State Budget Preview: Medi-Cal, #Health4All, other health investments needed

The annual state budget process, which began in January, comes into focus later this week when the Governor releases the May Revision of his proposed 2015-16 budget. Health and community advocates are urging the Governor and the Legislature to include funding for critical health programs in upcoming budget negotiations. These investments continue the Affordable Care Act’s momentum by removing barriers to coverage, ensuring those covered in Medi-Cal get access to care along with important benefits, and extending coverage to the remaining uninsured.

The deadline for the Legislature to pass and the Governor to sign a budget is June 15. The Governor’s May Revision sets the stage for a short month of negotiations, shaped by information about how much of a surplus is available given the state revenues that came in during April tax time, and constitutional formulas that limit the use of these funds.

Recent Budget Subcommittee Hearings: Since introducing the budget in January, the legislature’s budget subcommittees have reviewed the Governor’s proposed budget along with budget requests from advocates. In recent days, the Senate and Assembly Budget Subcommittees on Health and Human Services completed their reviews of the Governor’s proposed budget, along with a range of urgent and needed health investments that were not included in the Governor’s proposed budget, from expanding coverage without regard to immigration status to limiting estate recovery in Medi-Cal to restoring Medi-Cal benefits. The subcommittees left most of these items open for further discussions pending the May Revision. Many consumer and community organizations including Health Access California were on hand to strongly support these critical investments.

Immigrant Health Care. Although the Affordable Care Act made health coverage possible for millions of Californians, it excludes undocumented immigrants currently living and working in any state. If and when the President’s executive order on immigration is upheld in court, those newly eligible for deferred action will have access to Medi-Cal. Advocates are proposing to expand that access to all Californians income eligible for Medi-Cal, without regard for immigration status, as proposed in SB 4 (Lara). The cost would be a small fraction of last year’s proposal, amounting to only 2 more cents for every dollar spent on Medi-Cal, but would make a world of difference for not just immigrant families, but for our health system and society.

Estate Recovery. Advocates are also seeking that California limit Medi-Cal estate recovery to costs associated with long term care services and supports, consistent with minimum federal requirements. Last year, the Governor vetoed a bill to limit Medi-Cal estate recovery, arguing the policy change should be considered in the budget instead. Health Access will continue to vigorously advocate for this policy change so that older low-income Californians don’t have to make a trade-off between seeking health care coverage and keeping their family home.

Restore Medi-Cal Benefits Eliminated in the 2009-10 Budget. Major cuts were made during the budget crisis that have yet to be restored, including Medi-Cal rates and benefits, and consumer advocates including Health Access request undoing those cuts. In this part week, the budget subcommittees heard a proposal to restore non-federally mandated yet critical Medi-Cal benefits that were eliminated for budgetary, not policy reasons, in response to the state fiscal crisis. They include, among other things: acupuncture, audiology, chiropractic, podiatry, speech therapy, and full restoration of adult dental coverage. Partial restoration of adult dental was done in the 2013-14 budget, which gives Medi-Cal beneficiaries access to preventative care, restorations, and full dentures. However, important services such as gum treatment and partial dentures or implants are still not covered in Medi-Cal. According to a recent study published in Health Affairs, California emergency departments experienced a spike in visits for dental issues after comprehensive dental benefits for adults were cut from Medi-Cal. The study further found that the lack of adult dental benefits shifts dental care needs to costly emergency departments where dental issues are not adequately addressed.

Medi-Cal Provider Rates. Many providers and consumer groups have sought to rescind the 10 percent Medi-Cal provider rate cut, which will encourage more providers to participate in Medi-Cal and help increase access for Medi-Cal beneficiaries. In fact, California’s Medi-Cal provider reimbursement rates are among the lowest in the nation, making access to doctors, specialists, and beneficiaries harder for some of the 12 million Californians with Medi-Cal coverage.

What’s Next: The Governor is expected to release his May Revision of the budget later this week. The budget subcommittees will then hold hearings to review the May Revision the following week (May 18-22), and the Budget Conference Committee will convene at the end of the month to hash out differences between actions taken by the two houses. A final budget must be passed by June 15th. Stay tuned for updates!

