The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) held a webinar 3/22/16 to bring counties up to speed on SB-75 preparations to date.
(Under SB-75, "to be implemented no sooner than May 1, 2016," children under 19 years of age are eligible for full-scope Medi-Cal benefits regardless of immigration status, as long as they meet all other eligibility requirements.)
Implementation of the new rules in CalHEERs and SAWS is expected to take place May 16 (but Medi-Cal has full-month eligibility, so clients will be eligible for the full month). No new aid codes have been added (see DHCS crosswalk). We are a COHS county, so a client letter will go out from CenCal. Coverage is expected to be fee-for-service for the transition month, and then move to managed care starting the month after.
DHCS is working with foundations and stakeholders such as CWDA, Covered California, and the California Health Initiative to implement outreach strategies (such as the Health For All campaign you may have seen starting in December) to identify impacted children and provide them with full Medi-Cal coverage benefits. DHCS is also preparing reports ready to identify eligibles beforehand and verify that they have been converted afterward.
There is a dedicated SB-75 webpage on the DHCS website (http://dhcs.ca.gov/sb-75) and a dedicated email address for questions (SB75EligibilityandEnrollment@dhcs.ca.gov). Slides and audio from the webinar are posted at http://www.dhcs.ca.gov/services/medi-cal/eligibility/Documents/SB75/SB75_EE_Plan_Webinar_032116.pdf.
