Medi-Cal: mental health plans.

Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income persons are provided with health care services, including mental health services. The Medi-Cal program is partially governed and funded under federal Medicaid provisions. Under existing law, the State Department of Mental Health (department) is required to implement managed mental health care for Medi-Cal recipients through fee-for-service or capitate contracts with mental health plans. Existing law requires, for funding allocations and risk-sharing determinations and arrangements for specialty mental health services reimbursed through a fee-for-service payment system, that the department allocate the contracted amount at the beginning of the contract period to the mental health plan. This bill would, beginning July 1, 2011, exclude the Early Periodic Screening Diagnosis and Treatment (EPSDT) specialty mental health services provided under a Medi-Cal specialty mental health services waiver from being allocated and distributed at the beginning of the contract period.