As we head into the final weeks of budget season, LHPC and our 17 local plan members are laser-focused on protecting the Medi-Cal budget.
The ramifications of H.R. 1 and state eligibility changes are already starting to hit home, and the Governor’s May budget revision goes even further, proposing deeper cuts to the program that serves our most vulnerable populations.
How California’s Local Plans Deliver Quality, Access and Accountability
Local Health Plans of California (LHPC) member plans are part of the foundation of California’s safety net. As community-based, not-for-profit health plans, they ensure their members have access to high-quality health care coordination that is unmatched by any other state-wide alternative.
With bill season at full throttle, LHPC is tracking more than 80 bills that could impact Medi-Cal enrollees and the managed care delivery system that serves them. LHPC is engaging on a number of bills related to H.R. 1 eligibility and enrollment implementation, many of which are focused on preserving and protecting Medi-Cal enrollment while complying with new federal eligibility requirements.
March madness has extended beyond the basketball court and taken hold of the managed care ecosystem as local plans juggle fall out from new Medi-Cal eligibility requirements, a massive budget shortfall and a seemingly never-ending slew of new H.R. 1-related federal policies and guidance.
LHPC’s March game plan has included submitting comments on California’s CalAIM Section 1115 renewal to the state, advocating for key components
LHPC has big, joyful news to share. Hours after starting her maternity leave, LHPC CEO Linnea Koopmans gave birth to her beautiful baby boy. We are excited to welcome Kjell (pronounced “shell”) Daniel to the LHPC family, and we wish Linnea’s growing family health and happiness as she enjoys some well-deserved bonding time.
The rest of the LHPC team hit the ground running this year, engaging and educating state and federal legislative teams on priority policy issues local plans are facing.
As we start the second half of the 2025-2026 session,LHPC remains committed to working with policymakers to strengthen services for Medi-Cal enrollees and protect California’s safety net. We are clear-eyed about the challenges ahead; we must resolve to preserve critical resources that ensure our most vulnerable populations have access to care that they need and deserve.
After a year of all-out advocacy to preserve and protect Medicaid coverage, access and funding this year, local plans’ focus has shifted to the finer points of implementation, interpretation of this new reality under H.R. 1 and overall financing challenges.
Local plans made a significant showing in Washington, D.C. this month for a round of meetings with members of Congress and their staff. Though the government shutdown began during our visit and required flexibility throughout our time in D.C., members and their staff welcomed connecting with their local plan leaders.
This has been a hard year for California health policy. Federal cuts and policy changes, along with California’s budget deficit, threaten to unravel 20 years of progress in dramatically increasing coverage and access for Californians. As state lawmakers grappled with difficult and unenviable budget choices, local plans deeply appreciate the Legislature’s ongoing
The Legislature is back at full throttle, and the summer recess has already faded into a distant memory. As lawmakers consider many health care policy and budget issues in these remaining weeks, it is important to apply a lens that sees the broad impact federal and state policy changes will have on Medi-Cal before casting a vote.
We at the Local Health Plans of California, like millions of other Californians, have been dismayed by the events of the past month targeting California’s immigrant communities. Local plans are dedicated to providing health care to support our most vulnerable residents, and we believe that immigrants are a vital part of California’s strength.
Medi-Cal is at a critical juncture. The U.S. House of Representatives has passed its budget reconciliation package that includes Medicaid cuts that would devastate our program and destabilize California’s entire health care sector. Simultaneously, the state Legislature is weighing the Administration’s proposal to significantly reduce the Medi-Cal budget through cuts to coverage, benefits, and providers.
Medicaid is a vital and critical component of our broader health care system, in California and across the country. As Congress contemplates cuts to Medicaid as a part of budget reconciliation, it is important to put these potential cuts into context of the nation’s largest Medicaid program, Medi-Cal.
As Medicaid issues drive policy and budget discussions at the federal and state levels, LHPC and our members are heavily engaged in advocating for the impact, value and role the program plays in not only supporting the 15 million enrolled Californians, but in stabilizing our health care system and local economies. Ensuring low-income Californians have access to high quality, affordable health care has and will continue to be, our driving mission.
Legislators, staff and state agency partners, mark your calendars for LHPC’s annual legislative briefing this Wednesday, Feb. 26. Medi-Cal is large, complex and reliant on managed care plans to organize and deliver care for nearly 15 million Californians. Our briefing will offer insights on local plans’ priorities, including protecting the progress our state has made to provide comprehensive coverage to low-income populations.
Happy New Year! The LHPC team is jumping into 2025, prepared to adapt to an evolving health care environment at the local, state and national level. Our priority is to advocate for the safety net and uphold the tremendous progress Medi-Cal has made in meeting the health and social needs of one-third of the state population.
While it has only been ten days since the 2024 general election, it is clear that the outcomes of the election will be very consequential for health care nationally and here in California.
Over the last decade, California has been a national leader in health care and has made incredible gains toward equity through ACA Medicaid expansion and the significant state expansions and reforms of Medi-Cal.
We are just 20 days away from one of the most consequential elections in recent history. From the top of the ticket, to key Congressional races, considerable state legislative turnover and the ballot initiatives, there is a lot at stake for the safety net and Medicaid.
LHPC was an early supporter ofProposition 35, which will make the MCO tax funding permanent and dedicate a percentage of those dollars to Medi-Cal.
LHPC would like to extend its deepest appreciation to Secretary Mark Ghaly for his focused leadership at the California Health & Human Services Agency during the five most historic and intense years that any CHHS secretary has experienced. Secretary Ghaly’s vision for Medi-Cal has ushered in a new era for the program, which has seen tremendous change and progress during his tenure. I look forward to incoming Secretary Kim Johnson’s leadership.
Legislators are back for the last month of the 2023-2024 legislative session with a hefty list of bills to vote on and fast-approaching committee deadlines. The Legislature has some big decisions to make this month, several of which may impact Medi-Cal and managed care plans. LHPC is continuing to advocate for legislation that will preserve access to care for Medi-Cal enrollees by preventing the loss of maternal health care services,
