BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
Senator Ricardo Lara, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular Session
AB 1849 (Gipson) - Foster youth: transition to independent
living: health insurance coverage
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|Version: June 16, 2016 |Policy Vote: HUMAN S. 4 - 0 |
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|Urgency: No |Mandate: Yes |
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|Hearing Date: August 1, 2016 |Consultant: Debra Cooper |
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This bill does not meet the criteria for referral to the
Suspense File.
Bill
Summary: AB 1849 would require that written verification or
enrollment in Medi-Cal and a Medi-Cal benefits card be provided
to foster youth who have eligible enrollment in Medi-Cal who are
preparing to transition out of foster care, and that the
eligibility is continuous and uninterrupted up to 26 years of
age. It additionally requires, in a youth's or nonminor's 90-day
transition plan, a description of the steps taken to ensure that
an eligible youth or nonminor is transitioned into the Medi-Cal
program for former foster youth.
Fiscal
Impact: Potential ongoing local-assistance cost of $36,158
($28,959 GF)* per year to the extent that an additional 15
minutes of social worker time is needed per case to provide the
required documentation for enrollment in Medi-Cal for youth who
are leaving foster care and for verification of the social
AB 1849 (Gipson) Page 1 of
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worker's steps in the youth's transition plan.
*Proposition 30 (November 2012) eliminated any potential
mandate funding liability for any new program or higher level
of service mandated on local agencies related to realigned
programs, including child welfare services and foster care.
Rather, legislation enacted after September 30, 2012, that has
an overall effect of increasing the costs already borne by a
local agency for programs or levels of service mandated by
realignment only apply to local agencies to the extent that
the state provides annual funding for the cost increase. Local
agencies are not obligated to provide programs or levels of
service required by legislation above the level for which
funding has been provided.
Background: Under the Affordable Care Act, former foster youth who have
aged out of the foster care system at age 18 are entitled to
Medi-Cal coverage until age 26. This gives former foster youth
the same opportunity to access health care as young adults who
are able to remain covered by their parents' health insurance
until age 26. Existing law requires that youth who exit foster
care on their 18th birthday who are eligible for enrollment in
Medi-Cal be automatically transferred into the Medi-Cal program
for former foster youth and remain continuously covered until
age 26.
Welfare and Institutes Code sections 391 and 16501.1 still
contain instructions for social workers to provide assistance in
completing a Medi-Cal application for youth transitioning out of
foster care even though youth transitioning out of foster care
are no longer required to apply for Medi-Cal coverage when
exiting foster care.
According to the California Department of Social Services (DSS),
approximately 2,086 youth exited foster care in calendar year
2015.
Proposed Law:
This bill makes changes to the Welfare and Institutions Code
to conform to existing law that requires eligible youth exiting
foster care to be automatically enrolled in the Medi-Cal program
AB 1849 (Gipson) Page 2 of
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for former foster youth.
Specific provisions of the bill would:
Require the county to provide written verification that the
eligible nonminor is enrolled in Medi-Cal and provide the
nonminor's Medi-Cal Benefits Card.
Delete the requirement that prior to a court terminating
dependency jurisdiction, the county provide assistance in
completing an application for Medi-Cal or assistance in
obtaining other health insurance.
Prohibit the juvenile court from terminating dependency over a
nonminor unless, among other documents, the county can verify
continued and uninterrupted enrollment in Medi-Cal, as
established in statute.
Related
Legislation: SB 508 (Hernandez, Chapter 831, Statues of 2014)
requires the Department of Health Care Services to implement
federal provisions to provide Medi-Cal benefits to a former
foster youth until his or her 26th birthday if he or she was
enrolled in foster care on his or her 18th birthday.
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