About Medi-Cal
More than 15 million Californians rely on Medi-Cal, the state’s version of the federal program known as Medicaid, for health insurance. The program acts as California’s health care coverage safety net, with those on Medi-Cal often living in communities with a lack of adequate health care providers. Without significant investments to support providers that deliver health care to California’s most vulnerable, millions living in rural and underserved areas are in jeopardy.
Infographic: Financial Instability
DHCS Requests Comments on Plan Policies for SNF, Subacute Authorization and Payment by Friday
What is happening: The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is requesting feedback by Dec. 5 on draft all plan letters addressing updated policies for Medi-Cal managed care plan (MCP) coverage of skilled-nursing, subacute care , and intermediate care facility services.
DHCS Releases Private Hospital-Directed Payment Encounter Files — Download by Jan. 5
What’s happening: On Nov. 21, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) uploaded three new hospital-directed payment encounter files, available via the Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP) site. The SFTP site is not intended for long-term storage, so files will be deleted Jan. 5, 2026.
Disproportionate Share Hospital “Catch-Up” Payments to Be Made in Early December
What’s happening: The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has outlined its schedule for issuing “catch-up” payments to hospitals in December, reflecting congressional action that delayed pending cuts to disproportionate share hospitals (DSHs).
D.C. Download: The Good, the Bad, and the Unknown
Congressional votes to end the federal government shutdown have brought several pieces of good news for health care. Other developments out of Washington, D.C., have more mixed results.
CHA Requests Feedback on Hospital Fee Program 10 Proposed Data by Nov. 25
What’s happening: CHA has been working closely with the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to develop Hospital Fee Program 10 — a one-year program that would utilize 2023 data and start on Jan. 1, 2026. With each Hospital Fee Program renewal, DHCS retrieves the requisite hospital data and updates the fee and payment model as directed under the authorizing legislation found under...
Medi-Cal Treatment Authorization Request System to Be Updated
What’s happening: From Nov. 15- 18, the Medi-Cal Treatment Authorization Request (TAR) system will be unavailable as it is migrated to a new platform.
CHA Urges Congress to Retroactively Delay Medicaid DSH Payment Reductions
What’s happening: CHA joined California’s public, private, and community safety-net hospitals in urging Congress to retroactively delay the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital (DSH) payment cuts that went into effect on Oct. 1.
Key Priorities for 2026 Shaping Up
As your association looks to the coming year to advance policies that support the critical services California hospitals provide, three key areas are coming into sharper focus:
Looking to the Future with CHA’s Board
With just a couple of months left in 2025, last week’s meeting of the CHA Board of Trustees was an important opportunity to reflect and learn from all that’s happened this year — from monumental federal policy changes to a strong showing at the state level — and to look toward the work for next year and beyond