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

Mar 6, 2025 - While not first ‑time Medi ‑Cal members, we assume that these individuals would have lost coverage absent changes like the asset test elimination. Combined with the 30,000 increase in seniors due to the elimination of a Medi ‑Cal share of cost for certain seniors and 115,000 first ‑time ‑enrolling seniors in Medi ‑Cal, we arrive at a total of at least 165,000  seniors who we estimate are in the program due to eligibility changes.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5010

Issues That Could Impact Californians' Health Care Coverage in 2023 and Beyond

Dec 16, 2022 - The American Rescue Plan Act, which Congress passed in 2021, temporarily increased the level of federal support for premium subsidies for coverage purchased on health benefit exchanges like Covered California.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4654

Estimated Cost of Expanding Full-Scope Medi-Cal Coverage to All Otherwise-Eligible Californians Regardless of Immigration Status

May 5, 2021 - Because this expansion would increase Medi-Cal caseload, it likely would have the effect of increasing the amount of General Fund needed to fund future policy changes in Medi-Cal that increase service costs.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4423

Mental Health Services Act: Impact of Governor's Proposal on Funding for Children and Youth

Aug 10, 2023 - Over two-thirds of the funding —$2.9   billion —is for limited-term programs, such as school-linked behavioral health partnerships and capacity grants that provide schools and institutions of higher education resources as they begin implementing a school-linked Medi-Cal fee schedule.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4786

Climate Change Impacts Across California - Health

Apr 5, 2022 - Health outcomes —such as deaths and emergency room visits —are not collected in real time, and the official data likely underestimate the number of deaths related to extreme heat. Addressing this deficiency also will require better linking and sharing of public health and health care delivery data across health plans, providers, facilities, labs, and state and local agencies.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4580

The 2023-24 Budget: Health Workforce Budget Solutions

Feb 21, 2023 - Overall, the Legislature likely will want to focus on preserving initiatives that have a good likelihood of addressing urgent state health workforce issues and can be implemented within the budget year.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4691

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

May 21, 2021 - Accordingly, while the full extent of existing agency capacity is not clear at this time, assisting these agencies in building their capacity to meet their new responsibilities likely is warranted. However, fundamental details related to the Medi ‑Cal PATH proposal are missing.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4436

The 2026-27 Budget: Department of Developmental Services

Mar 13, 2026 - In such cases, the consumer would likely need to wait until a provider is available before they can receive the authorized service. Actual utilization can therefore be lower than authorized utilization.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5157

The 2023-24 Budget: Whole Child Model Expansion

May 5, 2023 - In deciding thes e changes, the Legislature likely will want to select an approach that best coordinates care for beneficiaries, improves the existing shortcomings in CCS, and is cost-effective. Moreover, the Legislature likely will want to minimize variation across the state in how CCS services are delivered, allowing for variation only where a clear rationale exists.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4767

The 2023-24 Budget: Medi-Cal Fiscal Outlook

Nov 16, 2022 - These demographic and economic factors likely will result in an increase in the number of people who are income‑eligible for Medi‑Cal and do not have access to employer‑sponsored health coverage. As Figure 2 shows, we estimate that most of the associated caseload growth will be concentrated among the ACA optional expansion population, as well as seniors and persons with disabilities.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4649