CHEAC Closed on March 31
The CHEAC office will be closed on Friday, March 31 in observance of Cesar Chavez Day. We will return on Monday, April 3.
March 31, 2017 Edition
Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 Approves the Assembly’s IHSS Proposal
Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Health and Human Services conducted a vote on the Assembly’s proposal seeking to mitigate the adverse county impacts resulting from the Governor’s action to discontinue the Coordinated Care Initiative (CCI) and eliminate the county maintenance of effort (MOE) on In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) costs. The proposal put forth by the Assembly would:
- Increase the county MOE by $623 million and reinstate the 3.5% annual growth factor.
- Create a new special fund – the County Budget Protection Fund – which would supplement 1991 Realignment revenues to guarantee IHSS is fully funded. 1991 Realignment revenues would replenish the special fund once revenues exceed the increased IHSS costs.
- Retain Statewide bargaining.
Counties thanked the Assembly for their interest in finding feasible solutions for counties through their proposal, yet expressed concerns around counties assuming increased costs in excess of $623 million. The Subcommittee approved the Assembly’s proposal with 4 ‘aye’ votes and 1 member abstaining. In the absence of the Senate taking action, the item will move to conference; however, CSAC is actively engaged in negotiations with the Administration to mitigate the impacts to counties.
Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 Hears CCS and Rejects the Elimination of the CHDP state-only program
The Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 on Health and Human Services convened on Monday, March 27 and took up a number of issues under the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), including both the repeal of the Child Health and Disability (CHDP) state-only program and the delay for the CCS Whole Child Model.
CCS
Recall, SB 586 was passed last year, creating the Whole Child Model (WCM), which transitions the care coordination and case management functions from the counties to managed care plans in County Organized Health System (COHS) counties. The transitions were to take place no sooner than July 1, 2017, however the Administration is proposing to implement the WCM no sooner than July 1, 2018. Implementation will occur in two phases, with the first no sooner than July of 2018 (CenCal and Central California Alliance counties) and the second no sooner than January 2019 (Partnership and Cal Optima Counties).
CHDP
CHDP provides health assessments for the early detection and prevention of disease and disabilities for low-income children and youth. Currently, the state-only portion of the program covers children under not enrolled in Medi-Cal, which mainly includes ineligible populations such as undocumented children. According to the department, children now have the ability to enroll for coverage under SB 75, which expanded Medi-Cal to children and youth under age 19, regardless of immigration status, and therefore the repeal of the eligibility provisions for state-only CHDP services would not impact beneficiaries.
The proposal however, was met with opposition from several organizations, mainly expressing the need to retain this eligibility given that not 100 percent of children eligible for Medi-Cal or other coverage are enrolled for various reasons. Members also expressed concerns around the timing repealing the state-only eligibility given the uncertainty surrounding the Affordable Care Act. The Subcommittee voted to reject the Administration’s proposal. The proposal is not yet scheduled to be heard by the Senate.
Language Added to a Myriad of Spot Bills
The Legislature is currently at the mid-point of their house of origin committee hearings for the year, and continue their mad pace before they reach the final deadline for bills to move out of their policy committees and on to their respective fiscal committees by April 28. Meanwhile, amendments are papering the Capitol, including a myriad of spot bills being fleshed out with proposed language. Please see our newly revised bill chart, which includes several new bills this week.
Tobacco
SB 386 (Glazer) as introduced on 2/14/17 – Support
SB 386 by Senator Steve Glazer heard in the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water on Tuesday, March 28. The measure would prohibit smoking on a state coastal beach or in a unit of the state park system. The measure bans the disposal of cigar or cigarette waste on those premises as well. The discussion was brief in comparison to the hearing on AB 725 by Assembly Member Levine – the identical Assembly bill – however, members did raise questions around the enforcement and whether private property owners would be banned from smoking on their premises when adjacent to state parks and beaches. The measure has no known opposition on file and was passed with a 7 to 2 vote. The measure now moves to the Senate Appropriations Committee.
NACCHO Board of Directors Nominations – Due April 15
This year, the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) will be holding elections for the Board of Directors. The following positions are available to our members: ten at-large positions and the position of Vice President. All persons running must be dues-paying active members and attend all board meetings each year. Positions will be elected by the active NACCHO membership body.
If you wish to declare your candidacy or nominate someone else, please visit NACCHO’s website to complete the form and other required documents. Nominations must be sent to the NACCHO Nominations Committee by April 15, 2017. If you decide to run for an open position, please let CHEAC know by contacting us at admin@cheac.org.
Public Health Law Summit held in Sacramento
The Public Health Law Summit 2017 – Western Region was held on Friday, March 24 in Sacramento. The event was jointly sponsored by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the Network for Public Health Law, and the Public Health Law and Policy Program at Arizona State University (ASU). In attendance were public health practitioners, county and city attorneys, and legal and policy experts from several states to discuss critical law and policy issues at the forefront of public health. Topics included cannabis regulation, immigration and public health, taxation, and mental health. More information and speaker presentations are available here.