AB 2146

Bill Subjects

Abstract

Existing law establishes 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 provides for a schedule of benefits under the Medi-Cal program, including certain dental services. Existing law provides that any county, political subdivision of the state, or other governmental entity in the state may elect to transfer funds in the form of cash or loans to the department in support of the Medi-Cal program, and provides the department discretion to accept or not accept any elective transfer from a county, political subdivision, or other governmental entity for obtaining federal financial participation. Pursuant to this provision, existing law authorizes the Director of Health Care Services to maximize federal financial participation to provide access to services provided by hospitals that are not reimbursed by certified public expenditure by authorizing the use of intergovernmental transfers to fund the nonfederal share of supplemental payments as permitted under federal law, and requires the department to establish various intergovernmental transfer programs, including the Nondesignated Public Hospital Intergovernmental Transfer Program. This bill would require the department to establish, implement, and maintain the Public University Dental School Intergovernmental Transfer Program, and to authorize public university dental schools to utilize intergovernmental transfers to support the training and dental care that these schools provide to Medi-Cal beneficiaries. The bill would require each transferring entity, upon providing any intergovernmental transfer of funds, to certify that the transferred funds qualify for federal financial participation, and would provide that any intergovernmental transfer of funds made is voluntary. The bill would prohibit the department from assessing any fee to reimburse the department for specified costs, including administrative costs. The bill would require the department to obtain federal approvals and federal matching funds, and to implement those provisions by various means, including policy letters.