Ventura County Moves Forward With Shift to Medi-Cal Managed Care
On Tuesday, the Ventura County Board of Supervisors gave preliminary approval to a plan to shift from state-run Medi-Cal services to a locally administered managed care program, the Ventura County Star reports.
About 110,000 Ventura County residents currently are enrolled in Medi-Cal, California's Medicaid program.
Transition Plan
Ventura County planned its transition to a Medi-Cal managed care model in response to a state mandate.
In its current form, the state administers Medi-Cal as a fee-for-service program.
If county supervisors approve the new system, an independent local commission would function like a public HMO and negotiate reimbursement rates with hospitals and physicians.
Officials said the managed care program would assign each Medi-Cal beneficiary to a primary care physician.
The new system is scheduled to take effect by October 2010, but the transition plan has come under fire from some clinic and hospital leaders who hoped to have greater input in the design of the managed care program.
Some critics asked the supervisors to delay their final decision so stakeholders can view the proposal and consider other options (Kisken, Ventura County Star, 12/15). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.