2 thoughts on “State Budget Preview: Medi-Cal, #Health4All, other health investments needed”

  1. It’s unclear what will happen to AB474 in the CA State Legislature, since this bill is in the Assembly Budget Subcommittee’s Suspense File, instead of in the Appropriations Suspense File. I think this might be because the bill could cost about $2.5 Billion a year.

    AB474 would give 1.073 Million SSI/SSP recipients a raise to 112% of poverty from 90%, in 2016 this would be $198 more per month added to the State Supplemental Payment, since California is a very expensive place to live at.

    http://calbudgetcenter.org/blo

    http://openstates.org/ca/bills

    http://totalcapitol.com/?bill_

    This legislation is required to be approved by at least a 2/3rds vote, so far in 2 committees this bill as amended has drawn Unanimous support, even from, gasp, ‘Republicans‘, I think Hell has frozen over.

    I know I could use this, as $889.40 a month is not always enough, I’ve got lots to replace and/or repair, this can be for My car(paid off), My mobile home(no mortgage), the contents of My mobile home or even My clothes, just buying car parts for a 16 year old car can be expensive, the last time Ford stocked any parts for a 1999 Escort ZX2(Hot coupe, a 2yr only model), was in 2011. I can forget about buying a used car to replace My aging car, since one dealer said every place He looked up required $1600 a month minimum of income and what I have currently doesn’t cut it.

    If I were able to get this I could probably get a deal from Carmax, but this depends on Me fixing any real problems, having about $2500 for a deposit and for Carmax to buy My old car, I’m slowly buying parts for said repairs, like a a replacement for My broken tach(bought), a used drivers seat that will have to be recovered to match a beige interior(current one is half broken), a tune up(sparkplugs, bought), a transmission fluid change, new front shocks, new brake pads and shoes since Mine are getting older(bought), work on the a/c to find that last leak under the dash, replace the car stereo with something newer since the CD changer is not able to play CD’s anymore, I know this is quite a list.

    And I still have to buy things like clothes, ram for My replacement PC(this one is dying, a power regulator problem on the motherboard, the PC is wired up internally like an XMAS tree to stay even remotely stable), get the gas heater for the mobile home repaired in Oct or Nov, pay down personal debt, pay for property taxes on the mobile home, etc, etc, etc, etc..

    I’m doing this anyway since this is My only viable way to go shopping for food in town(12.5 miles) or to collect My mail at the local US Post Office(2.5 miles) or to go see a Doctor(12 miles) or to go talk to the SSA if needed(55 miles) or to just visit My few remaining relatives(45 miles).

    I’d need a coupe again, the drivers seat is almost all the way back, I’m 6’1″ tall, about 390lbs, as such only a Ford would do, probably a 2007-2013 Mustang since Ford no longer makes coupes outside of the Mustang and I don’t like SUV/crossover type vehicles and My severe anxiety wouldn’t either and most auto makers only make Sedans these days, I’d skip the earlier years, since 2004 and earlier have crappy fragile driver seats and 2005-2006 have Master Power Relay problems when the outside temps go below 38F(I have no garage, just a carport awning), what happens then? The battery gets sucked dry by the Master Power Relay, this was cured in the 2007 model year I was told(by a Ford Dealer, long after I’d bought the 2006, naturally), I know of these problems cause I’d previously owned a 1987 Mustang GT hatchback and a 2006 Mustang GT. I’m disabled cause of joint problems and from surgery in late 2002 when I had broke a leg and dislocated both hips from a fall(among other reasons), the surgery ruined an ankle and of course I have Osteoarthritis in all of My joints since at least age 40, the OA started in My shoulders, I’m turning 55 in about 5 weeks, since 2003 I’ve been disabled and unable to work ever since.

    Just cause one becomes disabled, does not make one lazy or change ones life beyond introducing limitations, I don’t have the endurance that I had before I became disabled, but then some people don’t know what they talk about, as they haven’t been there and need to lose the chip on their shoulder and quit associating with their shadowy puppet masters who hold their leash like a dog..

    Government isn’t the problem, it’s those greedy people outside of Government that are the problem and are trying to corrupt the Government..

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