2026 Southern California State of Reform Health Policy Conference

More details to be announced soon.

Rural communities across California face persistent challenges in access to care, workforce shortages, behavioral health needs, and health inequities—but they also present powerful opportunities for innovation and collaboration. This panel will explore practical strategies for improving rural health outcomes through targeted investment, workforce mobilization, and cross-sector coordination. Panelists will discuss how to attract and retain providers in underserved areas, leverage public and private funding to strengthen local care infrastructure, expand telehealth and integrated care models, and ensure investments deliver measurable, community-centered impact.

California’s transition to the Behavioral Health Services Act (BHSA) marks a significant shift in how counties plan, fund, and deliver behavioral health services across the state. This panel will explore how counties are managing the transition, balancing new mandates with local priorities, and leading change in real time. Panelists will also examine how to ensure prevention and early intervention services remain a central focus amid shifting funding structures and increasing demand for acute services, highlighting strategies to preserve community-based supports, advance equity, and build a more sustainable behavioral health system for California’s future.

This panel will explore key policy developments affecting dual-eligible populations in California, with a focus on lessons learned from health plans that successfully launched Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans (D-SNPs) in 2026. Panelists will discuss how these plans navigated regulatory requirements, built cross-program alignment, and implemented care models designed to better support high-need members through improved care coordination, enhanced benefits, and stronger partnerships across Medicare and Medi-Cal systems. The discussion will also highlight early innovations emerging from these efforts and how they are contributing to more seamless, person-centered care for dual-eligible populations.

California has made unprecedented investments in children and youth behavioral health, yet significant questions remain about how children and youth across the state are faring post-COVID. This panel will explore the current state of children and youth behavioral health in California and examine the early impact of the state’s multi-billion-dollar Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI). Panelists will discuss how schools, healthcare providers, counties, community organizations, and state leaders are working together to expand access, strengthen prevention and early intervention, improve coordination across systems, and build a more equitable and youth-centered continuum of care.

State health policy experts are closely watching what the 2026–2027 budget means for the future of healthcare funding and policy. This panel will provide a timely overview of California’s budget and political outlook, including key healthcare investments, funding constraints, and policy priorities emerging from the state budget process. Attendees will gain insight into what to expect in the months ahead, where risks and opportunities may emerge, and how healthcare stakeholders can prepare for an evolving policy and fiscal landscape in California.

This panel will examine the state’s efforts to grow, diversify, and support the healthcare workforce, with a particular focus on the expanding role of nonclinical providers—such as community health workers, peer support specialists, and care navigators—in improving access, engagement, and outcomes for Medi-Cal members. Panelists will also discuss the challenges and lessons learned from workforce development and support initiatives to date, including recruitment and retention barriers, training and certification pathways, funding sustainability, and integration of nontraditional roles into care teams.

This panel will explore what California’s Population Health Management requirements mean in practice for plans, counties, and public health leaders; how managed care plans are operationalizing new expectations around population health, quality, and community engagement; and how cross-sector collaboration can support more coordinated, equitable, and outcomes-driven care. Panelists will share lessons learned, implementation challenges, and emerging opportunities to align local and statewide efforts in pursuit of healthier communities across California.

More details to be announced soon.