As California is set to start disenrolling Medi-Cal members who are deemed no longer eligible, Medi-Cal health plans like Health Net have launched initiatives to inform and educate the public about the redeterminations process. This is the first time in three years that Medi-Cal members will undergo a redetermination process. In anticipation of this substantial … Read more
On Thursday, Covered California announced that over 1.7 million individuals have signed up to receive healthcare coverage during the 2023 open enrollment process. This announcement comes as Medi-Cal eligibility redeterminations are set to begin on April 1st, with millions of Californians estimated to lose coverage. Covered California is the state’s health insurance marketplace that offers … Read more
While many states continue to prepare for Medicaid redeterminations, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) estimates that two to three million Medi-Cal beneficiaries may lose their coverage during the state’s 14-month eligibility redetermination period. To assist Californians with enrollment assistance, DHCS has awarded $59.8 million to 23 county agencies and 12 community-based organizations … Read more
Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, California received an increase in Medicaid funding under the condition that disenrollments would be postponed for as long as the federal COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) remained active, which allowed millions of Californians to remain on Medi-Cal during the unprecedented health crisis. But with the Federal Consolidated Appropriations … Read more
This edition features information from a recent survey of youth behavioral health, as well as recommendations from the state for how to improve the provision of such services. We also include coverage of some of the bills that have been filed for consideration this session. While some of these might not end up being considered when … Read more
The California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) released their 2023 California Health Policy Survey on Feb. 16th, which found that Californians remain concerned about costs of healthcare. CHCF has conducted a statewide survey of residents’ views and experiences on a variety of healthcare topics annually since 2019. According to the CHCF survey, 52% of … Read more
While awaiting the start of California’s healthcare committee hearings, which are expected to begin next month, lawmakers are in the process of preparing healthcare-related bills, with a focus on continuing the state’s reforms of the Medi-Cal program. Assembly Bill 365 would add continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) and related supplies for CGM use as a covered … Read more
On Feb. 8th, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a settlement of over $215 million against Centene Corporation. Centene is alleged to have violated the California False Claims Act by overcharging California’s Medi-Cal program through falsely reporting higher prescription drug costs, collected through its two managed care plans. The managed care plans in question are … Read more
Under a new partnership announced between UC Davis Health and WellSpace Health on Friday, Medi-Cal beneficiaries will have greater access to specialty care in Sacramento. The new program, Specialty Connect, places UC Davis Health providers into WellSpace Health’s Oak Park Community Health Center, located at 3415 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, to provide high-quality specialty … Read more
Gov. Gavin Newsom announced California’s $297 billion 2023-2024 budget proposal on January 10th, which is a notably lower amount than California’s budget for the 2022-2023 fiscal year of $308 billion due to budget cuts Newsom made to make up for the state’s deficit. The budget includes a $230.5 billion investment for the Health and Human … Read more