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636 Publications Found
February 20, 2002 - The Governor has recently indicated support for the Healthy Families parent expansion in the budget year. Should the Legislature wish to proceed with the expansion in the budget year, we offer an alternative for doing so at a reduced state cost.
February 20, 2002 - We agree in concept with the Governor's plan to eliminate the Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) program. However, we note that there are problems with the proposal that need to be addressed such as its impact on community health clinics and access to care for children previously served by CHDP.
February 20, 2002 - We review options for reform of the medical system that now provides care for a majority of Medi-Cal beneficiaries. We suggest the Legislature consider changing the way managed care rates are set, increasing competition among health plans, and enrolling the elderly and disabled in managed care.
February 20, 2002 - Funding for Regional Centers for the developmentally disabled has more than doubled since 1995-96, yet they are still experiencing financial problems. We propose some initial steps the Legislature could take to achieve significant savings that could either be used to reduce state spending or to reinvest in the Regional Center system.
February 20, 2002 - We recommend against adopting administration proposals to reduce provider rates for certain services and charge copayments to Medi-Cal beneficiaries. We propose a different copayment approach. We recommend approval of a proposal to reduce the cost of Medi-Cal drug purchases and offer some additional approaches that could save the state money on purchases of drugs.
February 20, 2002 - California hospitals face significant financial pressures in the next several years, particularly from recent federal regulations limiting the amount the state can pay public hospitals participating in Medi-Cal. We recommend steps the Legislature could take even in difficult fiscal times to deal with problems faced by hospitals.
February 20, 2002 - We recommend that the Legislature either end or modify the Partnership for Excellence (PFE) experiment, which provides supplementary funding to community colleges in exchange for their commitment to improve certain student outcomes.
February 20, 2002 - The state administers a number of K-12 outreach programs that focus on preparing students from disadvantaged backgrounds for college. We find that for a variety of reasons these programs may not be achieving their goals. We review these programs and recommend steps for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the system.
February 20, 2002 - We recommend expansion of the competitive Cal Grant programs by redirecting state funds from certain financial aid programs at the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU). This would help create a statewide financial aid system that is more efficient and objective.
February 20, 2002 - We recommend that the Legislature enact in statute a consistent fee policy that provides for an appropriate sharing of educational costs between students and the state, and which preserves student access to higher education.
February 20, 2002 - We withhold recommendation on $89.6 million requested for the California Highway Patrol until the levels of federal reimbursement are better known in the spring. We also recommend development of an expenditure plan that sets priorities for the use of the remaining $176 million in anticipated additional federal funds.
February 20, 2002 - Increased costs for security activities in the budget year, together with other Motor Vehicle Account (MVA) expenditures, will result in an MVA shortfall if corrective actions are not taken.
February 20, 2002 - We recommend adoption of budget bill language (a) limiting the transfer from the State Highway Account (SHA) to the Traffic Congestion Relief Fund (TCRF) and (b) providing increased flexibility for transferring TCRF money to the General Fund. We believe the budget overestimates current-year and budget-year expenditures from the TCRF and that capital outlay expenditures in the SHA are overestimated.
February 20, 2002 - The budget proposes to create General Fund savings by shifting some General Fund support for the State Water Resources Control Board's core regulatory program to fees. We discuss the Governor's proposal, make recommendations for fee legislation, and provide an assessment of the board's funding requirements over the longer term.
February 20, 2002 - Recently, the Department of Parks and Recreation has significantly increased its land acquisitions without addressing associated future development and operating costs. We provide options for funding development and operation, and make recommendations to reduce the likelihood that future acquisitions will result in unfunded obligations.