Sacramento Bee Looks at Loss of Medi-Cal Managed Care Subsidy
The Sacramento Bee on Monday examined a decision by the state to stop Medi-Cal from paying premiums for about 35,000 low-income and disabled state residents enrolled in Medicare managed care plans beginning Jan. 1.
Medi-Cal officials say that the state no longer can afford the subsidy, which was projected to cost $27 million in 2006. According to state officials, the new Medicare prescription drug benefit "should provide low-cost options for those losing the subsidy," the Bee reports. The Medicare drug benefit begins Jan. 1.
Advocates for low-income residents and residents with disabilities are concerned that premiums charged by Medicare HMOs, which range from about $39 to $110 monthly, could be unaffordable for some beneficiaries (Weaver Teichert, Sacramento Bee, 12/12).