PARTNERSHIPS & COMMUNITY
We work with partners across the state to educate and enroll California families in quality, affordable health coverage. By partnering with leading education, health, immigrant, consumer, business, and advocacy organizations, we promote health coverage and enrollment for all children in California. We equip families with the information they need about coverage options and connect them to resources to help them enroll. Through high-impact partnerships, our ALL IN For Health Campaign brings new tools and information about health coverage and care opportunities directly into communities.
POLICY
We advocate policies that ensure all California children—regardless of their immigration status or family income—have access to the affordable, comprehensive health coverage they need to grow up healthy and ready to learn. We make sure that state outreach and enrollment processes, as well as other systems, work best for families. Using our work in California as a model, we advocate federal policies that help ensure children across the country have affordable, comprehensive health coverage.
WHY IS CHILDREN’S ENROLLMENT IN MEDI-CAL LAGGING IN CALIFORNIA AT A TIME WHEN CHILDREN ARE IN MOST NEED?
Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of uninsured children increased for the first time in a decade. Since the pandemic began, when need of support has been at its highest, Medi-Cal enrollment for children has lagged. Children’s health care dropped off and has not fully bounced back, leaving gaps in vaccinations, well child visits and mental health care. Continuous coverage is essential to ensure children stay connected to health care. Read our newest fact sheet on Medi-Cal enrollment that highlights a few strategies California policymakers should consider to enroll more eligible children.
The Medi-Cal Managed Care Obligation for Care Coordination Couldn’t Be Clearer— It’s Time to Make It Work!
With Medi-Cal managed care plans (MCPs) providing coverage to 4.9 million California children, we have a historic opportunity to advance California children’s health care and health this year as DHCS will be reprocuring MCP contracts. Stakeholders have an opportunity to provide input into these draft contracts. Comments are due July 1.
In partnership with California Children’s Trust, we co-authored a Care Coordination Issue Brief as a snapshot of the current MCP care coordination obligation for all children enrolled in Medi-Cal. Care coordination is a critical linchpin between assessing and identifying socioemotional and health risks, as well as children getting health care and support services. This brief provides recommendations for care coordination improvement in Medi-Cal, including suggestions on strengthening MCP contract language and accountability to ensure California’s most vulnerable children are supported in navigating complex systems and multiple providers to receive the mental and behavioral health services they need.