Building California’s Behavioral Health Infrastructure: Progress Update and Opportunities for the Proposition 1 Bond

Feb 5, 2025 - The share of Californians aged 12 and over having an SUD in the past year rose nearly 10  percent between 2015 ‑2017 and 2018 ‑2019. The consequences of these behavioral health challenges have also grown more severe.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4954

The 2025-26 Budget: MCO Tax and Proposition 35

Feb 26, 2025 - Legislative oversight is particularly warranted given the measure ’s interaction with General Fund spending in Medi-Cal. Moreover, Proposition  35 presents an opportunity to notably expand Medi-Cal provider rates and other services, a longstanding area of interest to the Legislature.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4992

Considering Medi-Cal in the Midst of a Changing Fiscal and Policy Landscape

Oct 24, 2025 - How Proposition 35 Interacts With Federal Law Makes Tax Permanent, Conditioned on Federal Approval. California has charged a specific tax on health plans (known as the Managed Care Organization Tax) for more than a decade.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5083

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Health

Oct 16, 2025 - The SNF WQIP provides performance-based directed payments to facilities that satisfied metrics in quality of care, equity in healthcare outcomes, and workforce investments. This budget solution provides General Fund savings of $70  million in 2025-26 and $140  million in 2026-27 and ongoing.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5075

Building California’s Behavioral Health Infrastructure: Progress Update and Opportunities for the Proposition 1 Bond [Publication Details]

Feb 5, 2025 - Building California’s Behavioral Health Infrastructure: Progress Update and Opportunities for the Proposition 1 Bond [Publication Details] Translate Our Website This Google ™ translation feature provided on the Legislative Analyst's Office (LAO) website is for informational purposes only.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Detail/4954

An Update on the Public Health Laboratory System After the Pandemic

Jun 12, 2025 - The LabAspire program provides fellowship opportunities that help to facilitate a pipeline of qualified individuals to act as public health laboratory directors for local public health laboratories in the state.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5056

The 2025-26 Budget: Understanding Recent Increases in the Medi-Cal Senior Caseload

Mar 6, 2025 - As shown in the figure, between 2015 and 2019, the share of seniors statewide who were enrolled in Medi ‑Cal ranged between about 18  percent and 18.5  percent. We estimate that there were 6.5  million individuals age 65 and over as of January 1, 2025 in California.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5010

The 2025-26 Budget: Medi-Cal Pharmacy Spending

Apr 3, 2025 - As a joint federal‑state program, Medi‑Cal’s costs are shared between federal and state funds. The federal share of cost in each state generally is determined by a formula, with the share in California at 50 percent.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5026

The 2025-26 Budget: CalAIM Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports Implementation Update

Mar 6, 2025 - As discussed above, DHCS had estimated that between 3  percent and 5  percent of Medi ‑Cal MCP members were eligible for the ECM benefit. While the ECM benefit is intentionally targeted at a small subset of the overall Medi ‑Cal population, the take up appears to be between about one ‑third and one ‑quarter of those eligible for services.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5003

The 2025-26 Budget: Overview of the Governor's Budget

Jan 13, 2025 - Recent budgets have set the SFEU between $3.5  billion and $4  billion. The Governor proposes a $4.5  billion SFEU balance for the end of 2025 ‑26.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4951