Officials said on Wednesday that the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services has approved California’s comprehensive reform of the nation’s largest insurance plan for low-income and disabled residents. The decision, among other things, allows Medicaid funds to be used for housing-related services because This is the most populous area. The country struggles with homelessness and lack of affordable housing.

According to the California Department of Health Care Services, CalAIM — California’s advancement and innovation of Medi-Cal — intends to take a more comprehensive approach to improve the “whole continuous care” of California’s entire program called Medi-Cal.

Starting from Saturday’s New Year, California will expand the limited “holistic care pilot program” to eligible Medi-Cal members across the state.

“We are developing Medi-Cal, which provides healthcare to one-third of Californians, which is the most comprehensive and powerful program of this kind in the country,” Governor Gavin Newsom said in a statement.

Officials said that in addition to covering one out of every three Californians, Medi-Cal also covers more than half of California’s school-age children, more than half of newborns, and two out of every three patient days in long-term care facilities. above.

The goal of the new method is to prioritize the prevention and resolution of potential social problems, especially among people who have fewer healthcare services and face structural racism in healthcare, said Dr. Mark Gurry, Secretary of California’s Health and Human Services Agency.

California’s Medicaid program provides government-sponsored insurance for people 50 years and older and 25 years and younger, regardless of their immigration status. California has the largest Medicaid program in the United States.

Medi-Cal benefits will not change. However, the so-called “enhanced care management services” can now include “nursing coordinators” under Medi-Cal managed care plans.

The coordinator can help Medi-Cal members find a doctor, arrange appointments, and arrange medical transportation. Coordinators can also help members learn about their medications, get mental health services, and find and apply for community-based services, such as housing subsidies or food assistance.

Tina Rivera, interim director of the Sonoma County Department of Health Services, said: “The goal here is to extend support and services beyond hospitals and healthcare facilities directly to the communities that need it most.”

The state is transforming four projects—Medi-Cal managed care, dental managed care, professional mental health services, and the Medi-Cal organized delivery system for drugs—into a coordinating agency. Officials said this is to simplify and adjust the plan, while standardizing benefits and enrollment.

Medicaid services will now officially include substance abuse treatment for the first time, including short-term hospitalization when needed.

The plan also expands certain dental benefits statewide, including efforts to identify risk factors for tooth decay in children, and the provision of silver diamine fluoride for children and other high-risk groups.

New York State is committed to better coordinate a managed care plan under the new system to provide plans for elderly residents who are eligible to receive both Medi-Cal and Medicare.

The federal approval also updated the state-wide funding pool to provide medical services to the remaining uninsured residents of California, such as those served by public hospitals.

These 21 public health care systems only include 6% of California hospitals, but they stated that they provide 40% of hospital care for the remaining uninsured hospitals and 35% of hospital care for Medi-Cal beneficiaries.

Erica Murray, president and CEO of the California Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems, stated that the pool of funds “provides flexibility for the public health system to provide the right environment for uninsured people in the right environment. Nursing.”

The new approval also restored the coverage of chiropractic services in Indian health services and tribal facilities, which was cancelled in 2009.

California hopes that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will approve services for adults and young people involved in the criminal justice system early next year so that they can continue to receive these services in the community until they are released.

Another pending exemption will allow Medi-Cal to reimburse some traditional healers and natural assistants of Native Americans and Native Alaska.