How Will the Changing Landscape Affect California’s Health Care System?

May 4, 2026 - Medi ‑Cal pays safety net clinics for each visit from a Medi ‑Cal beneficiary. Each clinic ’s rate is set based on its reported costs. As a budget solution, the state will reduce these rates for visits from adult Medi ‑Cal enrollees with UIS beginning in July 2026.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5180

The 2022-23 Budget: Health Care Access and Affordability

Feb 23, 2022 - To some extent, health care —like other parts of the service sector —is structurally predisposed to greater growth in costs. (For example, the inflation in nonmedical service sectors discussed above is still higher than overall inflation over the same time period.)
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4560

Impact of COVID-19 on Health Care Access

May 7, 2021 - Children ’s vaccinations and mental health services are down by over 10  percent, while outpatient visits (which include well-child visits, where vaccinations and developmental screenings often take place) and dental visits are down by 30  percent to 40  percent.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4426

The 2022-23 California Spending Plan: Health

Oct 24, 2022 - The new policy will maintain the rates currently paid for telehealth services, include various changes to protect patient consent and choices, and reduce the use of audio-only visits in favor of in-person or video-only visits.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4642

The 2023-24 California Spending Plan: Health

Oct 23, 2023 - The health enrollment navigators project was initially established in 2019 on a three-year, limited-term basis to provide counties and community-based organizations with funding to provide potentially eligible Medi-Cal populations with outreach and assistance applying for and maintaining en rollment in Medi-Cal.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4810

The 2024-25 Budget: Medi-Cal Fiscal Outlook

Dec 7, 2023 - Health care services covered by Medi-Cal include visits to the doctor ’s office, stays at the hospital, prescription drugs, behavioral health services, long-term care, and dental services, among many other areas.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4820

The 2022-23 Budget: Analysis of the Medi-Cal Budget

Feb 9, 2022 - The goals of the initiative include (1)  improving children ’s preventive services utilization; (2)  raising maternal and adolescent screening and referral rates for depression; (3)  improving follow ‑up after emergency department visits for mental health and substance use disorder; and (4)  closing racial and ethnic disparities in well ‑child visits, child immunizations, prenatal care, and child delivery via cesarean section.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4522

The 2021-22 Budget: Analysis of the Governor’s Medi-Cal Telehealth Proposal

May 13, 2021 - Under PPS, health centers receive an all‑inclusive payment for each patient visit, generally regardless of what individual services were provided during that visit. Medi‑Cal payment rates for health centers range from as low as $64 per visit to as high as $719 per visit, depending on the health center and their services.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4430

The 2021-22 Budget: LAO Preliminary Comments on the Governor’s Major May Revision Behavioral Health Proposals

May 24, 2021 - Public Education and Change Campaign Why is the ACEs awareness campaign focused on K-12 educator training, rather than other sectors as well? What is the basis for the proposed funding level for the behavioral health literacy campaign?
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4439

The 2025-26 California Spending Plan: Health

Oct 16, 2025 - The department also reverts $233  million General Fund from 2022-23 that was available until 2026-27 (the department is reappropriating $3.4  million for the Judicial Council to carry out training related to IST evaluations).
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5075