Medi-Cal Children's Health Advisory Panel.

Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income persons receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal Children's Health Advisory Panel for the purpose of advising the department on matters relevant to all children enrolled in Medi-Cal and their families. Existing law specifies the composition of the members of the panel, which includes three members who are parents of children who have received specified Medi-Cal services. Existing law requires the department to pay a per-meeting stipend to each advisory panel member who is a Medi-Cal enrollee or parent of a Medi-Cal enrollee. This bill would revise the qualification criteria for the 3 panel positions filled by parent members described above to instead fill those positions with 3 members who are either Medi-Cal enrollees who have received Medi-Cal benefits or services in relation to a pregnancy, or who are a parent, foster parent, relative caregiver, or legal guardian of a Medi-Cal enrollee who is 21 years of age or younger. The bill would provide that a member of the advisory panel appointed on or after January 1, 2018, shall serve a term of 3 years, except as specified, and would specify a procedure for transitioning existing panel membership to those new terms. The bill would authorize the department to remove a member of the advisory panel if the director of the department determines removal is necessary, and would authorize the chair of the panel to recommend removal of a member who obstructs the functions of the panel for cause. The bill would require the chair of the panel to notify the department of a vacancy on the panel, as specified. The bill would expand the requirement to pay a per-meeting stipend to include a foster parent, relative caregiver, or legal guardian of a Medi-Cal enrollee.