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

Jan 13, 2025 - The reason for the reduction is the recent voter approval of Proposition  35 (2024), which requires the state to spend less MCO tax money on offsetting General Fund spending and more money on provider rate increases.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4951

The 2025-26 Budget: Medi-Cal Pharmacy Spending

Apr 3, 2025 - In 2023 ‑24, we estimate these rebates comprised 3  percent of gross spending, up from as low as 1  percent in some years. This increase was expected following the switch to the Medi ‑Cal Rx system in 2022.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5026

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

Jul 13, 2023 - Figure  5 shows the chances that reserves allowable under current law could cover revenue declines of up to 40  percent. Earlier, we suggested a target for allowable reserves to be almost certain to cover a 20  percent revenue decline and very likely to cover a 30  percent revenue decline.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4780

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

Mar 6, 2025 - The 2019 ‑20 budget package eliminated this share of cost for seniors and persons with disabilities up to 138  percent of FPL, consistent with the eligibility rules for children and adults through age 64.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5010

The 2025-26 Budget: Medi-Cal Fiscal Outlook

Nov 20, 2024 - This is because the measure requires the state to use more MCO tax money to increase Medi-Cal services, rather than to offset General Fund spending. The exact fiscal impact depends on how the state implements the measure ’s complex rules.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4941

Update on COVID-19 Spending in California

Nov 5, 2020 - The budget anticipates this change will result in lower total state General Fund costs of nearly $8  billion over 2019-20 and 2020-21. We consider this “flexible funding, ” because, essentially, these additional federal funds free up General Fund dollars that can be spent on any purpose.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4292

COVID-19: Federal Health-Related Response

Mar 23, 2020 - Up to $1  Billion Nationwide for COVID-19 Testing for the Uninsured. Up to $1  billion will be distributed nationwide for COVID-19 testing for the uninsured (as defined under FFCRA). The amount of this funding that would be allocated to California is unknown.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4209

The 2021-22 Budget: Initial Comments on the Governor’s May Revision

May 17, 2021 - Reflecting very strong cash collections in recent months, the May Revision adjusts 2020 ‑21 revenues (and transfers) up by $26.8  billion to $182  billion. This represents a 27  percent increase over 2019 ‑20, the largest single year increase in over four decades.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4432

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

Nov 9, 2021 - Moreover, some individuals and families uncomfortable with signing up for Medi ‑Cal may not be able to afford what would have been the federal portion of the cost of the RC ‑coordinated services. Consequently, this approach could be more punitive in nature than the three alternative approaches discussed below, given that a family would have to pay for or forgo services if they did not want to enroll the consumer in Medi ‑Cal.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4471

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