County To Implemented Medi-Cal Managed Care Plan
The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors last week voted to affiliate with the Santa Barbara Regional Health Authority as part of its move to implement a Medi-Cal managed care plan, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reports. Medi-Cal is California's Medicaid program.
The Health Authority is a public HMO that administers benefits for Medi-Cal beneficiaries in Santa Barbara County.
San Luis Obispo County will adopt the Medi-Cal managed care system in January 2008, at which time all Medi-Cal beneficiaries in the county will be required to enroll in a managed care plan. Officials from San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties will finalize the details of the arrangement in 2007.
Managed care plans administer Medi-Cal benefits in 22 counties in California, and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) in 2005 called for 13 additional counties to adopt Medi-Cal managed care plans. San Luis Obispo County is one of the 13 counties Schwarzenegger cited (Arnquist, San Luis Obispo Tribune, 10/1).