Medi-Cal: dual eligibles: pilot projects.

Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income persons receive health care benefits. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid provisions. Existing federal law provides for the federal Medicare Program, which is a public health insurance program for persons 65 years of age and older and specified persons with disabilities who are under 65 years of age. Existing law, to the extent that federal financial participation is available, and pursuant to a demonstration project or waiver of federal law, requires the department to establish pilot projects in up to 4 counties, to develop effective health care models to provide services to persons who are dually eligible under both the Medi-Cal and Medicare programs. Existing law requires the department to, not sooner than March 1, 2011, identify health care models that may be included in a pilot project, develop a timeline and process for selecting, financing, monitoring, and evaluating the pilot projects, and provide this timeline and process to certain committees of the Legislature. This bill would authorize the department to also establish these pilot projects pursuant to a request for proposal from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. This bill would require the department to consult with stakeholders, including, among others, representatives of advocacy organizations, persons with disabilities, seniors, and representatives of legal services agencies that serve dual eligibles, on a regular basis throughout the development and implementation of the pilot projects.