Counties To Shift Medi-Cal Beneficiaries to HMO Plans

Sixteen California counties are planning to enroll 380,000 Medi-Cal beneficiaries who are elderly or have disabilities in managed care plans. Medi-Cal is California's Medicaid program. The move stems from the five-year, $10 billion Medi-Cal waiver the state secured from the federal government in November 2010. The waiver allows for enrollment of individuals in HMOs to provide more comprehensive care and could save between $200 million and $300 million annually.

• "Seniors, Disabled on Medi-Cal Will Move Into HMOs; Will Affect 30,000 in Sacramento County" (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 3/4).