The 2026-27 Budget: Department of Developmental Services

Mar 13, 2026 - The department stated that its budget projections for 2026 ‑27 do not incorporate any potential added costs due to the changes in H.R 1. Will the department be able to determine whether its costs increase in the future due to H.R. 1?
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5157

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Health

Oct 16, 2025 - For example, DHCS plans to end an existing policy providing automatic coverage of drugs for existing users when the drugs are removed from Medi-Cal ’s contract drug list. Moving forward, users will need to receive prior authorization to continue using the drugs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5075

The 2026-27 Budget: Medi-Cal Analysis

Mar 2, 2026 - One possible reason for our higher estimate is that our model reflects not only disenrollment among current enrollees, but also reduced enrollment flows over time and a persistent risk of disenrollment among eligible individuals due to added administrative burden.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5146

The 2021-22 Budget: Assessment of CalHEERS Dashboard

Mar 25, 2021 - The  Legislature also could direct DHCS to develop a less technical version of the CalHEERS dashboard to show the Legislature —in a user ‑friendly and focused way —how fixes and functionalities on the dashboard would improve Medi ‑Cal eligibility processes.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4408

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

Oct 24, 2025 - …But Potentially With Added Complexity. Adding more flexibilities also could come with the potential downside of more complexity for beneficiaries and counties. For example, exempting high unemployment counties from work requirements could create more volatility.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5083

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

Mar 6, 2025 - In the paragraphs that follow, we provide our analysis that results in ou r estimate of at least 165,000 seniors being added due to eligibility expansions since 2020. (As a consequence of this estimate, it follows naturally that we estimate up to 60,000  seniors being added due to the effects of continuous coverage, the unwinding, and unwinding flexibilities, for a total increase of 225,000 seniors due to policy changes.)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5010

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

Feb 5, 2025 - Strategies to do so have included expanding the behavioral health workforce; adding benefits and increasing rates in Medi ‑Cal; and increasing capacity through managed care plans, schools, and in other  settings.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4954

The 2021-22 Budget: LAO Preliminary Comments on the May Revision Medi-Cal Budget

May 21, 2021 - The service, which would be provided by a contracted vendor, would serve as a centralized data repository and portal whereby users could obtain administrative and clinical services data on Medi ‑Cal recipients (de ‑identified, as necessary).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4436

Enhancing Federal Financial Participation for Consumers Served by the Department of Developmental Services

Nov 9, 2021 - Added State Costs Outside the DDS System Although DDS likely could achieve some savings by drawing down federal funding for children who are currently 100 p ercent state funded, there would be added Medi ‑Cal costs outside the DDS system for services such as IHSS and for regular Medi ‑Cal health insurance costs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4471

Mental Health Services Act: Revenue Volatility and the Governor’s Proposal to Reduce Allowable County Reserves

Jul 13, 2023 - One way to measure the variability in a data series is average deviation (AD). AD summarizes —for a given time period —how many percentage points the data in a series deviate from the average growth rate.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4780