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. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Existing law establishes a schedule of benefits under the Medi-Cal program, including medical transportation and nonmedical transportation for a beneficiary to obtain covered Medi-Cal services. Existing law requires nonmedical transportation to be provided by the beneficiary's managed care plan or by the department for a Medi-Cal fee-for-service beneficiary. This bill would require the department to require Medi-Cal managed care plans that are contracted to provide nonmedical transportation or nonemergency medical transportation to contract with public paratransit service operators who are enrolled Medi-Cal providers for the purpose of establishing reimbursement rates for nonmedical and nonemergency medical transportation trips provided by a public paratransit service operator. The bill would require the rates reimbursed by the managed care plan to the public paratransit service operator to be based on the department's fee-for-service rates for nonmedical and nonemergency medical transportation service, as specified. The bill would condition implementation of these provisions on receipt of any necessary federal approvals and the availability of federal financial participation.