BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 2612
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ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 2612 (Dababneh)
As Amended May 23, 2014
Majority vote
HEALTH 13-4 APPROPRIATIONS 12-0
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|Ayes:|Pan, Ammiano, Chau, |Ayes:|Gatto, Bocanegra, |
| |Bonilla, Bonta, Chesbro, | |Bradford, |
| |Gomez, Gonzalez, | |Ian Calderon, Campos, |
| |Roger Hern�ndez, | |Eggman, Gomez, Holden, |
| |Lowenthal, Nazarian, | |Pan, Quirk, |
| |Ridley-Thomas, Wieckowski | |Ridley-Thomas, Weber |
| | | | |
|-----+--------------------------+-----+--------------------------|
|Nays:|Maienschein, Ch�vez, | | |
| |Patterson, Wagner | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Requires the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS)
to request a federal waiver to receive federal financial
participation (FFP) under the Medi-Cal program for residential
substance use disorder treatment in institutions for mental
diseases (IMDs); and requires DHCS to request a federal waiver
to allow behavioral health services providers, as specified, to
be a health home.
FISCAL EFFECT : According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, this bill has administrative costs in the range of
$500,000 (General Fund/federal) to DHCS to develop specified
waiver proposals and pilot program. Some of these costs may
already be incurred, as DHCS is currently working on a
demonstration waiver related to coordinating substance use
services in Drug Medi-Cal.
COMMENTS : According to the author of this bill, drug or alcohol
abuse and dependency is a significant issue for people in the
criminal justice system. Data collected in 2009 by the Office
of National Drug Control Policy's Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring
program showed that males 18 years and older in the justice
system tested positive for recent use of drugs and admitted to
that use in far higher rates than the general population, with
nearly 80% of arrestees in Sacramento testing positive for the
AB 2612
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presence of at least one drug. Over half of women in jail and
44% of men in jail have a drug or alcohol dependency. Left
untreated, these issues can act as a driver of crime.
Until recently, most of the jail inmate population did not have
access to health coverage - up to 90% were uninsured in one
survey of the San Francisco jail population. Recent changes in
federal and California law under the federal Patient Protection
and Affordable Care Act have expanded coverage to this
population, creating new opportunities for coverage for drug
treatment programs. However, because federal law prohibits
federal reimbursement for residential drug treatment in IMDs,
there is a dearth of available residential substance use
disorder treatment beds. The author states that this bill would
help counties create innovative ways to access Drug Medi-Cal and
would seek a specific waiver of the IMD exclusion for
residential substance use disorder treatment less than 90 days.
Californians for Safety and Justice, the sponsor of this bill,
writes that the availability of substance use disorder treatment
is of particular import to people in the criminal justice
system. Studies have shown up to 90% of the individuals that
cycle in and out of the justice system do not have health
insurance and suffer significantly higher prevalence of
substance use disorders. When these underlying drivers of crime
remain undetected or untreated, the behaviors of people in the
justice system often remain the same or worsen, contributing to
recidivism and high costs in the justice system. By seeking a
waiver to allow for FFP for residential substance use disorder
treatment, the sponsor argues, we can help stop the cycle of
crime. The sponsor notes increased health care enrollment for
individuals in the justice system has demonstrated positive
results in other jurisdictions: a 2009 California Department of
Corrections and Rehabilitation report showed a 61% recidivism
reduction for female inmates accessed substance abuse treatment
and a 29% reduction for male inmates who accessed such
treatment.
This bill has no known opposition.
Analysis Prepared by : Paula Villescaz / HEALTH / (916)
319-2097
AB 2612
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