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Assemblymember Bill Monning's (D-Carmel) legislation to help California consumers access information and assistance about health plans and providers was signed into law today by Gov. Jerry Brown.

Monning's Assembly Bill 922 seeks to streamline sources of health care information for consumers by designating one umbrella agency, the Office of the Patient Advocate, as the clearinghouse for up-to-date information on health care plans and national reform efforts, as well as provide an outlet for consumer complaints about health care coverage. The OPA and the Department of Managed Health Care will move from the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency to a more intuitive place in the Health and Human Services Agency.

The federal Affordable Care Act, more broadly known as health care reform, will expand health care insurance to 4 million Californians in the next three years. AB 922's central aim is to cut down on the bureaucracy in California's health care system so that bringing coverage and information about health care options to millions more people is not a burden but a boon for the state.