Medi-Cal: field medicine.
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Majority
Fiscal committee
No
Appropriation
No
Current location
Chaptered
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Progress
Where this bill stands in the legislative process.
- Introduced
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
- To Governor
- Became Law
Overview
This bill, AB 543, aims to improve access to healthcare for people experiencing homelessness in California by establishing ‘field medicine’ as a recognized service within the Medi-Cal program. It allows Medi-Cal managed care plans to partner with field medicine providers to offer services directly to homeless individuals, regardless of their usual network assignment. The bill also requires managed care plans to have systems in place to coordinate care and ensure timely communication between providers and the individual’s primary care provider, and mandates a method for homeless individuals to inform their plans of their housing status.
Key provisions
- Defines ‘field medicine’ as a healthcare delivery model focused on serving people experiencing homelessness.
- Authorizes Medi-Cal managed care plans to contract with field medicine providers.
- Requires managed care plans to allow direct access to field medicine services for homeless Medi-Cal members, regardless of network assignment.
- Mandates coordination between field medicine providers, managed care plans, and primary care providers.
- Requires managed care plans to establish a process for homeless members to inform them of their housing status.
- Requires the Department of Health Care Services to inform managed care plans if a member indicates they are experiencing homelessness.
- Requires reimbursement for field medicine services provided to homeless Medi-Cal beneficiaries.
- Includes a provision for adding a question about homelessness to the standard Medi-Cal application form by January 1, 2027.
Bill text
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Sponsors
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7 on record
Primary sponsor
Cosponsors
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