‘The Nature Of The Beast’: How One $21M Patient Exemplifies Medi-Cal’s Challenges
State data show that the most expensive 1 percent of patients in Medi-Cal account for 23 percent of the program’s spending. Ten percent of patients create 63 percent of total costs.
Los Angeles Times:
One Child, A $21-Million Medical Bill: How A Tiny Number Of Patients Poses A Huge Challenge For Medi-Cal
Somewhere in California, one child’s medical expenses in 2014 totaled $21 million — a bill covered entirely by Medi-Cal, the state’s version of Medicaid. The child’s condition is not known. But the cost of care was mentioned in recent Twitter and Facebook posts by Jennifer Kent, head of the state Department of Health Care Services, which runs Medi-Cal. (Karlamangla, 7/16)
Ventura County Star:
One-Third In State Rely On Medi-Cal. Who Are They?
The debate about health care in the United States resonates in California, considering that over a third of all people in the state rely on Medi-Cal, according to data from the California Department of Health Care Services. But amid all the arguments and partisanship, it may be easy to lose track of who exactly is hit when cuts are made to the health program for low-income Americans. Of the nearly 14 million Californians covered by Medi-Cal, 29 percent reside in Los Angeles County alone, according to data from January 2017. Twenty counties have over 40 percent of residents on Medi-Cal, with Tulare County topping the list at 56 percent. Exactly half of these 20 counties voted in the 2016 presidential election for now-President Donald Trump, who has tweeted that he is "very supportive" of the Senate health care bill that proposes deep cuts to federal health spending. (Xu, 7/14)