(a) The board shall consult and coordinate with the State Department of Health Services in implementing a preenrollment program into the Healthy Families Program or the Medi-Cal program pursuant to subdivision (b) of Section 14011.7 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. The board shall accept the followup application provided for in Section 14011.7 of the Welfare and Institutions Code as an application for the Healthy Families Program. Preenrollment shall be administered by the State Department of Health Services to provide full-scope benefits pursuant to Medi-Cal program requirements, at no cost to the applicant.

(b) The board may use the state fiscal intermediary for medicaid to process the eligibility determinations and payments required pursuant to Section 14011.7 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.

(c) The board shall be exempt from the requirements of Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 11700) of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code and Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 12100) of Part 2 of Division 2 of the Public Contract Code as those requirements apply to the use of processing services by the state fiscal intermediary.

(d) The board may adopt emergency regulations to implement preenrollment into the Healthy Families Program or the Medi-Cal program pursuant to Section 14011.7 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. The emergency regulations shall include, but not be limited to, regulations that implement any changes in rules relating to eligibility, enrollment, and disenrollment in the programs pursuant to Sections 12693.45 and 12693.70. The initial adoption of emergency regulations and one readoption of the initial regulations shall be deemed to be an emergency and necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, and general welfare. Initial emergency regulations and the first readoption of those regulations shall be exempt from review by the Office of Administrative Law. The initial emergency regulations and one readoption of those regulations authorized by this section shall be submitted to the Office of Administrative Law for filing with the Secretary of State and publication in the California Code of Regulations and each shall remain in effect for no more than 180 days.

(e) This section shall become operative on April 1, 2003.

(Repealed (in Sec. 19) and added by Stats. 2002, Ch. 1161, Sec. 20. Effective September 30, 2002. Section operative April 1, 2003, by its own provisions.)