Agenda

Return

LEGISLATION COMMITTEE

Meeting Date:	03/14/2016
Subject: Endorsement Request - Medi-Cal Funding and Accountability Act
Submitted For:	LEGISLATION COMMITTEE
Department:	County Administrator
Referral No.:	2016-07
Referral Name:	Endorsement Request - Medi-Cal Funding and Accountability Act
Presenter:	Dr. William Walker	Contact:	L. DeLaney, 925-335-1097

Information

Referral History:

Dr. William Walker has recommended that the Committee consider the Medi-Cal Funding and Accountability Act and recommend a position of support on it to the Board of Supervisors.

Referral Update:

In the fall of 2013, Governor Brown signed Senate Bill 239 (Hernandez), which was passed by the state Legislature without a single “No” vote. The legislation established an initial three-year Medi-Cal hospital fee program to ensure that California can unlock billions annually in federal matching funds for supplemental Medi-Cal payments to hospitals. The Act makes the fee program and the protections permanent to create more certainty and to deliver approximately $10 billion in matching funds during the first three years.

The Act also ensures that these funds cannot be diverted for other purposes. Without ongoing protections for the hospital fee program, hospitals that care for children, seniors and low-income residents will be vulnerable to payment cuts or other budget politics. Funding protected by the Act will help prevent closures or cutbacks in local hospitals and will help preserve access for millions of men, women and children. California is home to more than 12 million Medi-Cal beneficiaries, more than half of which are children.

The Medi-Cal Funding and Accountability Act (branded as ‘Keep A Good Idea Working’) is endorsed by a diverse coalition of sectors in California, including approximately 800 hospitals and health systems, health care advocacy groups, medical and dental groups, community benefit organizations, senior and children’s organizations and the business community. On Dec. 3, 2015, the Board of Directors of the California Association of Counties (CSAC) voted 51-0 to support the Act. The Coalition Website also provides additional information.

Attached is the Fact Sheet, current Master Coalition List, and Endorsement Form.

Recommendation(s)/Next Step(s):

Attachments
Endorsement Form
Fact Sheet
Coalition List
Hospital Council Letter