Policy Briefing: Medi-Cal Access and Civil Rights
Monday, April 11, 2016
4:00pm to 5:30pm
State Capitol, Room 444
Sacramento, California
Please join us for a discussion of the civil rights issues raised by inadequate access to healthcare in Medi-Cal. Medi-Cal has expanded to cover approximately 13 million people, almost two thirds of them Latino. Despite these gains in coverage, a recently-filed federal civil rights complaint documents persistent and significant barriers to primary and specialty care for Medi-Cal beneficiaries, linked to low reimbursement rates in both fee-for-service and managed care. The complaint—filed by civil rights organizations including MALDEF, the National Health Law Program (NHeLP) and the Civil Rights Education and Enforcement Center (CREEC)—charges that Medi-Cal has become a separate and unequal system of healthcare in California that violates the civil rights of Latinos.
At this briefing, the attorneys will discuss the evidence that led them to file the complaint, their claims under federal civil rights law, and proposed remedies. They will be joined by Janet Coffman, PhD, MA, MPP, Associate Professor at UCSF, who has studied the issues of Medi-Cal access to care and physician participation, as well as by representatives of Planned Parenthood.
Welcome and Introductions
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4:00 pm |
Beningo Delgado, Deputy Director of Government Relations, SEIU-UHW Catha Worthman, Partner, Feinberg Jackson Worthman Wasow |
Presentations
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4:10 pm |
State Disinvestment and the Title VI Complaint on Behalf of Medi-Cal Enrollees Miranda Galindo, Staff Attorney, Mexican American Legal Defense Fund (MALDEF) |
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4:20 pm |
Evidence for our Complaint and The Civil Rights Enforcement Framework Catha Worthman, Partner, Feinberg Jackson Worthman Wasow |
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4:30 pm |
Managed Care Enforcement and Monitoring Issues Abbi Coursolle, Staff Attorney, National Health Law Program (NHeLP) |
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4:40 pm |
New Patient Acceptance and Physician Participation in Medi-Cal Janet Coffman, PhD, MA, MPP, Associate Professor, UCSF School of Medicine |
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4:50 pm |
Limited Access to Care Under Medi-Cal Managed Care Compared to Family PACT Christina Romero, Legislative Director, Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California |
Questions and Discussion
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5:00 pm
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What remedies are necessary to ensure equal access for Medi-Cal beneficiaries? |
Co-sponsored by The California Latino Legislative Caucus and SEIU-UHW