Geographic Managed Care Pilot Project: County of San Diego: advisory board.

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 authorizes the department, upon approval by the board of supervisors of the County of San Diego, to implement a multiplan managed care pilot project for the provision of Medi-Cal services. Existing law authorizes the County of San Diego to establish 2 advisory boards, with certain compositions, to advise the Department of Health Services of the County of San Diego and review and comment on the implementation of the multiplan project. Existing law requires that at least one member of each board be appointed by the board of supervisors and requires the board of supervisors to establish the number of members on each board. This bill would instead authorize the County of San Diego to establish one board, as specified, and would require the board to advise the Health and Human Services Agency of the County of San Diego on the implementation of the state Medi-Cal policy as it pertains to Medi-Cal managed care plans in the county. The bill would require each supervisor of the board to appoint at least one member to the advisory board, with each supervisor appointing an equal number of members. Existing law prohibits the compensation of the advisory board members for activities relating to their duties, but requires that members who are Medi-Cal recipients be reimbursed an appropriate amount by the county for travel and child care expenses incurred in performing their duties in the pilot project. This bill would also authorize advisory board members who are Medi-Cal recipients to be reimbursed by the county for their time in performing their duties in the pilot project, at the discretion of the county.