Court Fails To Stop Medi-Cal Cuts

A state court failed to stop the 10 percent cuts to Medi-Cal reimbursement rates which took effect on July 1st.

In May of this year, a coalition of health care providers filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction against the 10 percent Medi-Cal provider rate cuts that legislators passed earlier this year. According to the California Pharmacists Association, while the court found that the cuts would harm healthcare access for nearly 7 million Californians, it denied the preliminary injunction motion that the state court lacked the authority to enforce the federal law in state court.

For more information, please read the press release here.

New Advocacy Tools Against Medi-Cal Pharmacy Cuts

Courtesy of the L.A. County Commission on HIV : An updated Medi-Cal reduction petition and patient letter are now available. Please download and help stop the cut to Medi-Cal medications that went into effect July 1st.

Both the letter and the petition form are available for download here.

Fight Medi-Cal Pharmacy Cuts NOW!

Low income people with HIV/AIDS who depend on prescription drugs may have difficulty finding a pharmacy to fill their prescriptions as a result of Medi-Cal reimbursement rate cuts which took effect on July 1st of this year.

During the round of budget balancing reductions that took place earlier this year, California legislators implemented a 10 percent cut to pharmacies for medicines covered by Medi-Cal. These cuts may force pharmacies to stop serving Medi-Cal patients, because they would lose money on so many drugs. Pharmacies that serve a large number of Medi-Cal patients may find it impossible to stay in business, which could impact the entire community, including patients who are not on Medi-Cal.

According to Patients for Access To Medicine, the cuts will seriously destabilize the health of Californians, as well as increase the cost of healthcare for taxpayers. Pharmacists cannot stay in business if they are forced to sell medicines at a loss. If Medi-Cal patients lose access to their medicines, they could become sicker and end up in the emergency room or back at the doctor’s office at a higher cost to taxpayers.

You can do your part to stop these cuts and restore access to vital medications. Contact California’s legislative leaders today– tell them that people with HIV/AIDS have special medication needs. As a result of the Medi-Cal cuts, they many not be able to get their prescriptions filled. Tell them to stop the cuts now!

Call the following state leaders today:

The Hon. Karen Bass
Assembly Speaker
tel: (916) 319-2047
fax: (916) 319-2147

The Hon. Don Perata
Senate President
tel: (916) 651-4009
fax: (916) 327-1997

The Hon. Darrel Steinberg
Senate President Pro Tempore
Phone: (916) 651-4006
Fax: (916) 323-2263

California Healthcare Foundation on Denti-Cal

This was posted this last month, but it’s still a pretty important part of the ongoing discussion about proposed cuts to Medi-Cal.

A paper issued by the California Healthcare Foundation found that provider reimbursement rates influence both dentists’ willingness to participate in state Medicaid programs, as well as Medicaid patients’ access to oral health care. However, a majority of experts surveyed felt that, while adequate reimbursement rates were an important element, they were not sufficient on their own. Higher rates must be addressed with efforts to address administrative concerns and strenthen the state’s relationships with community dentists.

Currently, the Denti-Cal program is the primary public financer of dental care for some 8.5 million low income Californians. Medi-Cal dental provider rates are among the lowest in the nation, and are significantly below the fees charged by most dentists. Largely because of this, only 40 percent of California’s private dentists accept Medi-Cal dental reimbursement.

The full report can be found here.

Senate Budget Hearing Agenda Released

The agenda for the State Senate’s Budget & Fiscal Review Subcommittee hearing has been released.

During the hearing, committee members will listen to testimony regarding the $11 million in proposed cuts to state HIV/AIDS programs on April 14th.  SCHAC and other HIV/AIDS advocates are seeking community members who can provide public testimony in Sacramento on that day.  To volunteer as a speaker, please contact Ron Snyder at ron@healthjustice.net.

The full agenda available after the jump. Click below.