Medi-Cal: juvenile inmates.

Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid provisions. Existing federal law, with certain exceptions, excludes federal financial participation for medical care provided to any individual who is an inmate in a public institution, and existing state law suspends Medi-Cal benefits, for a specified period of time, to an individual under 21 years of age who is an inmate of a public institution. Existing state law also provides that no person shall be denied benefits, for whom and for which federal financial participation is available, based solely on the individual's incarcerated status in a county or city jail or juvenile detention facility. Existing law authorizes the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the State Department of Health Care Services, to the extent that federal participation is not jeopardized and federal approval is obtained, to develop a process for the provision of inpatient hospital services to inmates who would otherwise be eligible for Medi-Cal, but for their institutional status as inmates. Existing law also authorizes, to the extent federal financial participation is available, the State Department of Health Care Services to provide Medi-Cal eligibility and reimbursement for inpatient hospital services to inmates, as defined. This bill would additionally require the State Department of Health Care Services to develop processes to allow counties and the Division of Juvenile Facilities within the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to receive any available federal financial participation for acute inpatient hospital services and inpatient psychiatric services provided to juvenile inmates, as defined and as applicable, who are admitted as inpatients in a medical institution. The bill would require the department to consult with counties and the Division of Juvenile Facilities in the development of these processes, and would require the department to seek any federal approvals necessary to implement these provisions. The bill would provide that these provisions shall be implemented only to the extent that the Division of Juvenile Facilities and counties elect to voluntarily provide the nonfederal share of expenditures for acute inpatient hospital services and inpatient psychiatric services, and would require that the federal financial participation associated with services provided pursuant to these processes be paid to the participating counties or the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, as applicable. The bill would provide that these provisions shall be implemented only to the extent that any necessary federal approval is obtained and existing levels of federal financial participation are not jeopardized. The bill would make related findings and declarations.