CDCR Releases Report on Impact of Medi-Cal Expansion on Formerly Incarcerated Individuals

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Council on Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health (CCJBH) recently released a report examining patterns of health care service access and utilization among individuals formerly incarcerated in California state prisons. The report finds that in 2012 (prior to Medi-Cal expansion) seven percent of CDCR’s formerly incarcerated individuals received a Medi-Cal service. In 2016 (after Medi-Cal expansion), 36 percent of CDCR’s formerly incarcerated individuals received a Medi-Cal service. An increase in access and utilization of health care services for individuals experiencing the most severe forms of mental illness also occurred after Medi-Cal expansion; in 2012, 22 percent of CDCR’s formerly incarcerated received mental health services, and in 2016, 52 percent received those services.

The report details demographic profiles of CDCR release cohorts, utilization trends, and types of services. Also of note, the report finds that there was a significant growth in utilization from 2012 (prior to Medi-Cal expansion) to 2016 (after Medi-Cal expansion) in 50 of the 58 California counties. The rise in percent of individuals receiving Medi-Cal services ranged from 19 percent to 60 percent. Overall, the Medi-Cal expansion is determined to have provided access to health services not previously available to many formerly incarcerated individuals in California state prisons. The full report is available here.