The 2025-26 Budget: Medi-Cal Pharmacy Spending

Apr 3, 2025 - Spending on drugs is fairly lopsided, with certain kinds of drugs representing much of the spending. To gauge this effect, we looked at the kinds of drugs that represented the most gross spending in the Medi ‑Cal program.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5026

The 2025-26 Budget: MCO Tax and Proposition 35

Feb 26, 2025 - Other state entities, such as UC and/or HCAI, may also play a role in implementing certain augmentations. With so many steps to undertake, it is likely that it will take months, or even longer, to begin implementing Proposition  35.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4992

The 2026-27 Budget: Medi-Cal Analysis

Mar 2, 2026 - According to DHCS, however, federal administrators have communicated that there are fairly limited options to structure the private hospital fee in 2025 (see the nearby box). Given these limited options, the administration ’s assumptions around the private hospital fee appear to be reasonable.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5146

The 2021-22 Budget: CalAIM: The Overarching Issues

Feb 9, 2021 - While much of CalAIM represents novel changes to how Medi ‑Cal services are delivered and financed, most of the proposed new General Fund spending reflects a change in how the state would fund fairly new but existing services.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4357

The 2026-27 Budget: Medi-Cal Fiscal Outlook

Nov 19, 2025 - While some of these issues remain, new factors are also at play. Specifically, both the timing and size of effects from state budget solutions and H.R. 1 will help shape Medi‑Cal spending in the coming years.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5092

An Update on the Public Health Laboratory System After the Pandemic

Jun 12, 2025 - Aside from the role recently developed IT systems play in current public health laboratory functions, these systems —when complete and fully integrated —could significantly assist in evaluations of the system ’s ongoing capacity.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5056

The 2026-27 Budget: Department of Developmental Services

Mar 13, 2026 - Data Limitations While the department provides some data on spending drivers, publicly available data are fairly limited. This means that the Legislature ’s ability to understand spending drivers at a more nuanced level is limited.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5157

Considering Medi-Cal in the Midst of a Changing Fiscal and Policy Landscape

Oct 24, 2025 - Also, while disenrollments will result in some state savings, these savings will be fairly limited. Instead, most of the savings would accrue to the federal government, which covers most of the cost of services for childless adults in Medi ‑Cal.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/5083

The 2021-22 Budget: CalAIM: Equity Considerations

Mar 12, 2021 - Importantly, without Medi ‑Cal playing a role, the state would sacrifice the opportunity to draw down additional federal funding for these services. Recommend Formulating Specific Equity Metrics to Ensure CalAIM Is Meeting Equity Goals.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4402

The 2025-26 Budget: Medi-Cal Fiscal Outlook

Nov 20, 2024 - To the extent that events play out differently, costs could differ significan tly from those reflected in our outlook, particularly in 2025 ‑26. The Legislature likely will want to assess any updated estimates from the administration around the senior caseload and the asset test elimination as part of next year ’s budget process.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4941