medi-cal

Lawmakers Must Protect California’s Kids and Fund Continuous Coverage Now

In predicting that the Medi-Cal coverage protections during the pandemic would end, advocates successfully pushed for California to adopt a continuous Medi-Cal coverage policy for children ages 0-5 – avoiding annual renewals during this vulnerable time in their childhood development. For this important protection to become a reality as soon as possible, we now need the Governor to fund and greenlight this policy immediately–in his January 2024 Budget proposal.

By Mayra E. Alvarez

Consumer / Employer, Payers, Social Determinants

Health Net Invests $46M To Support Unhoused in California

Health Net is making a $46 million investment that will be spread out across 26 counties in California, and will support Continuum of Care programs, which are regional or local planning bodies that help those experiencing homelessness find housing and other services.

By Marissa Plescia

With the Rise of AI, What IP Disputes in Healthcare Are Likely to Emerge?

Munck Wilson Mandala Partner Greg Howison shared his perspective on some of the legal ramifications around AI, IP, connected devices and the data they generate, in response to emailed questions.

Health Tech, Payers

Why Blue Shield of California Made Its Wellvolution Platform Available to Medi-Cal Members

Blue Shield of California's Wellvolution platform includes programs for mental health, diabetes reversal, addiction and nutrition. Last month, the payer made the platform available to its Medi-Cal members, a process that took two years.

By Marissa Plescia

Consumer / Employer, Payers

Health Net Tries To Keep Medi-Cal Members Informed As Medicaid Redeterminations Loom

Health Net's “Review to Renew” campaign will leverage print and digital media — such as mail, interactive voice response calls, text messages, social media, digital advertisements and posters — to make Medi-Cal members aware of the end of the continuous enrollment requirement and provide them with resources to retain coverage.

By Marissa Plescia

Health Tech

Inside One Company’s Approach to Improving Medicaid Members’ Outcomes and Patient Experience

This summer, Adventist Health began a three-year partnership with Emcara Health, a primary care provider group that deploys community health workers into the places people live. Five months later, Emcara is saying that the program is seeing significant engagement and improving patients’ ability to keep up with their care plan.

By Katie Adams

Health Tech

Adventist teams up with Emcara Health to deploy field care teams for Medi-Cal members

Adventist Health announced a three-year partnership with Emcara Health, a national value-based primary care provider group that meets patients where they are. The initiative will enhance the health system's participation in the CalAIM program, which gives providers state funds to improve health outcomes among Medi-Cal enrollees by broadening care delivery models.

By Katie Adams

Legal

California opens Medicaid to older unauthorized immigrants

Unauthorized immigrants over age 49 who fall below certain income thresholds are now eligible for full coverage by Medi-Cal, California’s version of Medicaid. If Gov. Gavin Newsom gets his way, which seems entirely plausible considering the state’s rosy financial outlook, California could allow all remaining low-income unauthorized immigrants — an estimated 700,000 people — to join Medi-Cal by 2024, or sooner.

By Bernard J. Wolfson, Kaiser Health News

Payers, Legal

Battle lines are drawn over California’s deal with Kaiser Permanente

The deal, hammered out earlier this year in closed-door talks between Kaiser Permanente and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office and first reported by KHN, would allow KP to operate Medi-Cal plans (the state's Medicaid program) in at least 32 counties without having to bid for the contracts. Medi-Cal’s other eight commercial health plans must compete for their contracts.

By Bernard J. Wolfson, Kaiser Health News

Patient Engagement, Payers, Health Services

How California could pave the way for text messages in Medicaid

The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has recently issued a policy sketching out how the state’s Medicaid plans can safely use the text messaging technology to connect with members.

By Kevin Truong

Kaiser

California mistakenly enrolled approximately 450K under Medicaid expansion, federal report finds

California signed up an estimated 450,000 people under Medicaid expansion who may not have been eligible for coverage, according to a report by the U.S. Health and Human Services’ chief watchdog. In a Feb. 21 report, the HHS’ inspector general estimated that California spent $738.2 million on 366,078 expansion beneficiaries who were ineligible. It spent an […]

By Chad Terhune, Kaiser Health News

Health Services

Maximize Revenue and Patient Care with Strategic Weight Loss Management

We will highlight Build My Health's revenue practice management tools, which could help physician practices add up to $250,000 to their practices.

By Build My Health and MedCity News

Kaiser

HIV-prevention drug use rises, but is still slow among non-white patients

A report by the California HIV/AIDS Policy Research Centers found the number of PrEP users in Medi-Cal increased from 79 in 2012 to 3,295 in 2016. But the authors also discovered that the use of the drug among African-American Medi-Cal enrollees in 2016 was 37 percent lower than the rate among white patients.

By Anna Gorman, Kaiser Health News

Payers, Kaiser, Policy

Democrats are talking public option again. How might that work?

A public option “would look just like an insurance plan,” except that the state or federal government would pay for medical care, potentially set up the network of doctors and hospitals, and make rules about paying providers, according to Gerald Kominski, director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research.

By Pauline Bartolone

Payers, Policy

Long-term care costs force many seniors into Medicaid

People who need long-term care are depleting their savings or transferring their assets to others so they can qualify for Medicaid. Long-term care insurance rates are rising, and many seniors find they can no longer afford policies they purchased long ago.

By Anna Gorman and Barbara Feder Ostrov

Daily

California Medicaid patients with cancer face lower survival rates than other plans

Medi-Cal patients with breast, colon or rectal cancer were more likely to be diagnosed at an advanced stage and to have worse five-year survival rates than people with other types of insurance.

By Barbara Feder Ostrov

Top Story, Policy, Payers

California puts off controversial plan to shift kids with serious conditions into managed care

Families of CCS children, child advocates and the children’s hospital lobby had criticized the state’s transition plan, saying that Medi-Cal managed care hasn’t worked well for other vulnerable populations.

By Barbara Feder Ostrov