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 2026-27 Budget: Department of Developmental Services

Mar 13, 2026 - The APD process allows the state to request a 90  percent match in federal funding (rather than California ’s standard 50  percent match) to design, develop, and install IT systems that enable the state to more efficiently administer Medicaid benefits.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5157

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 2023-24 Budget: Assessment of Covered California Budget Solution

Feb 13, 2023 - Notably, the ACA provided for the establishment of state health benefit exchanges, such as Covered California. The ACA also included provisions intended to encourage individuals to enroll in health coverage and improve affordability.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4681

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: CalAIM Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports Implementation Update

Mar 6, 2025 - Even three years into the program, unfamiliarity with the ECM and Community Supports benefits and how to provide them as a Medi‑Cal benefit are major challenges for providers to enter MCP networks. The difficulty MCPs have in adding ECM and Community Supports providers may be keeping utilization rates lower than expected.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5003

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

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Health

Oct 16, 2025 - Increases Regulation of Pharmacy Benefit Managers. This year ’s health trailer bill creates a new regulatory system over pharmacy benefit managers, third-party entities that health care payors (such as health plans) contract with to oversee pharmacy benefits and billing.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5075

Enhancing Federal Financial Participation for Consumers Served by the Department of Developmental Services—An Interim Update

Apr 19, 2021 - Given that some families may be unaware of Medi-Cal benefits, or unaware of how Medi-Cal enrollment can fiscally benefit the DDS system, added education could assuage some concerns or hesitancy about applying for Medi-Cal.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4415

The 2021-22 Budget: Assessment of CalHEERS Dashboard

Mar 25, 2021 - (SAWS is made up of multiple IT systems which support such functions as eligibility and benefit determination, enrollment, and case maintenance at the county level for some of the state ’s major health and human services  programs.)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4408