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California is transforming Medi-Cal to better support and meet the whole-person care needs of members experiencing, or at risk of homelessness.

Medi-Cal provides members with access to new and improved services to get well-rounded care that goes beyond the doctor’s office or hospital and addresses their physical and mental health, and also social drivers of one’s health such as housing.

Medi-Cal is opening the door to essential health care services for the most vulnerable populations, no matter where they live or seek care.

Enhanced Care Management
Enhanced Care Management is a new Medi-Cal benefit that assigns a dedicated Lead Care Manager, a personal guide who helps qualified Medi-Cal members navigate all medical, dental, social, and community services such as housing navigation, housing deposits, and more.

Enhanced Care Management takes a whole-person, interdisciplinary approach to care to address clinical and non-clinical needs of members with the most complex medical and social need and serves as a safety net of care coordination for high-risk groups, including, but not limited to, individuals experiencing homelessness.

“Our unhoused population has inadequate access to shelters and experiences a lack of food and care,” said Glenn Tsang, Policy Advisor for Homelessness and Housing for the California Department of Health Care Services. “These members tend to have extensive medical and mental health needs that are difficult to address in an unstable living environment. To help address their needs, the Enhanced Care Management benefit builds consistent connections to medical care, mental health care, substance use disorder treatment, and housing stabilization services.”

Addressing Health-Related Social Needs through Community Supports

Community Supports are services or care settings, in addition to those required under the California Medicaid State Plan, that Medi-Cal managed care plans may elect to offer. The goal of Community Supports is to provide services that address a member’s health-related social needs that may be exacerbating their health condition, such as housing instability. Among the 14 services available as Community Supports services, six are specifically focused on helping unhoused members.

Many of these services empower high-risk individuals and families to live healthier lives in less restrictive settings and avoid unnecessary emergency visits and inpatient nursing facility admissions. They include services that go beyond traditional care received in a doctor’s office and may include housing deposits, housing transition and navigation services, housing tenancy and sustaining services, short-term post-hospitalization, recuperative care, and day habilitation.
Street Medicine
Street medicine is a set of health and social services developed specifically to address the unique needs and circumstances of individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness, delivered directly to them in their own environment. The fundamental approach of street medicine is to engage people experiencing unsheltered homelessness exactly where they are and on their own terms to maximally reduce or eliminate barriers to care access and follow-through.
Medi-Cal Expansion
Starting on January 1, 2024, all eligible Californians qualify for full scope Medi-Cal coverage, regardless of immigration status.

This expansion allows even more Medi-Cal members to potentially qualify for Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports, among other services, to improve outcomes for California’s most vulnerable populations.

“By expanding Medi-Cal, we’re addressing the root causes of health disparities and providing equitable access to quality health care, leading to a healthy California for all,” said Tsang.

How Providers Support Members
Providers are vital in delivering Medi-Cal’s expanded services, ensuring the most vulnerable members receive the care they need. These providers include, but are not limited to, housing service providers, housing organizations, and other organizations that have an existing footprint consistent with Community Supports activities and in the communities they serve. Providers are essential in providing dedicated care management, ensuring seamless transitions and continuous support across various housing settings.

Street medicine providers also offer direct medical care to individuals on the streets, build trust by consistently providing compassionate services, and use comprehensive care management platforms for efficient coordination. Providers include Federally Qualified Health Centers, mobile medicine units, and many other organizations that provide care to unsheltered members living on the street.

They collaborate with community-based organizations and community support systems like schools, food banks, and housing agencies, and offer proactive support when patients transition through emergency departments, homelessness, or incarceration.

Encouragement to Seek Services
If you or someone you know is experiencing homelessness or is at risk of homelessness, Medi-Cal’s expanded services offer vital support for members enrolled in a managed care plan to improve their health and well-being.

For more information, call the state’s Medi-Cal Managed Care Office of the Ombudsman at (888) 452-8609 or email MMCDOmbudsmanOffice@dhcs.ca.gov.

