Millions of Californians who are based on the Services of Medi-Cal and In-N-Home may lose their eligibility according to a proposal that requires recipients to prove that their assets are less than $ 2000.
Gavin Newsom, a recently reviewed Gavin Newsom offer, emphasized the increase in US $ 37.6 billion financing costs associated with Medi-Cal from 2024 to 2025 fiscal year compared to $ 17.1 billion in 2014-2015.
It is expected that the program requires the amount of the dollar over the next few years and will continue to grow. Based on the budget proposal, the costs were increased by registration, pharmacy expenditure and higher management costs.
The load on Medi-Cal reported that 2019-2020 By 2020 By 2024 By 2025 Increased by 12.7 million. Recipients.
Medi-Cal is a state health care program providing free or inexpensive health care for those with qualifications, especially for low-income adults and families, seniors and disabilities. Home support services provide home -friendly old, blind and disabled people as an alternative at home.
Newsom has offered to fight the increasing programs, re-presentation of what is called “property test” to limit the eligibility for medi-Cal and domestic support services programs.
What is the “property test”?
For decades, low-income seniors and disabled people had to pass the “property test” to be suitable for use in Medi-Cal and In-Home Support Services. This meant that one applicant could not enter the qualification if they had assets worth more than $ 2,000. The couple’s limit was $ 3,000.
To determine whether anyone had $ 2,000 or not, the state will look at a person’s bank accounts, the amount of cash they had in their hand and whether they had a second vehicle, among other analyzes.
Read more: Unpaid healthcare costs in California are billions in comparison
2024. The test has been abolished, allowing people receiving all income to apply for the Medi-Cal Old and Disability Program, Med-Care Saving Programs and long-term maintenance programs, regardless of assets.
What does the Governor of California offer?
Newsom offered to restore the “property test” and involves the value of a person’s primary home, vehicle or pension fund to both Medi-Cal and home support services.
The test was restored to save about $ 94 million in the coming fiscal year this year. USD, next year and $ 791 million.
If approved, Property Test will enter into force in 2026. January 1
What do supporters of health and disability say?
Proponents of disability and health criticize the Governor’s proposal, as non -profit group disabilities call in California the desire to “sacrifice the health and human services of California people, especially the people with disabilities, poor and elderly, health and human services.”
“California’s disability rights and many others have fought tirelessly for many years to eliminate this property limit, and the fact that it is deeply inhumane and criminal attitude simply came into force in 2024, and is really worrying that the governor’s reverse rate is so fast,” said the not profit organization.
When restoring a “property test”, people would lose coverage and force older adults and disabled people to force people into high poverty, “said the non -profit California Health Advocates.
Read more: California faces an additional budget deficit of $ 12 billion, says Newsom
The organization says people who would lose the coverage due to the proposed policy amendment can eventually become “medi-caal as soon as they exploit all available resources”.
“If you lose your access to maintenance, the state’s costs when they regain suitability are likely to increase as their condition will deteriorate and may not be able to live at home and require a full -time care facility,” the organization said in a statement.
Newsom defended its proposed budget reduction by saying, “Neither of them is the kind of job you like to do, but you have to do it. We have to be responsible. We have to be. We have to balance the budget.”
The legislative analyst has found that seniors in 2024 December Created just 10% of Med-Cal admission.
The largest category of Medi-Cal pupils is families, followed by adults aged 19 to 64, which are subject to patients’ protection and affordable care, seniors, disabled children, children in children’s health insurance program (Chip) and other students.
Families and pupils of the Law on Patient Protection and Affordable Care are about three-quarters of the Medi-Cal registration.
Although the number of senior students is relatively low compared to other groups, the state misses a lot to them, and the annual cost per payer is around $ 15,000 compared to $ 8,000 in other categories of cases.
To finance most of the Medi-Cal programs for families, seniors and disabled people, the Federal Government provides a 50% equivalent compared to other programs such as the Law on Affordable Supervision and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which increases 90% and 65% respectively.
“Although higher health care costs are expected to be aged, seniors also cover higher public expenditure on the standard federal compensation percentage,” the report states.
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This story initially appeared at the Los Angeles Times.