California has quietly widened who counts as a telehealth provider. On September 27, Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 375, a bill by Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen of Elk Grove, as part of a large batch of health legislation.
What the bill does
AB 375 amends section 2290.5 of the California Business and Professions Code. That is the section of the state’s Medical Practice Act that defines telehealth and lists who may deliver care through it.
The bill adds qualified autism service paraprofessionals to the definition of a health care provider for that section. According to McDermott Will & Schulte’s August telehealth roundup, that lets those paraprofessionals provide certain services through telehealth, subject to the supervision and practice requirements that already govern their work.
The bill was enrolled as Chapter 501 of the 2026 statutes.
Why it matters
Behavioral health treatment for autism is often delivered by paraprofessionals working under a supervising clinician, with frequent, short sessions. Families in rural areas, or anyone facing long waitlists, can struggle to get those sessions in person. Clear permission to use telehealth gives providers one more way to keep treatment going.
It is a small bill. It is also typical of how telehealth is actually changing at the state level: not through sweeping reform, but by adding specific professions and specific services to the list, one bill at a time.
A busy signing season
The same September 27 update included dozens of other health bills, covering prescription drug coverage for rare diseases, home test kits, provider directories, medical information confidentiality and Medi-Cal behavioral health programs.
Other states have moved the same direction this year. Law firm roundups through the summer tracked legislatures expanding which professionals may use telehealth and adjusting rules for prescribing and payment parity.
What families should do
If your family receives autism services in California, ask your provider whether any sessions could move to telehealth once the law takes effect, and how supervision will work when they do. Coverage still depends on your health plan, so check with your insurer as well.
Photo: The dome of the California State Capitol in Sacramento. Radomianin via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.
Sources
- Office of Governor Gavin Newsom: Legislative update, Sept. 27, 2026
- LegiScan: California AB 375, chaptered text
- McDermott Will & Schulte (via Mondaq): Trending in Telehealth, August 2026
- CalMatters Digital Democracy: AB 375
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