State budget includes 10 new CPT codes eligible for supplemental tobacco tax payments Governor Jerry Brown last week signed a $139 billion California budget for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. The budget continues the Administration’s commitment to using the Proposition 56 tobacco tax funding to provide supplemental payments for Medi-Cal providers, with $500 million in tobacco tax funds allocated to improve provider reimbursement through supplemental payments. The total funding for provider payments is approximately $1.3 billion. DHCS plans to allocate the tobacco tax funds to increase payments for a total of 23 CPT codes, which includes 10 new preventive CPT codes. The supplemental rate ... July 11, 2018 General, Managed Care, Medi-Cal California State Budget, Medi-Cal, Prop. 56 (tobacco tax) 0 0 Comment Read More »
DHCS preps contingencies in case of delayed budget approval The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) recently announced it will implement a contingency plan for claim payment if the state budget is not enacted before the beginning of the 2017-2018 fiscal year on July 1. Although the state legislature passed a budget by the June 15 deadline, the Governor has not yet signed it. According to DHCS, providers should continue to submit claims for processing as normal, but payments for some programs may be delayed until the budget is signed. Claims for the following services will be processed ... June 22, 2017 General Child Health and Disability Prevention Program, Department of Health Care Services, DHCS, Family PACT, Medi-Cal, California State Budget, CHDP 0 0 Comment Read More »
California Medical Association urges legislature to adopt state budget that improves access to care for Medi-Cal patients PRESS FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Joanne Adams, jadams@cmanet.org Sacramento, CALIF. – Today, Governor Jerry Brown released his revised state budget, which applies tobacco tax revenues to cover general fund responsibilities in the Medi-Cal program. In response, California Medical Association (CMA) President Ruth E. Haskins, M.D., made the following statement: "We’re disappointed that Governor Brown’s revised budget continues to ignore the clear language of the tobacco tax initiative (Proposition 56) and the will of California voters. "More than a third of Californians, including 50 percent of children in the state, rely on Medi-Cal for health care. ... May 22, 2017 General, Medi-Cal California State Budget, Medi-Cal, Prop. 56 (tobacco tax), State Legislature 0 0 Comment Read More »
California grapples with 'severe' doctor shortage, study shows California doesn't have enough doctors to handle its primary health care demands and the problem is getting worse. A new study by UCSF Healthforce Center finds that California doesn’t have enough primary care physicians in most regions of the state. According to the study, the shortage is becoming more acute because of an aging physician workforce, a growing patient population and expanded coverage through the Affordable Care Act. According to the study, only two regions of California (the Greater Bay Area and Sacramento) have ratios of primary care physicians per ... March 2, 2017 General California State Budget, Graduate Medical Education, Physician Workforce, Primary Care, State Legislative Advocacy, Underserved Communities 0 0 Comment Read More »
Leading health care groups deeply concerned that Governor's budget proposal may decimate access to care In his 2017-18 budget proposal, Governor Jerry Brown eliminates $33.4 million in health care workforce funding that would begin addressing the primary care workforce crisis that is gripping California’s underserved communities. This is the first year of a three-year $100 million investment. The budget investment came at the urging of a broad coalition of statewide healthcare organizations including the California Academy of Family Physicians (CAFP), CaliforniaHealth+ Advocates, and the California Medical Association (CMA), who recognized that access to care challenges must be systemically and comprehensively addressed. “While our organizations recognize ... February 13, 2017 General California State Budget, Medi-Cal, State Legislative Advocacy 0 0 Comment Read More »
Governor Brown's 2016-17 budget proposal includes new MCO tax deal On January 7, the Governor unveiled a $122.6 billion budget proposal for the 2016-17 fiscal year, including a new approach to replacing a soon-to-expire tax on managed care organizations (MCO). The current MCO tax will expire this summer if legislators cannot agree on a replacement. Since 2005, the state has taxed MCOs and used the money to cover the costs of the Medi-Cal program. However, federal officials in 2014 informed California that its MCO tax structure was not compliant with federal requirements. Since then, the California Department of Health Care ... January 15, 2016 Managed Care California State Budget 0 0 Comment Read More »
California Medical Association responds to unveiling of Governor Brown's proposed 2016-17 state budget Sacramento – Steve Larson, M.D., president of the California Medical Association (CMA), representing over 41,000 physicians statewide, issued the following statement in response to the unveiling of Governor Brown’s proposed 2016-17 state budget released this morning: “We are pleased to see the Governor is committed to working with the legislature and health plans to find a solution to the MCO tax. Without that, a gaping hole would exist in the state’s Medicaid (Medi-Cal) fund that would have devastating impacts on patients across the state. “Ensuring that Medi-Cal is better funded ... January 15, 2016 General, Managed Care, Medi-Cal Managed Care, Medi-Cal, Save Lives California, Tobacco Tax, California State Budget 0 0 Comment Read More »
CMA delegates urge the state to restore public health funding On Friday, October 16th, the California Medical Association (CMA) House of Delegates meeting in Anaheim voted unanimously to urge the State of California to restore public health funding. The resolution (Resolution 112-15) calls on CMA to work with state health and legislative officials, through the state budget process, to develop a plan to repair California’s public health infrastructure and funding for vital prevention services that have been eliminated or drastically reduced since 2007-08. It is estimated that over $226.7 million per year has been lost in California Department of Public ... October 31, 2015 CMA, General House of Delegates, Public Health, California State Budget 0 0 Comment Read More »
Governor calls for special Medi-Cal session after budget agreement struck with legislators Governor Jerry Brown has called for a special session of the Legislature to address “Health Care Financing” after he struck a deal with Democratic lawmakers last week. California legislators passed a $115.4 billion budget, part of a deal with Governor Brown to hold back on spending despite the state’s improving financial picture. Left out of the budget agreement were higher rates for Medi-Cal providers. In a typical year, the conclusion of budget negotiations would mean the end of the California Medical Association’s (CMA) hopes of improving access for the over ... June 26, 2015 Medi-Cal Medi-Cal, Medi-Cal Cuts, State Budget, California State Budget 0 0 Comment Read More »
Governor's revised budget contains no significant increases for Medi-Cal On May 14, Governor Jerry Brown released his revised budget for fiscal year 2015-16, which includes an increase in overall expenditures from the General Fund to $115.3 billion, but does not include any significant increases to Medi-Cal provider reimbursement rates. Overall, the revised plan contains $169 billion in total state spending, up from $164.7 billion in January. The total includes $46.9 billion in special funds and $6.8 billion in bond funds. The California Medical Association and other stakeholders continue to point out that beneficiaries of the Medi-Cal program are having ... May 18, 2015 Medi-Cal State Budget, California State Budget, Medi-Cal 0 0 Comment Read More »
