Latest Morning Briefing Stories
How Open Enrollment Affects Medi-Cal
Covered California’s second open enrollment period beginning Nov. 15 could bump up Medi-Cal enrollment, but probably not as much as last year, officials predict.
State Closing In on Federal Waiver for Residential Care in Drug Medi-Cal Plan
The linchpin to fixing the state’s fractured Drug Medi-Cal Program is a federal waiver of a restriction on residential care facilities, according to testimony at a Senate hearing.
Briefing Set on Drug Medi-Cal Reforms
State health officials’ plans to reform the Drug Medi-Cal Treatment Program will be explained and debated at a Senate hearing today.
Medi-Cal Officials Hope Enrollees Aren’t Confused by Exchange Renewal Notices
Covered California has started its big push to get people to renew coverage, but those notices have nothing to do with Medi-Cal, officials say.
UCLA Study Shows Why One of the Biggest Obamacare Fears May Not Come To Pass
California’s Low Income Health Plan ended nearly a year ago. But UCLA researchers think the state’s early Medi-Cal expansion can inform how we think about Obamacare implementation — and emergency department use, in particular.
Mixed Bag So Far for Duals Program: Some Glad, Some Livid, Most Confused
UCLA researcher Kathryn Kietzman, Kevin Prindiville of the National Senior Citizens Law Center, dual-eligible beneficiary Maria Salim and her daughter Teresa Strauss of Los Angeles and Norman Williams of the Department of Health Care Services spoke with California Healthline about the progress and concerns over the Cal MediConnect duals demonstration program, which now is about halfway through its enrollment process.
State Files Autism Benefit Plan to CMS
A state plan amendment submitted to federal officials last week lays out some of the rules to establish autism therapy coverage as a Medi-Cal benefit — including one change advocates particularly wanted.
Poll: Most Californians Favor Coverage for Undocumented, Low Income
Californians believe that undocumented immigrants and low-income residents should get access to preventive health care coverage, according to a new California Endowment poll.
Duals Project Sign-Ups Hit Halfway Mark
If current opt-out percentages hold true throughout the signup process in California’s duals demonstration project, the state will end up with about 300,000 participants.
Providers Point to ‘Crisis’ in Dental Care for Some Medi-Cal Patients
Some special-needs patients — including children with autism or developmental disabilities — need to undergo sedation to get dental care. But the number of hospital settings for those procedures in California is declining, and a showdown of sorts has developed around Medi-Cal coverage for such services in the Sacramento area.