State Fails to Ensure Access to Behavioral Health Services for Autistic Children Transitioning from Healthy Families to Medi-Cal

SACRAMENTO, CA – An unknown number of autistic children transitioning from
Healthy Families to Medi-Cal were informed that they will no longer be able to access
critical behavioral health services once enrolled into a Medi-Cal health plan. Families
who called the state’s help lines have been unable to get definitive answers about how
to resolve the problem and access these services.

Children’s advocates are frustrated by the state’s lack of planning and attention to this
issue, despite the fact that this specific concern about loss of services for autistic
children has been raised many times over the past several months. Advocates, relieved
that the state has now begun to address these problems, call upon the Administration to
work quickly to identify and closely manage affected children in order to maintain
services and assure continuity of care.

The transition of 875,000 children from the Healthy Families Program to Medi-Cal
began in January, and 264,000 children moved in the most recent phase on April 1st.
Children’s health advocates have continuously voiced concerns that this transition is
occurring too hastily, which could lead to gaps in coverage and health care for children.
“Loss of services, difficulty for families in getting answers – these are exactly the kinds
of problems we’ve been worried about all along with the state’s rushed transition,” said
Kelly Hardy, Director of Health Policy at Children Now. “Now kids are paying the price.
The state needs to clean up this mess and reinstate services right away.”


See press release HERE.

Mandatory Medicaid Managed Care Enrollment of Low-Income Seniors and People with Disabilities

DREDF eNews examines a change in how California will provide health care services to many seniors and people with disabilities who are enrolled in Medi-Cal (called Medicaid federally and in other states).

Read more HERE.

Governor Jerry Brown Presents Proposed Budget

Governor Jerry Brown released a balanced state budget today that slashes spending by $12.5 billion, including an eight to 10 percent cut in take-home pay for most state employees, and proposes a “vast and historic” restructuring of government operations.
See more at CA.Gov HERE
See budget HERE
See video of the presentation HERE

More Young People Are Winding Up In Nursing Homes

The number of under-65 nursing home residents has risen about 22 percent in the past eight years to about 203,000, according to an analysis of statistics from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. That number has climbed as mental health facilities close and medical advances keep people alive after they've suffered traumatic injuries. Still, the overall percentage of nursing home residents 30 and younger is less than 1 percent.

Read MATT SEDENSKY, Associated Press article HERE.

Write To Our Legislators Regarding AB3632

This is an email that I received from Lorrie Davis, Mount Diablo CAC President:

In October 2010, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger cut our AB 3632 Mental Health funding which is the funding that pays for our students with disabilities to receive their entitled and necessary AB 3632 mental health services by county mental health agencies. This loss of funding means our district is now responsible for providing the mental health services without additional funding to cover the cost. One residential treatment program for a student costs between $200,000 and $300,000 a year.

According to County Mental Health, as of December 31, 2010:

County Mental Health will not provide any further out-of-state services, as board and care dollars have been eliminated, and County Mental Health cannot be reimbursed for day treatment costs for out-of-state programs (regardless of whether or not the student is eligible for Medi-Cal or not).

County Mental Health will continue to provide in-state day treatment programs for Medi-Cal eligible students (only) who meet the medical necessity criteria; Education will need to provide the NPS cost and board and care expenses for any student requiring residential treatment.

Education will need to provide all services not provided through a families private insurance for non Medi-Cal students.


Many of the statewide education and parent advocacy organizations have banded together in an effort to create a grassroots legislative campaign focused on restoring the funding; however, we NEED parents to individually assist in this effort. It is imperative that we advocate strongly with our local legislators to seek immediate restoration of this funding.

Attached is a Legislative Advocacy Tool Kit. It is intended to assist with local advocacy efforts and includes sample letters. However, it is definitely more powerful if we can personalize our letters. PLEASE help by writing our legislators NOW and keep the pressure on by following up with them weekly until this funding issue is resolved.

Thank you.
Lorrie

AB3632 Service Chart

AB3632 Tool Kit Text

AB3632 Tool Kit PDF