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Coordinating Care for California’s Dual Eligibles

[The following post was written by Emily Webb. Emily is in her second year of pursuing a Master of Public Health with a concentration in  Health Policy and Management from UC Berkeley. She is also completing an internship in Health Systems Innovation at the California Pacific Medical Center and worked… more

California Has Received Millions for Prevention and Public Health

COMMUNITY TRANSFORMATION GRANTS In May, HHS announced $100M for up to 75 Community Transformation Grants (CTGs) as a part of ACA’s Prevention and Public Health Fund. The Fund, which will distribute $15B over 10 years, is aimed at focusing on wellness and prevention and preventing chronic disease. The CTG grants… more

Health Insurance Plan Comparison Tool to Aid Small Businesses

A renovated website is available to provide small business owners an unprecedented review tool to see health insurance plan choices, with the ability to sort by out-of-pocket limits, average cost per enrollee, prescription drug/maternity/mental health coverage and other factors. Smaller businesses, which do not have the large purchasing/negotiating power of… more

PCIP Enrollment To Be Capped?

Unless more federal funding is allocated for the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP), enrollment may have to be soon capped. PCIP, a federally funded coverage program for individuals who have been denied coverage due to pre-existing conditions, was expected to accommodate up to 23,000 California enrollees. This figure, however, is… more

November Exchange Board Meeting: Contract Timeline, New Senior Staff, and User IT Experience

The November Exchange Board meeting (agenda) was held a little earlier in the month than usual (presumably to avoid Thanksgiving travel conflicts). The highlights of the meeting included an approved resolution intended to commend Pat Powers on her work as Acting Administrator, an inspirational and innovative presentation on an interface… more

Congress is Unpopular, Sky is Blue

Congressional approval ratings are rarely surprising, but the latest Gallup monthly survey shows that Congress may have outdone itself this year: “The 2011 average is on track to be the lowest annual rating of Congress in Gallup’s history,” wrote Gallup’s Frank Newport in a memo summarizing the results. For your… more

Thoughts on the Sevensky v. Holder Ruling and the Constitutionality of the ACA

If you want a lucid and easily understandable analysis 0f the constitutionality of the ACA, read Judge Silberman’s opinion and analysis in Sevensky v. Holder #11-5047 (DC Court of Appeals November 8, 2011). The issue the court is addressing is whether the individual mandate/shared responsibility is unconstitutional under the Commerce… more

What exactly is “MAGI”?

We’ve been throwing around the term “MAGI” quite a bit lately when talking about eligibility determinations in 2014. My shorthand explanation has been, “MAGI is a simplified way of calculating income.” Thanks to a recently released report from Families USA, I can offer a more elaborate explanation of MAGI. In… more

§1115 Waiver Update: California Children’s Services

Children in California Children’s Services (CCS) have designated medical conditions and are either in low-income families (less than $40,000 annual family income) or have medical bills that equal 20% or more of a family’s adjusted gross income. Currently, the CCS program is extremely fragmented. Another aspect of the §1115 Waiver… more

§1115 Waiver Update: The Low Income Health Program

At the Waiver Stakeholder Advisory Committee meeting in Sacramento yesterday, Jalynne Callori, Chief of the Low Income Health Program (LIHP), provided an update on county LIHP timelines and application/enrollment processes. Former CI Counties The ten “legacy” counties (counties that implemented Coverage Initiatives under the 2005 waiver) executed their contracts on… more