The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the landmark federal health reform legislation of 2010, makes a wide variety of changes to the existing health system in the United States. California is currently implementing the Affordable Care Act and preparing the health system for necessary changes. On this page, you will find information about federal and state health policy and regulations.
ITUP’s Thoughts on the Basic Health Plan Option
| May 2, 2012 | Posted by Lucien Wulsin under Insurance Exchange, Legislation/Policy, State |
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ITUP’s goals for California’s implementation of the Affordable Care Acts are: 1) to cover as many uninsured as possible; 2) to build a strong and successful Exchange to buy more affordable coverage for small employers and privately insured and uninsured individuals; and 3) to develop integrated safety nets that compete… more
Summary of Federal Medicaid Eligibility Rule Changes
| April 12, 2012 | Posted by Kiwon Yoo under Federal, Legislation/Policy, Medi-Cal, Public Coverage |
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* Impacts and options for California are italicized. The new federal Medicaid rules do the following: Set the Medicaid minimum income eligibility at 133% of FPL for non-disabled adults Collapse Medicaid eligibility categories into four groups: children, pregnant women, parents and all other adults Modernize eligibility verifications to rely on… more
CaliforniACA March Newsletter
| April 3, 2012 | Posted by Kiwon Yoo under Legislation/Policy, State |
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Supreme Court Challenge The Department of Health and Human Services v. Florida Days after the 2nd anniversary of the ACA, the Supreme Court heard 3 days of oral arguments over the constitutionality of the ACA. The first day was on whether or not the Court had the authority to hear… more
ITUP Guide to the Constitutional Challenges to the ACA
| March 26, 2012 | Posted by Lucien Wulsin under Health Care 101, Legislation/Policy |
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The ACA expands coverage to the uninsured and assures continuity of coverage for the insured in several ways: First it expands Medicaid to all US citizens and long time legal permanent (5+ years) residents with incomes less than 133% of the Federal Poverty Level ($14,000 for an individual); Second it… more
ITUP’s February Newsletter
| March 2, 2012 | Posted by Kiwon Yoo under Legislation/Policy, State |
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MEDI-CAL Proposal to Transition Healthy Families Children into Medi-Cal On February 9, DHCS hosted a stakeholder meeting on the proposed transition of Healthy Families (HFP) into Medi-Cal. A recently proposed trailer bill would require all HFP enrollees with family incomes up to 250% FPL to transition to Medi-Cal over a… more
ITUP’s January Newsletter
| January 31, 2012 | Posted by Ashley Cohen under Legislation/Policy, State |
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Medi-Cal Budget Proposal Includes Steep Cuts to HHS Unsurprisingly, this year’s budget proposal is a continuation of a years-long trend that cuts deeply into critical HHS programs. Despite the state’s improving fiscal condition, slow economic growth and lower-than-anticipated General Fund revenues were cited as reasons for the major cuts and… more
Summary of §1115 Waiver
| January 23, 2012 | Posted by Mike Sloyan under Legislation/Policy, Public Coverage, State, Waiver Reports |
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Introduction The §1115 Waiver provides a bridge or stepping-stones to implementation of the Affordable Care Act of 201o (ACA). The projected value to the state is more than $10 billion in federal match over the next five years. This briefing paper describes the evolution from our current system to the… more
California’s §1115 Waiver Implementation
| January 23, 2012 | Posted by Mike Sloyan under Legislation/Policy, Public Coverage, State, Waiver Reports |
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Introduction California’s §1115 waiver,[1] approved on November 1, 2010, provides the vital infrastructure to bridge current coverage options into 2014 and offers immediate support and relief to the financially hard pressed[2] safety net system and the individuals they serve. Local communities face the challenge of implementing three new programs at… more
ITUP’s December Newsletter
| December 22, 2011 | Posted by Ashley Cohen under Legislation/Policy |
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Medi-Cal L.A. Care Will Absorb Costs of Medi-Cal Rate Reduction In October, CMS approved a 10% reimbursement rate cut to certain classes of providers, combined with a plan to monitor beneficiary access to services. Earlier this month, L.A. Care Health Plan, the largest Medi-Cal managed care plan in California, announced its… more
Summary of HHS’ Final Regulation on MLRs
| December 5, 2011 | Posted by Ashley Cohen under State |
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On Friday, December 2, HHS released the final rule on MLRs, effective January 1, 2012. MLRs, or “Medical Loss Ratios,” are the amount of premium revenues a health plan spends on health care. ACA requires MLRs of 80% and 85% and the small and large group markets starting on January… more
