Medi-Cal: nonmedical and nonemergency medical transportation.

Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services, through managed care or fee-for-service delivery systems. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law covers emergency or nonemergency medical transportation, and nonmedical transportation, under the Medi-Cal program, as specified. This bill would require the department to ensure that the fiscal burden of nonemergency medical transportation or nonmedical transportation is not unfairly placed on public paratransit service operators and would authorize the department to direct Medi-Cal managed care plans to reimburse public paratransit service operators who are enrolled as Medi-Cal providers at the fee-for-service rates for conducting that transportation, as described. The bill would require the department to engage with public paratransit service operators to understand the challenges as public operators of nonemergency medical transportation or nonmedical transportation services and would require the department to issue new guidance to ensure the fiscal burden is not unfairly placed on public operators on or before June 1, 2026. The bill would condition implementation of these provisions on receipt of any necessary federal approvals and the availability of federal financial participation.