On Dec. 29, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) received approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for a one-year extension of the Medi-Cal 2020 Section 1115 demonstration, through Dec. 31, 2021.
The approval authorizes a predominantly as-is extension of most of the demonstration’s Special Terms and Conditions (STCs) as a first step. This month, DHCS will finalize with CMS technical changes to the STCs needed in the one-year extension period for programs including, but not limited to, the Global Payment Program, Whole Person Care, transition of the Medi-Cal pharmacy benefit from managed care to fee-for-service, the Dental Transformation Initiative, and Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery Systems.