The 2025-26 Budget: MCO Tax and Proposition 35

Feb 26, 2025 - Recent experience has shown that, once structured and enacted, rate increases can still take time to make their way to providers. This is particularly true for provider payments directed through the managed care system.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4992

Impact of COVID-19 on Health Care Access

May 7, 2021 - Access to and Utilization of Health Care Declined, Followed by a Partial Recovery In this section, we use three metrics to assess access to and utilization of care. First, we describe how employment within the health care industry has evolved over the pandemic, which helps show the extent to which health care professionals have been available to take appointments.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4426

The 2021-22 Budget: CalAIM: The Overarching Issues

Feb 9, 2021 - The CalAIM proposal also takes steps to improve coordination of behavioral care by integrating specialty mental health services and substance use disorder services under a single behavioral health managed care plans in the majority of the state ’s counties.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4357

The 2022-23 Budget: Health Care Access and Affordability

Feb 23, 2022 - We recommend that the Legislature take into consideration the issues raised above when considering what actions to take —either in reviewing any potential proposal from the administration that might be released at May Revision or in developing direction to the administration on what options to implement.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4560

The 2025-26 Budget: CalAIM Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports Implementation Update

Mar 6, 2025 - 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

The 2025-26 Budget: Health Care Access and Information

Feb 20, 2025 - The 2025-26 Budget: Health Care Access and Information Background Prescription Drugs Have Been a Key Driver of Health Care Costs. Prescription drugs comprise more than 10  percent of personal health care spending in the U.S. and California.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4979

The 2024-25 Budget: The MCO Tax Package at May Revision

May 22, 2024 - Some rate increases began in 2024 (focused on primary care, maternity care, and mental health services), but most were to begin in 2025. The Governor ’s budget included a more detailed plan for the 2025 rate increases.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4905

The 2023-24 Budget: Health Workforce Budget Solutions

Feb 21, 2023 - Were the Legislature to take this approach, it likely would want to adopt reporting requirements and other oversight measures to assess the pilots ’ outcomes. Recommendations Consider Health Workforce Budget Solutions, but Weigh Alternative Approaches Against Governor ’s Proposals.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4691

The 2023-24 Budget: Whole Child Model Expansion

May 5, 2023 - Under the demonstration project, the county ’s Medi-Cal managed care plan was responsible for the “whole child ” in CCS, taking on a greater role in administering CCS services to its members. Non-Medi-Cal CCS beneficiaries were excluded from the demonstration project.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4767

The 2021-22 Budget: CalAIM: Equity Considerations

Mar 12, 2021 - Whether the CalAIM package would be able to effectively reduce health disparities within Medi ‑Cal depends, in part, on the degree to which managed care plans would be able to take advantage of and expand community resources to serve the broader, nonmedical needs of their members.
https://lao.ca.gov/Publications/Report/4402