A new report released by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) earlier this week unveiled a record high number of Americans enrolled in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) within the past year. Over 80 million Americans now have health insurance coverage through Medicaid and CHIP, and nearly 10 million…
Read More »As a friendly reminder, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) will host a webinar on Medi-Cal managed care and upcoming policy changes associated with the California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) initiative on Tuesday, June 29 from 2:00 pm-3:00 pm. The webinar is intended for counties and providers and will feature an opportunity…
Read More »The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) will launch on July 1, 2021, the Hearing Aid Coverage for Children Program (HACCP). The FY 2020-21 State Budget included the proposal to create this new program that will cover hearing aids and related services for approximately 7,000 children under the age of 18 who have a…
Read More »The National Association of Counties (NACo) will host a webinar on Tuesday, June 29 at 11:00 am PT on the eligible uses of Fiscal Recovery Funds for public health response activities. The webinar comes as counties determine how to invest their American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds to support a…
Read More »ACEs Aware, the state’s initiative between the Office of California Surgeon General and the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), will host two upcoming webinars related to trauma-informed care and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Below, these webinars are detailed: The Trauma-Informed Network of Care Roadmap: A Guide for Strengthening Community Relationships ACEs Aware, on…
Read More »The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) this week issued a report detailing health coverage and care statuses of undocumented residents in California. The latest report updates data and findings from PPIC’s previous work on the subject and examines aspects of how children in mixed-status families engage with the health care system. Considering changes in…
Read More »The UCLA Center for Health Policy Research (CHPR) recently released a policy brief detailing barriers to accessing oral health care in California, particularly among low-income residents who face financial and other barriers to access. The report, utilizing data from the 2018 and 2019 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), identifies the following main findings: There are…
Read More »On Monday, the California State Senate and Assembly passed AB 128 (Ting),representing the Legislature’s joint $267.1 billion budget package which includes significant investments in public health and health care, individual financial supports, education, and aging, and more. Legislators faced a June 15 constitutionally required deadline to pass a state budget for the upcoming fiscal year…
Read More »Legislature Continues with Policy Committee Hearings, CHEAC Measure Advances This week, the California State Senate and Assembly continued with policy committee hearings, reviewing, amending, and advancing measures from the opposite house. The next several weeks are anticipated to be quite busy as the Legislature works through numerous policy committee hearings ahead of its scheduled month-long…
Read More »On Tuesday, the State of California retired the majority of its COVID-19 restrictions, including the Blueprint for a Safer Economy, more fully reopening the state’s economy and ending a series of pandemic requirements such as masking for vaccinated individuals, physical distancing, and capacity restrictions in virtually all settings. With the retirement of most restrictions, only…
Read More »