In Alameda County, Medi-Cal recipients can contact:

*   Alameda Alliance for Health: 510-747-4567

*   Kaiser Permanente: 855-839-7613

In Contra Costa County, Medi-Cal recipients can contact:
*   Contra Costa Health Plan: 877-661-6230

*   Kaiser Permanente: 855-839-7613

In Marin County, Medi-Cal recipients can contact:
*   Partnership Health Plan of California: 800-863-4155

*   Kaiser Permanente: 855-839-7613

In Solano County, Medi-Cal recipients can:
*   Partnership Health Plan of California: 800-863-4155

*   Kaiser Permanente: 855-839-7613

So, if you are at risk of or experiencing homelessness in the Bay Area, your health and well-being matter. Medi-Cal’s expanded services are here to support you every step of the way.

Oakland Post

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By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Attorney General Rob Bonta backed a newly proposed rule that prohibits the reporting of medical debt on credit reports, in a letter to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) Director Rohit Chopra.

The proposed rule aims to relieve millions of people bridled with unexpected or inaccurate medical bills.

Bonta, along with several state lawmakers, is sponsoring Senate Bill (SB) 1061, a law that would prevent medical debt from being included on credit reports, protecting consumers from those outstanding charges damaging their creditworthiness.

The bill is authored by Sen. Monique Limón (D- Santa Barbara) and Sen. Josh Becker (D-Menlo Park).

Bonta acknowledged the consumer bureau for spearheading the initiative and providing stronger protections that relieve consumers of the burden of medical debt.

“When someone is scared and in pain, the last thing they should think about is whether seeking care will take away their ability to buy a house or land a job. Unfortunately, this is the reality for many people today,” said Bonta.

“There is no need for medical debt to appear on credit reports as it is not a good predictor of repayment, and it pushes more and more people into a harmful debt cycle that is very difficult to escape,” he said.

In support of the proposed rule, consumer advocacy organizations argue that medical debt is an unreliable indicator of financial risk. As a result, consumers with medical debt are prevented from qualifying for loans, renting an apartment, or securing a job. Consumer advocates stated that the healthcare system is broken and has affected many families nationwide.

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By Edward Henderson, California Black Media

Medi-Cal, California’s version of the federal medical assistance program Medicaid, has announced that it is expanding access to maternal health, including doula services.

The expansion is expected to have a critical impact on the health of Black mothers and expectant moms. Nearly half of Black Californians are enrolled in Medi-Cal.

Black mothers are approximately four times more likely to die than their White counterparts to die from pregnancy-related complications, according to The California Department of Public Health (CDPH). The Black maternal mortality rate is three times higher than the rate of mothers of White Hispanic and Asian moms. And Black babies are two times as likely to die before their first birthday than White babies.

Erica Holmes, Chief of Benefits Divisions for the California Department of Health Care Services spoke during an online news briefing in June organized by Ethnic Media Services (EMS) to provide more details about Medi-Cal’s expansion into the doula space.

“The department has issued a standing recommendation for doula services. Medi-Cal members don’t have to get a separate written referral for services. All they need to do is find a doula who accepts medical to start receiving care. The department also has a doula directory where members can find doulas who accept medical by county.”

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According to Medi-Cal, the doula services are available to expectant moms as a birthing care pathway for members who elect to use it from conception through 12 months. It is also available to new moms with services such as postpartum care, parent-child dyadic care, and other benefits.

Kairis Chiaji, a Medi-Cal approved doula services provider with 25 Years of experience, spoke during the online news briefing, informing attendees about the value of doulas and the services they provide.

“A lot of people don’t know what doulas do. I would liken it to a personal trainer, but for childbirth. Our job is to get to know you, what your goals are for your body and baby, to help you come up with a plan and remember your plan,” she said.

Doulas are trained professionals who provide physical, emotional and informational support to patients before, during and after childbirth. In the past, their services were not covered by most medical insurance plans.

Now with Medi-Cal’s new expansion, they are.

Chiaji spoke about the value a doula of color brings to the birthing process. The disparities in care and service women of color experience in medical care are well documented. Chiaji says her practice prioritizes Black and indigenous women.

“As people of color and community members, we also have shared experience with our clients. We have been those birthing people in the various environments,” she added.  We have encountered the same language or culture barriers, we have had the same unanswered questions and understand the benefit of having someone who not only can explain it but really be a bridge between the community member and the birthing environment, especially in hospital settings.”

Due to the Medi-Cal expansion, doulas will now be reimbursed at the same rate as other service care providers, which Chiaji says is a game changer.

“We were able to move our state into a position of understanding that a large part of healthcare is leveraging relationships. The group that has the ability to found and maintain those relationships are birth workers.”

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