September 5, 2019
School Medicaid Programs Make a Shift @ DHCS
On September 3, 2019, California DHCS sent this message to its school Medicaid stakeholders:
"In an effort to align the work that we do with other work being done within the Department of Health Care Services, our Branch, “Medi-Cal Claims and Services Branch” has moved from the Safety Net Financing Division to the newly developed division called Local Governmental Financing Division (LGFD)....
August 13, 2019
New Push in California for Later Middle, High School Start Times—EdSource
The author of a previously vetoed bill last year proposing starting middle and high school later to give teens more time to sleep is working to bring it back again this year. It is slated to be heard by the Assembly Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, April 14, 2019. If passed, it would go into effect in July 2022, for the 2022/23 school year. Though research is mixed on whether or not later...
July 3, 2019
Pending CMS Guidance on Medicaid Block Grants: Executive Overreach Strikes Again—Center for Children and Families
It has been reported that CMS is developing guidance to encourage states to pursue a new “block grant” or “per capita” cap on federal Medicaid funding through Section 1115 waiver requests. And sure enough, this “Dear State Medicaid Director” letter has appeared on the Office of Management and Budget’s website signaling that it is under review by the White House.
For a...
September 29, 2017
2017 California Legislation: What Passed & What Didn’t
In September, several bills with possible implications for school health programs under consideration by the California Legislature were either suspended or passed and signed into law by the Governor. Two bills with direct implications for the SMAA and LEA Billing programs, AB 834 and AB 481, both failed to pass out of committee.
Read on for a brief summary of what passed, what didn't, and...
May 1, 2017
Why ACA Repeal Efforts Hurt Schools & How to Get Involved
Efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare, continue to make headlines as members in Congress work to finalize a new replacement bill and bring it to a vote. With so much coverage, we thought it would be helpful to collect the best resources on the impact of ACA repeal and replacement efforts on school-based health and Medicaid billing programs.
First, a quick...
February 20, 2017
Bills We’re Tracking: 2017 California Legislation
Two bills have been introduced in the California Legislature for the 2017-18 session that directly relate to the School-Based Medi-Cal Administrative Activities (SMAA) and LEA Medi-Cal Billing Option programs. Both bills carry language similar to what was proposed under the Senate Bill (SB) 123, which was vetoed by the Governor last September.
We'll be tracking these bills as they are amended...
November 30, 2016
New Laws Impacting California’s School Medicaid Programs
Throughout the year, Paradigm tracks various state bills that have the potential to impact California's school-based Medicaid programs and publishes a summary of those that have been signed into law and those that failed to make the cut.
Click here to download our School Medicaid Report: 2015/16 Legislative Review & Program Impact....
September 29, 2016
Governor Vetoes Senate Bill 123, SMAA Program Improvements
Governor Jerry Brown has vetoed Senate Bill 123, a bill authored by Senator Carol Liu to legislate recommendations by the State Auditor aimed at improving California's school-based Medi-Cal Administrative Activities (SMAA) program.
Senator Liu's office has expressed disappointment but also noted that the hard work to improve California's SMAA program, and the students and families who benefit...
July 13, 2016
List of Legislative Districts by California Public School District Published
Every two years, the California Department of Education (CDE) posts a listing of legislative districts by California public school district.
This list is an effective advocacy tool, making it easy to see the total number and names of state representatives that serve each district (a single California public school district can be served by three, four, or far more representatives depending on...
July 11, 2016
UPDATED: SB-123 Advances with Changes
**Update as of July 11, 2016**
Since this posting was originally published, Senator Liu's office has released an updated Fact Sheet and Q&A document regarding SB 123. These documents include helpful information about the intention and proposed execution of the bill that may be helpful to those considering whether to support passage of the bill.
These new documents also correct an error...