DataURL: https://downloads.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/pubinfo_2025.zipFetched: 6/27/2026