Both sides of the legislature held budget hearings this week that
focused on programs that serve children in California: the
Healthy Families Program, child support services, and the Child
Welfare Services (CWS) system.
Budget Hearings Continue with Mental Health and IHSS Issues
Both houses convened budget hearings this week, with the Assembly
Budget Subcommittee No. 1 meeting both on Monday and Wednesday.
The Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee No. 1 met on
Thursday to hear mental health and alcohol and drug
issues.
New Community Based Adult Services Program Receives Final
Approval from Federal Government
The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has
given final approval to California’s request to implement a new
Medi-Cal adult day health care option called the Community-Based
Adult Services (CBAS) program.
State Will Not Pursue Legal Case Over Local First 5 Funding
Local First 5 funding remains intact after the state declined to
appeal a decision in last year’s legal battle to divert $1
billion in Proposition 10 revenue from counties to the
state.
State Releases Mental Health Needs Assessment Document
The State Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) released the
final Section 1115 Waiver Behavioral Health Services Needs
Assessment last week as part of the terms and conditions for the
federal Section 1115 Medicaid Bridge to Reform Waiver of
2010.
Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 and Assembly Aging Committee
held a joint hearing this week on the Administration’s care
coordination proposals. Please recall that the January budget
includes a number of proposals to change the Medi-Cal program,
particularly for people eligible for Medi-Cal and Medicare
services.
Hearings on CalWORKs and Subsidized Child Care Budget Proposals
Begin
Both the Senate and Assembly budget committees held hearings to
examine Governor Brown’s proposed redesign of the CalWORKs
program, reductions to CalWORKs grants, and, in the case of the
Senate, proposed changes to subsidized child care
programs.
First, a quick recap of the Governor’s 2012-13 budget proposals
regarding CalWORKs and subsidized child care:
Supreme Court Kicks Medi-Cal Rate Cuts Back Down to Ninth Circuit
The United States Supreme Court issued an opinion Wednesday
regarding three California Medi-Cal Provider Cut cases that will
send them all back to the Ninth Circuit Court of
Appeals.
We reported last week on the Senate’s schedule for convening
budget hearings over the course of the next few months, and the
Assembly has joined in with a robust schedule of hearings through
May.
Please also note that the Assembly and Senate Health Committees
have scheduled a joint hearing on “Hospital Reimbursement
Mechanisms” in Los Angeles on February 24.
Legislature Hears Impacts of Recession and Budget Cuts on Women
On February 1, Senator Carol Liu, Assembly Member Holly Mitchell
and Assembly Member Bonnie Lowenthal chaired a joint oversight
hearing on the impact of the recession on California women and
their families. Senator Liu chairs Senate Human Services
Committee and Assembly Mitchell chairs Assembly Budget
Subcommittee No. 1 on health and human services. Assembly Member
Lowenthal is chair of the Legislative Women’s Caucus.
The Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) released their overview of
the Governor’s budget this week. The Analyst did provide comment
on the CalWORKs proposals and the dual eligible pilot. The
following is a short summary of the LAO analysis.
SB 7 (Steinberg) – Pending
As Amended on January 4, 2012
SB 7, by Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg, was
amended this week to include language regarding the Department of
Health Care Services’ plan to begin a pilot program in up to 10
counties for individuals who are eligible for both Medi-Cal and
Medicare.
New Report Pegs State Uninsured at Nearly Seven Million
The California Health Care
Foundation (CHCF) released a report this week as part of
its Almanac project finding that California still has the highest
percentage of uninsured individuals of any state in the
nation.
State Reaches Settlement in Lawsuit Affecting Foster Children
Needing Mental Health Services
A federal district court has approved a settlement that will
force the state to change how it treats and houses foster
children and children at imminent risk of foster care placement
who require mental health services.
State May Delay Provider Cuts Until After December Court Date
There are reports that the state Department of Health Care
Services may delay the implementation of 10 percent Medi-Cal
provider rate cuts until after a key federal court date scheduled
for December 19th.
The Medicaid Defense Fund has filed a federal suit seeking a
preliminary injunction to halt the cuts in this budget year, with
a motion to also permanently prevent the provider reductions in
the future.
Federal Health Care Innovation Grants Now Available
The Health Care Innovation Challenge initiative has announced the
availability of significant federal grants to help reorganize
care delivery to achieve improved patient and cost
outcomes.
Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Health and Human Services
held an oversight hearing to discuss the role of the CalWORKs
program on Thursday, November 3, in Sacramento. Subcommittee
Chair Holly Mitchell was joined by Assembly Members Felipe
Fuentes, Richard Pan, and Wes Chesbro. The hearing focused on the
role of the CalWORKs program in meeting the needs of low-income
families and their children. The testimony focused on trends in
child poverty and homelessness and how CalWORKs functions as a
safety net.
California Gets OK to Proceed with Medi-Cal Rate Cuts
California has received federal approval to enact up to $623
million in cuts to the state’s Medi-Cal program, including
reductions to the rate the state pays to Medi-Cal providers.
