Translate

Health and Human Services Publications

To browse all LAO publications, visit our Publications page.


 




Report

Improving Medi-Cal Managed Care Plan Quality

May 5, 2015 - Oversight of the quality of care provided by Medi-Cal Managed Care (MMC) plans is an increasingly important issue for the Legislature to examine, as MMC enrollment and the geographic reach of MMC have grown significantly over the past decade. In this report, we analyze the quality of MMC plans and current DHCS efforts to improve MMC plan quality, and consider additional steps and alternative approaches, such as P4P, the state could take to monitor plans and stimulate quality improvement in MMC.

Handout

CalWORKs Welfare-to-Work: Recent Program Changes and Trends

March 10, 2015 - Presented to Senate Human Services Committee and Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 3 on Health and Human Services

Handout

Major Issues Facing the Unemployment Insurance Program

March 4, 2015 - Presented to Senate Labor and Industrial Relations Committee

Handout

Access to Care in Medi-Cal: Focusing Oversight on Managed Care

March 4, 2015 - Presented to Assembly Committee on Health and Senate Committee on Health

Handout

Options for a State Earned Income Tax Credit

February 25, 2015 - Presented to Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Health and Human Services

Report

The 2015-16 Budget: Analysis of the Health Budget

February 12, 2015 - This report analyzes the Governor's 2015-16 state health program budget proposals. In the report, we review trends in the major health programs since 2007-08 (the last budget developed before the most recent recession), analyze the Governor's proposed restructuring of the managed care organization (MCO) tax, and describe the uncertainty regarding continued federal funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). The report also includes an analysis of the Department of State Hospitals budget and an analysis of the Governor's proposals to improve quality and increase staffing for the Licensing and Certification (L&C) Program administered by the Department of Public Health.

Report

The Universal Assessment Tool: Improving Care for Recipients of Home- and Community-Based Services

January 22, 2015 - In 2012, the Legislature authorized the development and pilot implementation of a universal assessment tool (UAT) to streamline eligibility and level-of-need determinations for three home- and community-based services (HCBS) programs that provide care to seniors and people with disabilities. Our analysis finds that the benefits of a UAT likely outweigh the costs associated with its development. To ensure the UAT achieves the benefits of creating a more effective and efficient approach to HCBS assessment, we recommend: (1) legislation specifying intent to eventually use the UAT on a statewide basis, (2) development of an automated UAT customized to fit within California’s programmatic and policy environment, (3) piloting of county welfare departments and managed care plans as administrators of the UAT, and (4) a formal evaluation of the UAT pilot.

Report

Integrating Health and Human Services Eligibility and Enrollment Processes

October 30, 2014 - The integration of eligibility and enrollment processes of health and human services (HHS) programs has long been an important issue for the state. In this report, we focus on the integration of three key HHS programs: the California Medical Assistance Program (Medi-Cal), CalFresh, and the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program. We also raise several issues for legislative consideration, including (1) determining the appropriate balance between local control and standardized statewide processes, (2) considering whether automation systems currently under development could be leveraged to strengthen integration, and (3) considering whether additional programs should be integrated.

Handout

Proposition 46: Drug and Alcohol Testing of Doctors. Medical Negligence Lawsuits.

September 29, 2014 - Presented to: Assembly Health Committee; Assembly Judiciary Committee; Assembly Business, Professions and Consumer Protection Committee; Senate Health Committee Senate Judiciary Committee; Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee

Handout

Retention and Recruitments at State Hospitals (Agenda Page 21)

June 2, 2014 - Presented to: Budget Conference Committee

Handout

Incompetent to Stand Trial Population (Agenda Page 20)

June 2, 2014 - Presented to: Budget Conference Committee

Handout

Health and Human Services Overview

June 2, 2014 - Presented to: Budget Conference Committee

Handout

Health in All Policies Task Force (Agenda Page 17)

June 2, 2014 - Presented to: Budget Conference Committee

Report

The 2014-15 Budget: Analysis of the Health Budget

February 20, 2014 - The report analyzes the Governor's 2014-15 health budget proposals. In it, we (1) provide an analysis of the impact the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA)--known as federal health care reform--is having on the Medi-Cal program; (2) analyze the Governor's budget proposal to exempt certain, but not all, classes of Medi-Cal providers and services from retroactive recoupments of payment reductions; and (3) assess the fiscal outlook for the California Health Benefit Exchange, also known as Covered California.

Report

Rethinking PARIS Data Match: Connecting Veterans on Medi-Cal to Federal Benefits

August 6, 2013 - Since 2009, the state has used a computer data matching process known as the Public Assistance Reporting Information System (PARIS) to identify certain military veterans who receive Medi-Cal services and may be able to voluntarily shift to health care services provided by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (USDVA). We find that the fiscal and policy benefits from the state's current implementation of PARIS Veterans activities are limited, due to resource constraints and a problematic approach to outreach. We recommend that the Legislature provide additional resources to conduct a new pilot that tests a modified approach to PARIS Veterans outreach. We also find that the state has not pursued a major source of savings related to the PARIS Veterans match: counting a type of USDVA monetary benefit known as aid and attendance toward the costs of the In-Home Supportive Services program. We recommend that the Legislature require the administration to report on the rationale for current policies that prevent the state from realizing these savings.

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