California Assembly Bill 1048, a bill expanding Explanation of Review disclosure requirements for contract-based workers’ comp medical bill reductions, advanced from the Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee on June 10, 2026, after testimony from both provider supporters and payer-side/network representatives opposing the bill.

The bill would require payers to identify a contact for requesting the applicable underlying contract and clarify that naming a medical provider network alone is insufficient. If the contract is not provided to the rendering provider or their agent within 30 business days, the bill must be reprocessed and paid at official medical fee schedule rates.

This legislation would create new EOR disclosure and contract response obligations for payers, creating operational challenges and potential reimbursement impacts if contracts are not provided within 30 business days of request.

Supporters framed the bill as a transparency measure to help providers verify the validity of contract-based reductions, while opponents argued it is unnecessary given existing dispute resolution options, limited evidence of widespread disputes, and concerns about payment consequences if contracts are not timely provided.

The committee voted 3-0 to pass the bill as amended to the Senate Appropriations Committee for fiscal review, with the vote held open pending additional members’ votes. If approved by the Senate, the bill would still need to be returned to the Assembly for concurrence before going to the governor.