About Medi-Cal
More than 15 million Californians rely on Medi-Cal, the state’s health care coverage safety net, for health insurance. Two-thirds of those on Medi-Cal are people of color and often live 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.
Medi-Cal is California’s version of the federal program known as Medicaid. To learn more about CHA’s work to protect Medicaid, visit our federal resource page.
Registration Opens for DHCS Birthing Care Pathway Webinar
What’s happening: On March 4, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is hosting a webinar from 3-4:30 p.m. (PT) to discuss the Birthing Care Pathway, a comprehensive policy and care model roadmap to address racial and ethnic disparities throughout the journey of pregnant and postpartum Medi-Cal members — from conception through 12 months postpartum. Registration is open.
What else to know: The goals of the roadmap are to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality and address these significant disparities in maternal health outcomes among Medi-Cal members who are Black, American Indian/Alaska Native, and Pacific Islander.
Issue Brief: All Californians Deserve Timely Access to Medical Care
Current California standards require health plans to ensure that their enrollees have timely access to medical care — such as being within 15 miles or a 30-minute drive from a hospital. Unfortunately, many people covered by Medi-Cal still face significant hurdles to access care.
Key Messages: All Californians Deserve Timely Access to Medical Care
California standards that ensure timely access to care for Medi-Cal enrollees will expire in less than a year.
Your Voice Is Needed Now to Alert Members of Congress to Threats to Medicare and Medicaid
CHA Publishes Resources to Support Hospitals’ Congressional Advocacy Efforts
What’s happening: CHA’s new federal resources can assist hospitals in their messaging to lawmakers on health policy options circulating in Washington, D.C. What else to know: The resources cover financial instability, rural hospital care, site-neutral policies, disproportionate share hospital payment cuts, and the 340B drug pricing program.
New Resource Available on Assisted Living Waiver, CalAIM Community Supports
What’s happening: The California Health Care Foundation has issued an Explainer document that describes and compares two key Medi-Cal programs: the Assisted Living Waiver (ALW) and Community Supports (a component of California’s Medi-Cal reform initiative, California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM)). What else to know: The document provides an overview of the ALW and the […]
Federal Advocacy Resources
California hospitals are committed to caring for their patients and communities. As policymakers in Washington, D.C., consider changes to the Medicaid program (known as Medi-Cal in California) it’s critical that the impact on patient care be at the forefront of every conversation.
Budget Work Begins to Determine Prop 35 Payments
Following last week’s release of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed $322 billion budget for 2025-26, work will now focus on ensuring allocations from a recently approved managed care organization tax are delivered in accordance with the intent of the ballot measure passed in November.
DHCS Shifts Deadline for Hospital Fee Program Payments to April 8
What’s happening: As previously shared with member hospitals via email, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has shifted the timing of fees and payments for the Hospital Quality Assurance Fee (HQAF) program attributable to the managed care pass-through cycle for the Jan. 1, 2024, through Dec. 31, 2024, period.
What else to know: The fees associated with this cycle are now due April 8, 2025.
Federal Funding Will Bolster Medi-Cal Reimbursement for Inpatient Psychiatric Care
What’s happening: On Dec. 16, California was approved for the large BH-CONNECT behavioral health demonstration project, which is estimated to bring $5 billion of new federal Medicaid dollars for California over the next five years.
What else to know: During this time, BH-CONNECT will use the funds to test new approaches to behavioral health treatment, housing, and workforce development.