Changes on Horizon for California Safety Net’s Care of Undocumented, Indigent
Community clinics and public hospitals in California remain the primary health care option for millions of undocumented immigrants who are ineligible for health insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Safety-net facilities’ strategies for remaining solvent are changing under health care reform.
Less Hidden Information by Exchange Under New Bill
A Senate committee this week approved legislation to increase transparency at Covered California, the state’s health benefit exchange.
Bill Would Extend Private Plan Requirement To Cover Autism Therapy
An Assembly committee this week approved a bill to extend a requirement that private health insurers include a form of autism therapy in their California benefit plans.
DHCS Transparency Bill Moves Forward
The Senate Committee on Health this week approved a bill that would set new standards of accountability and transparency at the Department of Health Care Services.
AB 209 by Assembly member Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) received unanimous committee approval Wednesday and now heads for a Senate floor vote, the step before it can be sent to the governor’s desk.
The bill wants to hold the department accountable for problems that arise with patients moving to Medi-Cal managed care plans with stronger, measurable benchmarks, Pan said.
Health Insurers Owed $271 Million
State officials this week said the Healthy Families program owes $271 million in services already provided by its network of 20 health care insurers and the program needs legislative help to fix the problem.
Healthy Families’ overall shortfall is projected to be $366 million for the year, a deficit caused by expiration of the managed care organization tax in December. Last week, the Senate budget subcommittee on Health and Human Services delayed a vote on the MCO tax.
“The Legislature failed to extend the MCO tax, therefore MRMIB did not have sufficient cash to pay for the Healthy Families program invoices,” said Tony Lee, deputy director for administration at the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board, which oversees the Healthy Families program. Lee spoke Wednesday at the monthly MRMIB board meeting.