About Medi-Cal

Every year, California’s hospitals treat millions of patients, many of them covered by Medi-Cal, the state’s health care safety net. This includes numerous essential health care services, including care for more than 50% of all births, 51% of behavioral health-related emergency department visits, and 49% of rural hospital patient care But for low-income Californians who rely on Medi-Cal for coverage — two-thirds of whom are people of color — their care is at serious risk. Communities with high Medi-Cal enrollment already suffer from a severe lack of health care providers and with hospital services at risk of being reduced and outright closures looming, California’s most vulnerable, including people living in rural and underserved areas, are in jeopardy.
CHA to Host Webinar on Medi-Cal Long-Term Care
CHA will host a Feb. 3 webinar on changes to Medi-Cal long-term care (LTC), which is being standardized across the state under California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal.
Updates on the No Surprises Act Implementation
Join Amanda Hayes-Kibreab, partner at Kings-Spalding, as she shares insights on the No Surprises Act.
CalAIM Long-Term Care Carve-In
To increase access to comprehensive care coordination, care management, and a broad array of services for Medi-Cal beneficiaries, CalAIM is standardizing Medi-Cal Long-Term Care (LTC) across the state. Effective January 1, all managed care plans must authorize and cover medically necessary LTC services at Skilled Nursing Facilities.
Valley Children’s Healthcare CEO Todd Suntrapak Elected 2023 Chair of California Hospital Association’s Board of Trustees
SACRAMENTO (January 12, 2023) — Todd Suntrapak, President and CEO of Valley Children’s Healthcare in Madera, has been elected 2023 chair of the California Hospital Association’s Board of Trustees. Suntrapak, who has been with Valley Children’s for more than 25 years, was named CEO in 2012 after serving in various leadership positions. He has championed […]
Governor’s 2023-24 Budget Proposal Neglects to Meet Urgent Need for Support for Patients, Hospitals
“California’s hospitals commend Gov. Newsom for his ongoing commitment to increasing access to health care in his proposed January budget, despite the state facing a more than $22 billion budget shortfall,” said Carmela Coyle, President & CEO of the California Hospital Association. “The budget also must support the health care providers who care for patients day […]
New Law Makes Big Changes to Pandemic-Related Medicaid Policies
On Dec. 29, President Joe Biden signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, which makes two major changes to COVID-19 pandemic-related Medicaid policies that will have significant impacts on California’s hospitals. Previous COVID-19-related federal legislation made state Medicaid programs eligible to receive a 6.2 percentage-point increase in the federal government’s share of cost, provided states […]
DHCS Announces Changes to Medi-Cal Managed Care Contract Awards
Last week, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) announced in a joint statement with five commercial managed care plans (MCPs) that an agreement had been reached on which commercial health plans will serve Medi-Cal patients in 21 counties beginning in January 2024. The agreement relates to the Medi-Cal MCP procurement process that began […]
DHCS Releases Private Hospital Directed Payment Encounter Files
On Dec. 9, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) released three new hospital-directed payment data sets, available via the Secure File Transfer Protocol site (the site is only intended for file transfers, and uploaded files will be deleted within 45 days).
CHA to Host Webinar about Changes to Medi-Cal Coverage for Dually Enrolled People
A CHA webinar on Dec. 14 will answer questions about changes to Medi-Cal coverage for people enrolled in both Medi-Cal and Medicare.
Dual Eligible Medi-Cal Managed Care Enrollment — Participant Information
On January 1, 2023, those enrolled in Medicare and Medi-Cal and who currently receive their Medi-Cal benefits through traditional fee-for-service will have their Medi-Cal benefits transitioned to Medi-Cal managed care statewide, which could mean changes for you.