Lawmakers advanced two bills aiming to improve access and equity in California’s Medicaid system (Medi-Cal) during an Assembly Health Committee meeting this month. Assembly Bill 2446 would expand access to medically-necessary diapers, while AB 2339 would increase access to telehealth services. California has the most restrictive guidelines for establishing a need for medically-necessary diapers, according … Read more
At the 2023 Southern California State of Reform Health Policy Conference, a handful of health leaders met to discuss the status of healthcare coverage for the justice-involved population. This year, California became the first state in the nation to offer Medicaid coverage to incarcerated individuals for up to 90 days prior to release. Autumn Boylan, … Read more
The 2023 Southern California State of Reform Health Policy Conference closed with an informative keynote about progress being made under CalAIM. Speakers included Bihu Sandhir, MD, chief quality officer at AltaMed Health Services; Les Ybarra, president of Anthem’s California Medicaid Health Plan; and Louise McCarthy, president and CEO of the Community Clinic Association of Los … Read more
California began redetermining Medi-Cal eligibility of members in April, and has since disenrolled 225,231 individuals, while 499,093 individuals have maintained their Medi-Cal coverage, according to Yingjia Huang, assistant deputy director of Health Care Benefits and Eligibility at the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). This week, Huang hosted a webinar with stakeholders to go over … Read more
To expand access to community-based mental health and crisis care relating to substance use for Medi-Cal beneficiaries, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently approved coverage of mobile crisis intervention teams. Through these mobile teams, behavioral healthcare providers will be available 24/7 for Medi-Cal beneficiaries who are experiencing crises. Mobile crisis teams will … Read more
With Medi-Cal redeterminations underway following the end of the federal public health emergency, the Western Center on Law and Poverty (WCLP) is concerned about recently released data from the state, which shows that 225,231 individuals have been disenrolled from the program so far. For the renewal period beginning in April, a total of 1,052,030 individuals … Read more
The state of California recently adopted their $310 billion 2023-24 state budget, and despite a $31.5 billion shortfall, leaders prioritized investments in healthcare. Key healthcare investments include CalAIM and a renewed Managed Care Organization (MCO) Tax. The budget includes a total of $156.6 billion to support the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). Of this … Read more
Health Management Associates (HMA) was selected in May to serve as a technical assistance (TA) vendor for CalAIM (California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal) under California’s Department of Health Care Services’ funding initiative known as PATH (Providing Access and Transforming Health). Under the state’s $1.85 billion, multi-year CalAIM initiative to improve the Medi-Cal program, California will … Read more
The California Health Care Affordability Board (HCAB), a decision-making body charged with setting statewide and sector-specific spending targets and approving key benchmarks, discussed the state’s action plan for addressing the consolidation of healthcare facilities during a meeting earlier this month. Katherine Gudiksen, executive director of Source on Healthcare Price and Competition under the University of … Read more
A handful of hospital leaders from California discussed how these facilities have attempted to recover from losses in revenues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic at the 2023 Northern California State of Reform Health Conference. Primary topics of concern included decreased operating margins, workforce shortages, and the increased demand for care. Anne McLeod, president and CEO … Read more