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

May 13, 2021 - The concept of covering telehealth services at the same payment rate as health care services provided in ‑person is known as “payment parity. ” A number of states have in place telehealth payment parity policies.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4430

The 2026-27 Budget: Medi-Cal Analysis

Mar 2, 2026 - The  administration ’s stated rationale is to “maintain parity ” across the nonelderly, childless adults who are receiving full ‑scope Medi ‑Cal benefits. At  the same time, the administration has stated that verifying compliance for UIS adults using existing income data sources may be more challenging and that it would rely on information provided by the individual when available data are insufficient.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5146

The 2026-27 Budget: Department of Developmental Services

Mar 13, 2026 - Successful Exemption of DDS Consumers Depends on Administration ’s H.R. 1 Implementation Plan . While the language of H.R.  1 indicates that states should exempt individuals with an intellectual or developmental disability and their family caregivers from new Medicaid eligibility requirements, the degree to which these exemptions are successfully implemented in California will depend on the administration ’s approach.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5157

The 2025-26 Budget: Health Care Access and Information

Feb 20, 2025 - With Some Initial Successes Under Its Belt, Three Key Questions Remain on CalRx. To  date, the state has successfully entered into two partnerships to reduce the cost of two key drugs. One of these drugs has received federal approval and resulted in savings to the state, while the other has the potential to reduce costs in the private market.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4979

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

Feb 5, 2025 - This approach may create a significant challenge for small and disadvantaged applicants and may be limiting the program ’s success in siting the hardest ‑to ‑build facilities. Oversight of BHCIP Needed to Maximize Success of Proposition  1 Bond.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4954

The 2021-22 Budget: CalAIM: The Overarching Issues

Feb 9, 2021 - The success of the CalAIM proposal would depend, in part, on Medi ‑Cal managed care plans ’ ability to marshal community resources to serve the broader, nonmedical needs of their members. As such, limits in the availability of community resources could impair the effectiveness of the reform effort, as well as the speed of its success.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4357

The 2021-22 Budget: CalAIM: Equity Considerations

Mar 12, 2021 - Accordingly, if successful, CalAIM could improve health outcomes for those without stable housing and thereby narrow the disparities between those without stable housing and those who are stably housed.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4402

The 2021-22 Budget: Department of Developmental Services (DDS) May Revision Budget Proposal

May 24, 2021 - DDS System Still Faces Challenges Today That Could Affect the Success of a Performance Incentives Program. While the pandemic demonstrated that the DDS system could be somewhat nimble in responding to consumers ’ needs, some of the same challenges facing the department in 2020 exist today.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4438

The 2021-22 Budget: Assessment of CalHEERS Dashboard

Mar 25, 2021 - Recent Major CalHEERS Release Successfully Deployed, Includes Several Defect Fixes and Functionalities on Dashboard. The CalHEERS release successfully deployed on February  15,   2021 i ncluded five new sets of functionalities and eight defect fixes identified and prioritized on the dashboard.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4408

The 2026-27 Budget: Medi-Cal Fiscal Outlook

Nov 19, 2025 - Some solutions also rely on the state’s ability to negotiate higher rebates, which could be more or less successful than assumed in our outlook. Community Engagement Requirement Will Be New to Medi ‑Cal.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5092