May 10, 2018

The Assembly Budget Subcommittee #1 on Health and Human Services heard a $1 billion State General Fund proposal to help increase the affordability and quality of health care for low-income Californians. The proposal was submitted earlier this week by the co-chairs of the Select Committee on Health Care Delivery Systems and Coverage, Assembly Members Dr. Joaquin Arambula and Dr. Jim Wood. The proposal includes:

May 3, 2018

Los Angeles County, Orange County, and Ventura County are among the 30 communities selected for the Pritzker Children’s Initiative that is focusing on child development from birth to age 3.

The National Association of Counties, National League of Cities, Center for the Study of Social Policy, National Institute for Children’s Health Quality and StriveTogether each selected community partners that are demonstrating a commitment to ensuring children have a strong start in life.

April 12, 2018

Senate Bill 1206 by Senator Kevin De León was amended earlier this week to place a measure on the November 2018 that would ask voters to approve the No Place Like Home program as a valid use of MHSA funds, among other provisions. There is ongoing litigation pending to validate No Place Like Home as a valid use of Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Funds, with the hearing scheduled for July 23.

March 22, 2018

Last week the Care 4 All California Coalition launched a wide-ranging package of health care-related legislation.  The coalition, led by Health Access and the Service Employees International Union, is seeking to advance the gains made under the Affordable Care Act. Their recently announced legislative priorities include finding ways to increase the universality and affordability of health care, reducing costs and prices, and patient protections.

March 15, 2018

A wide range of grants from the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration are now available. The Healthy Transitions: Improving Life Trajectories for Youth and Young Adults with Serious Mental Disorders grant program will provide up to $16.8 million over the next five years to help improve access to treatment and support services for youth and young adults who have a serious emotional disturbance or a serious mental illness.

March 8, 2018

The National Association of Counties (NACo) is hosting County Health Day on April 18th– a day designed to highlight all the important work counties are doing to improve health. Throughout the day, NACo will post links and examples of county accomplishments while sharing health tools and resources.

NACo is inviting counties across the country to join in by posting on NACo’s Facebook page or Tweeting @NACoTweets using #CountyHealth with links to your county’s health projects, resources, and innovations to improve health in your communities.

March 8, 2018

The Senate and Assembly Health and Human Services Budget Subcommittee hearings are getting underway and In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) will be on the agenda for both houses over the course of the next week. The Senate Budget Subcommittee #3 hearing is today and the Assembly Budget Subcommittee #1 hearing is on Wednesday, March 14.

February 15, 2018

The Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee held an informational hearing on human services safety net programs in California this week. The hearing focused on three programs – Supplemental Security Income/State Supplemental Payment, the California Work Opportunities and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs), and CalFresh. In addition, the hearing featured presentations that provided a broad overview of poverty in California and the factors that contribute to the high poverty rates.

February 1, 2018

Last week the Senate voted 55-43 to confirm Alex Azar as the new Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Azar replaces the previous HHS Secretary Tom Price, who resigned last fall.

Secretary Azar stated during his Senate testimony that he would focus on four issues: lowering prescription drugs costs, making health insurance more affordable, basing Medicare payments on quality, and the opioid epidemic.

January 18. 2018

The Assembly committee tasked with exploring the concept of universal health care in California met again yesterday to add five more hours of information and testimony on the possibility of universal health care in California.

January 11, 2018

The Governor’s proposal to essentially discontinue the state’s administration of the federal Medicaid 340B Drug Pricing program could hit county public hospitals hard. The 340B program allows health entities, such as public hospitals, to purchase specific prescription medications in bulk and with special pricing.

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) is trying to raise awareness in California about the dangers of the Zika Virus, a mosquito-borne disease that has been linked to severe birth defects. The Department recently released a Public Service Announcement about the risks the Zika Virus poses to Californians. Additional information from CDPH is available below and at zikafreeca.com.

Don’t Bring Zika Home

December 7, 2017

December 7, 2017

The Health and Human Services (HHS) Policy Committee met on Tuesday, November 28 during the CSAC 2017 Annual Meeting in Sacramento County. The Committee heard informational updates on a wide range of issues and voted to approve 2018 HHS advocacy priorities. Further details are below and materials can be found in the HHS Committee meeting packet here.

Action Item

November 16, 2017

Governor Brown concluded legislative business by the October 15 deadline, ultimately signing 859 bills into law. CSAC is publishing a series of updates on new laws from each policy area. This week, the report from the Health and Human Services policy unit provides information on the following legislation that has been enacted by the Legislature and signed by the Governor.

Other policy area reports on new laws can be found at these links:

October 26, 2017

A new select committee examining the efficacy of universal health care in California heard more than eight hours of information and testimony this week. The Assembly Select Committee on Health Care Delivery Systems and Universal Coverage met on Monday and Tuesday to gather information on California’s current health care delivery systems and learn about models for health care in other countries like the Netherlands and Canada.

July 13, 2017

AB 85 (Rodriguez) will not move forward this year after being held in the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee on July 11. This means it will not meet the July 14 deadline to be passed by relevant policy committees.

June 29, 2017

CSAC, along with the County Welfare Directors Association, Urban Counties of California, and Rural County Representatives of California, recently moved to an oppose position on AB 85 (Rodriguez). This bill would require counties to alter their locally-established General Assistance (GA) or General Relief (GR) eligibility levels to provide additional county-funded assistance to veterans.