The state Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has announced
the selection of health plans to provide Medi-Cal Managed Care
services in 28 rural counties.
Counties were pleased to see that DHCS listened to and will allow
eight northern counties (see list below) to use Partnership Health Plan
of California, a County-Organized Health System (COHS) that
currently already serves Solano, Sonoma, Napa and Yolo Counties.
Eighteen other counties were awarded to Anthem Blue Cross. San
Benito will join the Central Alliance for
Health – which is another COHS already serving Merced,
Monterey, and Santa Cruz Counties – and the state is still
seeking plans for serving Imperial County.
The expansion of Medi-Cal Managed Care to the 28 fee-for-service
rural counties was authorized last year via AB 1467 ( Chapter
Number 23, Statutes of 2012). The transition is slated to be
complete by July 1. For a map of the counties and plans, plus
additional resources and information, please visit
the DHCS
Rural Expansion page.
Partnership Health Plan Counties: Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake,
Lassen, Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou and Trinity.
Anthem Blue Cross Counties: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras,
Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono, Nevada, Placer,
Plumas, Sierra, Sutter, Tehama, Tuolumne and Yuba.
Legislation
ABX1 1 (Pérez) – Support
As Introduced on January 28, 2013
ABX1 1, by Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez, would implement
provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to streamline
eligibility and enrollment in the state’s Medi-Cal
system.
The Assembly Appropriations Committee passed ABX1 1 on February
25, and the Assembly placed it on their Third Reading File on the
26th. It is our understanding that the Assembly will pass ABX1 1
on March 7 and send it to the Senate. All of these actions are
occurring in the Special Session on Health Care Reform.
