BILL ANALYSIS
SB 1469
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Date of Hearing: August 9, 2006
ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Judy Chu, Chair
SB 1469 (Cedillo) - As Amended: August 7, 2006
Policy Committee: HealthVote:10-3
Urgency: No State Mandated Local Program:
Yes Reimbursable: Yes
SUMMARY
This bill requires county probation in departments to notify the
county welfare department (CWD) when a juvenile is ordered
incarcerated for 30 days or longer so the CWD can determine if
the juvenile will be eligible for Medi-Cal or the Healthy
Families Program (HFP) upon release from custody. Specifically,
this bill:
1)Requires probation departments to provide CWD with the ward's
name, his or her scheduled or actual release date, any known
information regarding the ward's Medi-Cal status prior to
disposition, and sufficient information, when available, for
the CWD to begin the process of determining the ward's
Medi-Cal eligibility immediately following an order committing
a ward for 30 days or longer. If the ward is a minor, the
probation department must notify the parent/guardian in
writing prior to providing information to the CWD.
2)Requires the CWD to initiate a Medi-Cal application. If the
CWD determines the ward is ineligible for Medi-Cal, the CWD
must forward the ward's information to the appropriate entity
to determine eligibility for HFP, or other appropriate health
coverage program.
3)Requires the county, if it determines that a ward meets
eligibility requirements for the Medi-Cal program, to provide
sufficient documentation to enable the ward to obtain
necessary medical care upon his or her release from custody.
4)Requires the Department of Health Services, in consultation
with the Chief Probation Officers of California and the County
Welfare Directors Association, to establish the protocols and
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procedures necessary to implement this bill.
FISCAL EFFECT
1)Unknown state costs associated with the provision of Medi-Cal
benefits to wards released from custody after 30 days who
otherwise might not have applied. Data is not available on
the number of wards in county facilities for over 30 days who
are Medi-Cal eligible and would not otherwise enroll absent
this bill, but DHS estimates caseload costs resulting from
this bill are likely minor.
2)Reimbursable state-mandated GF costs for probation departments
to provide CWD with information regarding wards, likely in the
low hundreds of thousands annually, and likely minor
state-mandated costs for CWD to expedite applications from
wards nearing release and to forward the ward's information to
the Health Families or other appropriate health coverage
programs.
3)Minor GF costs, likely less than $50,000, for DHS to establish
the protocols and procedures to implement this bill.
COMMENTS
1)Purpose . According to the author, this bill will ensure that
any youth eligible for Medi-Cal and HFP will be provided the
opportunity to continue to be enrolled in health coverage upon
release from a county juvenile facility. Currently, many
youth lose their coverage while incarcerated and must
re-enroll in a health coverage program upon release. The
author and proponents argue an essential component of
discharge planning is that these youth be enrolled, if
eligible, in the appropriate health coverage program.
Proponents state there are huge rates of recidivism among the
juvenile population, and the author and proponents argue that
often the reason for a ward's return to custody is the result
of his or her failure to receive treatment for a mental health
or substance abuse disorder.
2)Background . Any individual taken into custody loses Medi-Cal
eligibility when he or she is booked into a correctional
facility. Any individual who is booked will automatically be
terminated from Medi-Cal benefits. A match is run by Medi-Cal
monthly with the California Youth Authority System and with
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the Jail Match Registry System to determine who has been
incarcerated if there has been no notification to the county
welfare system.
Individuals enrolled in HFP remain enrolled for one year as long
as premiums are paid. Incarcerated youth are not disenrolled
unless premiums are not paid. However, youth who are
incarcerated are not permitted to enroll (or reenroll) in HFP
while incarcerated.
3)Related Legislation . AB 2004 (Yee) requires DHS, in the case
of a minor who has been incarcerated, to suspend the minor's
Medi-Cal benefits but not terminate the minor's Medi-Cal
eligibility. AB 2004 applies to juvenile incarceration in
state or county facilities while this bill is limited to
juveniles in county facilities and imposes requirements
primarily on CWDs. SB 1616 (Kuehl) includes provisions
related to Medi-Cal eligibility for disabled individuals in
state juvenile detention facilities.
Analysis Prepared by : Scott Bain / APPR. / (916) 319-2081