BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
AB 1231 (Wood) - Medi-Cal: nonmedical transportation
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|Version: June 19, 2015 |Policy Vote: HEALTH 9 - 0 |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: No |
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|Hearing Date: August 27, 2015 |Consultant: Brendan McCarthy |
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*********** ANALYSIS ADDENDUM - SUSPENSE FILE ***********
The following information is revised to reflect amendments
adopted by the committee on August 27, 2015
Bill
Summary: AB 1231 would require the Department of Health Care
Services to provide nonmedical transportation as a covered
benefit in the Medi-Cal program.
Fiscal
Impact:
One-time costs, likely about $150,000 to $300,000 for one to
two years to develop program requirements, amend the state's
Medicaid plan, and adopt regulations to implement the bill
(General Fund and federal funds).
Ongoing costs of $1.5 million to $6.5 million to provide
nonmedical transportation to Medi-Cal beneficiaries enrolled
in Medi-Cal managed care plans that do not already provide
nonmedical transportation as a covered benefit (General Fund
and federal funds). According to the Department of Health Care
AB 1231 (Wood) Page 1 of
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Services, 17 out of 21 Medi-Cal managed care plans already
provide coverage for nonmedical transportation, covering
between 50% and 70% of all existing Medi-Cal managed care plan
enrollees. The Department estimates the annual cost per member
to provide nonmedical transportation is between $0.50 and
$2.00 per year.
Ongoing costs of $1.5 million to $3.0 million per year to
provide coverage for nonmedical transportation to Medi-Cal
beneficiaries not enrolled in Medi-Cal managed care. The
Department currently does not provide coverage for nonmedical
transportation in the fee for service system (except for
children).
Unknown impact on overall utilization of specialty health care
services in the Medi-Cal program (General Fund and federal
funds). By ensuring that Medi-Cal beneficiaries have access to
nonmedical transportation to specialty care, the bill is
likely to allow for increased access to specialty care by
Medi-Cal beneficiaries, particularly those in rural areas of
the state. This is likely to increase utilization of those
services. On the other hand, timely access to specialty
services may allow beneficiaries and their providers to better
manage serious medical conditions, potentially reducing future
needs for additional specialty services or hospitalization.
The net impact of these factors is unknown.
Author
Amendments: Require a beneficiary to demonstrate that other
available resources have been exhausted and make technical and
clarifying corrections.
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