Latest California Healthline Stories
Kaiser Balks at Joining Healthy Families Conversion to Medi-Cal
The planned switch of Healthy Families children into Medi-Cal could leave as many as 43,000 children looking for new health care providers if the state can’t convince Kaiser Foundation Health Plan to join the effort.
That number would grow to 189,000 children if the state eventually converts all Healthy Families children to the Medi-Cal program.
On Tuesday, the Senate budget subcommittee for Health and Human Services rejected a plan to move the entire Healthy Families population of 875,000 kids to Medi-Cal all at once, instead starting with a pool of roughly 200,000 “bright line” children — beneficiaries who are at or below 133% of federal poverty level.
Healthy Families Conversion Slowing Down
California health officials need to go a little slower in their plan to move 875,000 children out of the Healthy Families program and into Medi-Cal managed care, according to a Senate budget subcommittee that voted yesterday to reject the state’s full plan.
It did endorse the transition of about 200,000 Healthy Families “bright line” children to Medi-Cal — those beneficiaries at or below 133% of federal poverty level. The Affordable Care Act requires that those children be moved to Medi-Cal by 2014, so California would get a head start on that effort, according to John Bacigalupi from the state Department of Finance.
“We support this because it would create efficiency by consolidating health care for the state’s children under a single program,” Bacigalupi said.
Slower, Phase-In Approach for CBAS
The Department of Health Care Services has announced the conversion of adult day health care centers to a managed care system has been divided into a two-part process.
About 12% of the centers, which serve about 8% of the state’s ADHC population, will still make the conversion to managed care by July 1. That leaves the bulk of the centers — including Los Angeles County centers which serve two-thirds of the state’s Medi-Cal beneficiariens receiving ADHC care — to make the transition three months later, on Oct. 1.
“It was really welcome news,” said Lydia Missaelides, executive director of the California Association of Adult Day Services. “It was clear nobody was ready yet. I think the Department [of Health Care Services] has been listening to stakeholders. I was really relieved. Not that October is so far away, but this is definitely good news.”
Cal eConnect ‘Not Able To Move Fast Enough’
Cal eConnect, an important part of the state’s ambitious health information exchange effort, is no longer the same independent entity it was when it was born two years ago. The organization’s efforts to make electronic health records ubiquitous in California will continue, officials said, but under a different organizational umbrella.
At a meeting last week, the 22-member board rescinded its cooperative grant agreement with the state.
On Wednesday, state officials announced that Cal eConnect will now be part of the Institute for Population Health Improvement at UC-Davis. Officials said the same work will continue in a new administrative structure.
Healthy Families, Seniors Initiatives Questioned
In the governor’s May budget revision released this week, in addition to $2.5 billion in new cuts to health care in California, there were a couple of proposals that raised big red flags for many health care advocates.
In particular, two budget items took a lot of heat: the effort to move about 1 million dual-eligible Californians into managed care programs; and the state’s plan to move 870,000 children out of the Healthy Families program and into Medi-Cal care.
In both cases, advocates said the state is taking on way too much, too quickly — putting the two most vulnerable populations in California at real risk.
Senate Committee Rejects Care Changes
The Senate Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services last week voted to reject a proposal to change some nursing home and hospital regulations.
That happened before this week’s release of Gov. Jerry Brown’s new budget proposal that includes a slew of budget reductions to hospitals and nursing homes.
Hearings on the latest round of cuts — including $2.5 billion in reductions to health care programs in California — are scheduled to start today when the Assembly Budget Subcommittee on Health and Human Services holds its first budget revise hearing. According to chair Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles), it will be the 18th hearing of that subcommittee this year alone.
May Budget Revise Hits Health Care Hard
Health care reductions made up more than one-third of the additional $6.5 billion Governor Jerry Brown (D) needed to trim since the last budget proposal in January. Five months ago, the governor was only staring down a $9.2 billion deficit. Now it’s estimated at $15.7 billion.
Brown’s new proposal released yesterday included about $2.5 billion in cost reductions to health care programs.
The plan calls for new cuts for hospitals and nursing homes, more cutbacks in Medi-Cal services and another reduction to In-Home Supportive Services.
May Budget Revise Hits Health, Human Services
Governor Jerry Brown’s May revision of the state budget released this morning includes about $2.5 billion in cost-saving measures to health care programs.
“They’re pretty serious cuts,” Brown said today. “Cuts to Medi-Cal, to hospitals, to nursing homes, to CalWORKS, this is all very real. But California has been living beyond its means, and it has to be balanced at the day of reckoning. This is the day of reckoning.”
According to the Democratic governor’s proposed budget, $1.2 billion in cost-reduction will come from Medi-Cal, about $880 million from CalWORKS, $225 million from In-Home Supportive Services and about $161 million from other health care programs, such as the AIDS Drug Assistance Program.
New Budget to Hit Health Care Programs?
Before Governor Jerry Brown (D) came out with the January budget, some in the health care community speculated that new budget cuts wouldn’t hit health programs — because there wasn’t much left that could be cut back.
But that proved untrue, when reductions hit Medi-Cal, Healthy Families and In-Home Supportive Services.
Assembly Casts Its Vote for Vaccinations
The Assembly yesterday approved a measure to require parents to meet with a licensed medical provider if they want to exempt their children from immunizations. After consultation, practitioners would sign an exemption form for parents.
Bill author Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) said AB 2109 makes sure parents make an informed decision about vaccinations.
“So they can make an informed decision about the impact this would have, not just on their own children but on the school and in the greater community,” Pan said. “This is extremely important, to protect the public safety in our communities. Immunizations are one of the most important preventative measures, one of the most-effective measures we’ve had, to try to protect our communities from infectious diseases.”