Health and Human Services Publications
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Estimated Cost of Expanding Full-Scope Medi-Cal Coverage to All Otherwise-Eligible Californians Regardless of Immigration Status
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May 5, 2021 - This budget and policy post responds to legislative requests for our office to estimate the costs of expanding comprehensive Medi-Cal coverage to all otherwise eligible Californians regardless of their immigration status. We estimate that nearly one million undocumented immigrants would gain full coverage under this expansion. Assuming a January 1, 2022 implementation, we estimate that the additional cost of expansion would be $790 million General Fund ($870 million total funds) in 2021-22. On an ongoing basis, we estimate the additional cost of the expansion would be $2.1 billion General Fund (nearly $2.4 billion total funds). Both our caseload and cost estimates are subject to significant uncertainty and rest on a number of key assumptions. Moreover, our ongoing estimates would be expected to change over time with medical inflation and changes in caseload and utilization.
Enhancing Federal Financial Participation for Consumers Served by the Department of Developmental Services—An Interim Update
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April 19, 2021 - The Supplemental Report of the 2020-21 Budget Act requires our office to evaluate options for enhancing federal financial participation through Medi-Cal for consumers served by the Department of Developmental Services. This post provides an interim update of our initial findings and preliminary assessment. A final report will be delivered to the Legislature in the late summer.
The 2021-22 Budget: Assessment of CalHEERS Dashboard
March 25, 2021 - Supplemental report language adopted by the Legislature in 2020-21 directed our office to provide an assessment of a new dashboard developed by the administration for Medi-Cal eligibility functionality issues in the California Healthcare Eligibility, Enrollment, and Retention System—an information technology system. This post provides our assessment of the dashboard and associated process changes, and identifies opportunities for legislative oversight going forward.
The 2021-22 Budget: CalAIM: New Directions for Services for Seniors and Persons With Disabilities
March 15, 2021 - The California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) proposal is a far-reaching set of reforms to expand, transform, and streamline Medi-Cal service delivery and financing. This post—the fourth in a series assessing different aspects of the Governor’s proposal—analyzes CalAIM proposals targeted at seniors and persons with disabilities, including new benefits and structural changes to how long-term services and supports (LTSS) are administered. (LTSS include, among other supports and services, institutional care in nursing homes and home- and community-based services such as home care and personal care services.)
The 2021-22 Budget: CalAIM: Equity Considerations
March 12, 2021 - The California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) proposal is a set of reforms to expand, transform, and streamline Medi-Cal service delivery and financing. This post—the third in a series assessing different aspects of the Governor’s proposal—analyzes CalAIM’s potential to reduce health disparities, and therefore promote health equity.
The 2021-22 Budget: In-Home Supportive Services
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February 26, 2021 - Analyzes the Governor’s 2021-22 budget proposals related to the In-Home Supportive Services program; assesses recent growth trends in caseload, hourly wages, and hours per case; and provides some recommendations and issues for consideration.
The 2021-22 Budget: Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP) Program
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February 23, 2021 - This handout provides our comments on the Governor's budget proposals related to the Supplemental Security Income/State Supplementary Payment program.
The 2021-22 Budget: Behavioral Health: Community Care Demonstration Project
February 19, 2021 - This post analyzes the Governor’s proposal in the Department of State Hospitals to provide $233.2 million General Fund in 2021-22 and $136.4 million General Fund in 2022-23 and ongoing to establish a demonstration project—that would be optional for counties to participate in—in which responsibility for treating individuals found incompetent to stand trial and facing a felony charge would be realigned to participating counties.
The 2021-22 Budget: Behavioral Health: Continuum Infrastructure Funding Proposal
February 17, 2021 - This post analyzes the Governor’s proposal in the Department of Health Care Services to provide $750 million General Fund—on a one-time basis—in competitive grants to counties to acquire or renovate facilities for community behavioral health services.
The 2021-22 Budget: Behavioral Health: Medi-Cal Student Services Funding Proposal
February 17, 2021 - This post analyzes the Governor’s proposal in the Department of Health Care Services to provide $200 million General Fund ($400 million total funds) one time to provide incentive payments to Medi-Cal managed care plans to increase the number of students receiving behavioral health services.
The 2021-22 Budget: Medi-Cal Enterprise System Modernization Effort
February 17, 2021 - This post analyzes, and provides recommendations to the Legislature on, the 2021-22 Governor’s Budget proposal for the Department of Health Care Services to continue the replacement of several Medi-Cal information technology systems and to plan the modernization of the remaining systems under a new effort called the Medi-Cal Enterprise System Modernization.
The 2021-22 Budget: Analysis of CalAIM Financing Issues
February 16, 2021 - The California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) proposal is a set of reforms to expand, transform, and streamline Medi-Cal service delivery and financing. This post—the second in a series assessing different aspects of the Governor’s proposal—analyzes CalAIM financing issues, including both the Governor’s funding plan for CalAIM as well as CalAIM’s policy changes related to Medi-Cal financing.
The 2021-22 Budget: Analysis of the Medi-Cal Budget
February 16, 2021 - This post analyzes the major adjustments to the Medi-Cal budget in 2020-21 and 2021-22, with a focus on the technical adjustments such as the administration’s caseload estimates. We will further analyze the major discretionary Medi-Cal proposals in separate publications and communications to the Legislature.
The 2021-22 Budget: Department of Child Support Services
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February 12, 2021 - Analyzes the Governor’s 2021-22 budget proposals related to the child support program, provides background on recent program developments and state review process of child support guidelines, and provides issues for the Legislature to consider.
The 2021-22 Budget: Analysis of Child Welfare Proposals
February 11, 2021 - In this analysis of the Governor’s 2021-22 budget proposal for child welfare programs, we: (1) provide program background; (2) outline the Governor’s proposed budget for child welfare services and foster care programs; and (3) provide key questions and issues for the Legislature to consider related to the administration’s proposals for continued pandemic response, implementation of the federal Family First Prevention Services Act, and ongoing implementation of Continuum of Care Reform.
Health and Human Services Staff
- Mark Newton
- (916) 319-8323
- Deputy Legislative Analyst: Health, Developmental Services, and Technology
- Jason Constantouros
- (916) 319-8322
- Medi-Cal/Managed Care/Family Health/Health Care Affordability and Workforce Development
- Brian Metzker
- (916) 319-8354
- Privacy, Security, and Technology
- Ryan Miller
- (916) 319-8356
- Medi-Cal/Behavioral Health/Covered California/CalHHS Agency Issues
- Angela Short
- (916) 319-8309
- Child Welfare, Child Support, Community Services and Development, Community Care Licensing, CalSTRS
- Karina Hendren
- (916) 319-8352
- Medi-Cal/Long-Term Care/Developmental Services
- Will Owens
- (916) 319-8341
- Public Health/Behavioral Health/State Hospitals
- Sonia Schrager Russo
- (916) 319-8361
- CalWORKs/CalFresh
- Juwan Trotter
- (916) 319-8358
- In-Home Supportive Services/Aging Programs
- Ginni Bella Navarre
- (916) 319-8342
- Deputy Legislative Analyst: Human Services and Governance