Bill Text: CA AB2680 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Amended

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

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Bill Title: Medi-Cal: Community Health Navigator Program.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2022-08-23 - Ordered to inactive file at the request of Senator Limón. [AB2680 Detail]

Download: California-2021-AB2680-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Assembly  April 07, 2022

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 2680

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Introduced by Assembly Member Arambula

February 18, 2022

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An act to add Section 14001.5 to the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to Medi-Cal.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 2680, as amended, Arambula. Medi-Cal: Community Health Navigator Program.

Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid Program provisions. Existing law requires that counties administer public social services, including Medi-Cal. Existing law also authorizes a county to collaborate with a community-based organization to maintain up-to-date contact information in order to assist with timely submission of annual reaffirmation forms, among others.

This bill would require the department to create the Community Health Navigator Program to make direct grants to qualified community-based organizations, as defined, to conduct targeted outreach, enrollment, retention, and access activities for Medi-Cal-eligible individuals and families. The bill would specify the basis for issuing a grant, including specified factors in the applicant’s service area. The bill would require the department to contract with a private foundation to administer the grant application and allocation process. The bill would require the department to contract with specified providers to furnish training and technical assistance to grant recipients. The bill would also require the department to coordinate and partner with Covered California and counties that elect to participate, on an approach for outreach, enrollment, retention, and access activities for marketing to eligible individuals, including development of a joint application tracker system to allow specified persons and entities to track application and referrals between commercial and Medi-Cal enrollment progress and facilitation of quarterly meetings on enrollment and access barriers and solutions, among other requirements.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

 Section 14001.5 is added to the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:

14001.5.

 (a) The department shall create the Community Health Navigator Program.

(b) The purpose of the program is to make direct grants to qualified community-based organizations that are tax exempt pursuant to Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code and apply to the program, to conduct targeted outreach, enrollment, retention, utilization, and access activities for individuals and families eligible for Medi-Cal.

(c) The term Medi-Cal as used in this section includes all Medi-Cal programs, including, but not limited to, the Medi-Cal Access Program, described in Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 15810) of Part 3.3.

(d) Grants under the Community Health Navigator Program shall be made based on estimates for both of the following factors in the grant applicant’s service area or areas:

(1) The number of persons who are any of the following:

(A) Eligible for but not enrolled in Medi-Cal.

(B) Immigrants.

(C) Limited-English proficient Limited-English-proficient low-income residents.

(D) Homeless.

(E) Seniors.

(F) Disabled.

(G) Pending release from incarceration or formerly incarcerated.

(H) Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or gender nonspecific (LGBTQ+).

(2) The general need for assistance with health care utilization or access among Medi-Cal-eligible Medi-Cal eligible persons not identified in paragraph (1).

(e) The department shall contract with a private foundation to administer the grant application and allocation process for the Community Health Navigator Program, including establishment of contract deliverables, reporting, and evaluation metrics.

(f) The department shall do all of the following:

(1) Publicly publish both of the following on its website:

(A) The list of grantees and amounts granted to each, updated annually.

(B) Progress reports on reaching state and regional outreach and enrollment goals, and related deliverables, updated quarterly.

(2) Contract with an independent entity to conduct an evaluation of the Community Health Navigator Program every three years.

(3) Contract with community-based organizations, qualified under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code as tax exempt, or nonprofit legal services providers to furnish training and technical assistance to grant recipients of the Community Health Navigator Program on changes in Medi-Cal eligibility, enrollment, retention, utilization, and access requirements, and the coverage, application, and renewal processes.

(4) Contract with one or more statewide coalitions with the capacity to reach smaller geographically dispersed, racially, ethnically diverse populations, including, but not limited to, Asian American and Pacific Islander populations, LGBTQ+ individuals, rural residents, and persons with disabilities.

(g) The department shall coordinate and partner with Covered California and counties that elect to participate on a seamless approach to application assistance outreach, enrollment, retention, utilization, and access activities and for marketing targeted to individuals eligible for health coverage in Medi-Cal and Covered California. This shall include all of the following:

(1) Investment in a coordinated marketing, communications, and messaging strategy for Covered California and Medi-Cal.

(2) Development of a joint application tracker system that will allow individuals, county workers, those assisting applicants, Community Health Navigator Program grantees, and Covered California customer services representatives to track applications and referrals between commercial and Medi-Cal coverage and enrollment progress in real time.

(3) Facilitation by the department of quarterly meetings with Community Health Navigators, counties, and Covered California to provide program updates, identify outreach, enrollment, retention, utilization, and access barriers, and identify and implement necessary solutions.

(4) A report on the feasibility of establishing a single, streamlined Community Health Navigator grant program to assist vulnerable Californians to enroll in both public and commercial coverage by July 1, 2023.

(h) (1) The funds allocated under this section shall be used only for Medi-Cal outreach, enrollment, retention, utilization, and access activities, and program administration and evaluation, and may supplement, but shall not supplant, existing local, state, federal, or foundation funding for such activities.

(2) The funds appropriated under this section may be encumbered starting July 1, 2024. January 1, 2023.

(3) The department shall seek any necessary federal approval for implementation of this section.

(4) This section does not change the role or authority of a county in Medi-Cal administration under this chapter, nor impede any county from providing technical assistance, training or other support to Community Health Navigator Program grantees.