The Brown administration signaled in today’s budget proposal that it’s committed to expanding Medi-Cal under the federal health law. But no decision has been made yet about how to do that.
California Health and Human Services Secretary Diana Dooley said the budget lays out two options – expanding coverage through the state, or through the counties.
“The Governor’s budget sets up a framework for the conversations that we have to have," said Dooley. "There are many unanswered questions that he identified about the expansion. But the budget calls for an expansion.”
In either scenario, the state would have to work closely with counties to move forward on the federal initiative.
The Governor’s Budget sets aside $350 million dollars to pay for people currently eligible for Medi-Cal, but who may be newly enrolled because of the Affordable Care Act.
