05/09/2013
With no detailed plan in place three months after the governor and Legislature agreed to expand Medi-Cal, health care advocates are proposing a compromise deal for dividing $1.4 billion a year in expected savings. The governor's revised budget -- due next week -- might bring the issue to a head. by David Gorn, California Healthline Sacramento Bureau
04/29/2013
We asked legislators, state officials and consumer advocates how California should manage Medi-Cal with enrollment going up by millions next year and reimbursements going down perhaps by as much as 10%.
04/18/2013
Health care providers are expanding their reach in San Diego's wealthier northern communities as declining reimbursements and changes to the delivery system under the Affordable Care Act alter the economic environment for health care. by Lisa Zamosky, California Healthline Regional Correspondent
04/11/2013
Medi-Cal providers are anxiously waiting to see if federal courts uphold a 10% reimbursement cut. Some skilled nursing facilities face even deeper cuts that might be enough to put some rural hospitals out of business. by David Gorn, California Healthline Sacramento Bureau
03/28/2013
California's health care system is undergoing its biggest changes in almost 50 years. Toby Douglas, director of the agency at the eye of the health care storm, updated legislators on the progress of some of the changes in a hearing last week in Sacramento. by David Gorn, California Healthline Sacramento Bureau
03/14/2013
California is in the thick of moving almost one million children from Healthy Families to Medi-Cal managed care. With a shortened first phase of 178,000 kids successfully completed, attention turns to the next two phases that will shift coverage for about 485,000 children. by David Gorn, California Healthline Sacramento Bureau
01/24/2013
So far, so good. Several weeks into the first phase of shifting 860,000 children from Healthy Families into Medi-Cal managed care plans, there have been relatively few complaints and few signs of problems. by David Gorn, California Healthline Sacramento Bureau
09/17/2012
New guidelines in the Affordable Care Act and new responsibilities for county governments mean significant changes ahead for mental health care and substance abuse treatment in California. by George Lauer, California Healthline Features Editor
08/06/2012
Safety-net hospitals are facing a double-whammy of funding cuts: The Affordable Care Act lowers Medicaid payments to hospitals for uncompensated care and changes in Medicare reimbursements could mean further reductions in payments to safety-net hospitals. by George Lauer, California Healthline Features Editor
05/07/2012
California health plan officials say the experience of shifting seniors and persons with disabilities into Medi-Cal managed care plans over the past year will help as the state moves dual eligibles -- beneficiaries of both Medicare and Medi-Cal -- into managed care this year. by George Lauer, California Healthline Features Editor
01/12/2012
State officials face a key decision in orchestrating a shift into managed care for more than one million Californians who are beneficiaries of both Medicare and Medi-Cal: How to enroll people in the new plans. We asked stakeholders and experts to discuss pros and cons of various enrollment options.
01/05/2012
California health care officials are fighting a number of lawsuits in courts ranging from the U.S. Supreme Court to federal district courts. The budget crisis in California has prompted drastic cuts in health care services, triggering more than half a dozen legal challenges. by David Gorn, California Healthline Sacramento Bureau
12/05/2011
Low-income individuals in San Bernardino and Riverside counties will have access to two new health insurance programs beginning in 2012. The plans have been developed in preparation for a larger expansion of Medi-Cal in 2014 as required by the Affordable Care Act. by Lauren McSherry, California Healthline Regional Correspondent
11/03/2011
Cutbacks in Medicare and Medicaid could make it more difficult to deal with a physician shortage in California that threatens to become more severe as millions of newly insured people join the reformed health care system. California groups are lobbying to streamline and subsidize the training of new primary care doctors. by George Lauer, California Healthline Features Editor
09/26/2011
The state would like to move "dual eligibles" -- Californians who receive both Medicare and Medi-Cal benefits -- into managed care plans. State officials say the move would save money and improve care, but it's a big and complicated task. by David Gorn, California Healthline Sacramento Bureau