Administration Newsom misses prop.

From ChristenCalmness

This story was originally published by CalmattersS Register about their ballots.

California voters told legislators last fall that they wanted doctors to receive more salaries to see low -income patients. But employees of the Newsom Administration have blown up the federal period to make it happen through Medi-Cal Monday, effectively leaving millions of dollars unclaimed.

The unclaimed money is bound Proposal 35A vote measure, which has passed from 68% of voters in November. The measure has made money from a special tax on health insurance plans to increase payments of doctors and healthcare facilities treating low-income patients in Medi-Cal, the state Medicaid program.

But first the state had to Send Federal Government Documents for approval. This deadline was March 31.

The lack of the deadline means that for the first quarter of the year, doctors will not receive an increase in speed promised by the vote measure. It also means that California will lose federal matching dollars designed to increase the Medi-Cal program during this period of time.

The Ministry of Health, the agency that runs Medi-Cal, and the implementation of Prop. 35 did not answer the deadline for publishing questions from Calmatters about why the state missed the deadline for financing.

In the last legislative hearing director of health services Michel Baas said that the federal application in California has delayed unfinished appointments to the Advisory Committee created by the vote measure to supervise costs.

Enough of these appointments were filled in order for the Committee to meet legally, but there is still an unfulfilled appointment. Governor Gavin Newo’s service declined to answer questions why the appointment was not appointed. The Committee must meet for the first time on April 14.

During the hearing in February, another employee of the Health Service Department said the agency had never believed that it would be possible for the state to comply with the deadline for March.

Slow application is disappointing MPs, as well as clinicians who say the increase in the percentage is long overdue and is necessary to increase access to recipients of Medi-Cal.

The Assembly member of the Dawn of Addis, Democrat from Moro Bay, said in a A recent hearing that support 35 was “widely popular” And she had supported him in the hope that the speed increase would start quickly.

Legislators aggressively expand Medi-Cal benefits and eligibility over the last 10 years. Today, One of three Californians receives health care through the state program. But doctors say that the amount they receive to see patients with Medi-Cal has not increased in two decades.

Addis said during the hearing that “94% of Californians now have a health coverage, but so many people do not have access to suppliers. And what people in rural areas will point out is that suppliers simply cannot afford to practice in rural areas because the recovery is so low.”

Separately legislativeSenator Akila Weber Pearson noted that even with the unfilled position, the Advisory Committee has a quorum and can meet to discuss the implementation of Prop. 35.

“It was something that the voters were very, very clearly … I don’t think the residents would like to be delayed,” says Weber Pearson, Democrat and San Diego’s midwife. “It is extremely unfortunate that we will not be able to observe this first deadline and that we just leave money on the table.”

Medi-Cal shortage with an increase in costs

The missed deadline comes at a time when California faces other Medi-Cal challenges. The state is subject to potential federal redundancies that are bound by the budget agreements passing through congress.

And the state program faces its own shortage.

NEWSOM and the Ministry of Health are Under enhanced control over a $ 6 billion state loan request Perform Medi-CAL operations by the end of the year.

State Republican MPs were in a hurry to determine the blame The Medi-Cal Access Newsom Expansion to All Income Immigrants who do not have a permanent legal status.

The administration defended the expansion and indicated other cost drivers by increasing the cost of a pharmacy and the growing higher enrollment, but admitted that about half of the deficit money was from expanding immigrants.

NEWSOM also accuses Medi-Cal deficiency in part of Prop. 35 in an interview with reporters earlier this month.

“Prop. 35 put a lot of cost loads as it refers to tariffs, so all these things should be included. The voters chose this time with Prop 35 and we were clear, had strong opinions about it. The price of (prop. 35) will increase the price of Medicaid and that is happening,” NEWSOM said.

The healthcare industry supports Prop. 35

Prior to the election, Newsom stopped opposed to the measure, but said the adoption of Prop. 35 will limit the legislature’s ability to deal with the future deficits of the state budget as it has made the money to a specific use.

Prop. 35 was supported by almost the entire health industryIncluding doctors, hospitals, clinics and ambulance companies. These groups have partially supported the measure because previous Newsom governors and past Determined by promises to increase Medi-Cal payments And instead, he uses health tax money to support the cost of a common government.

The proposal allocates $ 2 billion a year for 2025 and 2026 to the State General Fund, retaining approximately another $ 2 billion to increase the rates and other investment providers want.

Stuart Thompson, a lobbyist at the California Medical Association, which supported the measure, advocates for March legislative hearing for the Committee 35 to meet as soon as possible. Thompson noted that some increases in payments, which were approved separately by the legislature in 2023, have not yet been applied and that the state must work to maintain the measure of vote on the road.

“We really want to get our explosion for the dollar and make sure the way the Prop 35 is applied really improves the care of the most necessary here in California,” Thompson said.

CalMatters reporter Alexei Kosef has contributed to this story.

Supported by the California Foundation for Health (CHCF), which works to ensure that people have access to the necessary care when they need it, at a price they can afford. Visit www.chcf.org to learn more.

This article was Originally Published on CalMatters and was reissued under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Noderivatives License.