(a)  The department shall seek any federal waiver or waivers that may be necessary to maximize funds from the federal government including, but not limited to, funds provided under Title 19 of the Social Security Act to provide funds for a full range of preventive perinatal services.

(b)  The department shall, in preparing its budget for submission each year, coordinate all funding sources intended primarily for perinatal care made available through the Budget Act to maximize the delivery of perinatal care services and to avoid duplication of programs and funding.

(c)  The department shall develop and implement a uniform sliding fee schedule for women provided perinatal care through the perinatal services program. The fee schedule shall be based on family size and income, but in no case shall the fee exceed the actual cost of the services provided. The department shall not implement any schedule developed pursuant to this section sooner than 30 days after the department has provided the chairperson of the Joint Legislative Budget Committee and the chairperson of the fiscal committee of each house with the developed schedule.

All free clinics, as defined in paragraph (2) of subdivision (a) of Section 1204 shall be exempt from this subdivision.

All organizations funded under the Public Health Service Act, Sections 254b and 254c of Title 42 of the United States Code, shall be permitted to utilize those sliding fee scales mandated by federal law or regulation in lieu of the sliding fee scale adopted by the department.

(Added by Stats. 1995, Ch. 415, Sec. 8. Effective January 1, 1996.)