California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) is a far-reaching, multiyear plan to transform California’s Medi-Cal program and to make it integrate more seamlessly with other social services. The goal of CalAIM is to improve outcomes for the millions of Californians covered by Medi-Cal, especially those with the most complex needs. This fact sheet includes a high-level overview of the plan's details.
More

New & Noteworthy

Publication

CalAIM Explained: Overview of New Programs and Key Changes

October 2021
Medi-Cal
Pending federal approval, CalAIM (California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal) would add new programs and make important reforms to many existing programs, bringing in significant federal matching dollars in addition to the millions allocated from the general fund. This explainer provides an overview of all the changes proposed.
CHCF Blog

Envisioning a More Just and Inclusive Health Care System

October 15, 2021
Xenia Shih Bion
Health Equity
The new CHCF Health Equity Fellows program welcomes four participants who have the potential to become local or regional catalysts for health equity across California.
CHCF Blog

Facts Refute Antivaccine Fearmongering After Powell’s Death from COVID-19

October 25, 2021
Heather Tirado Gilligan
Stories That Caught Our Attention: Even with full vaccination, former secretary of state Colin Powell's immune system — weakened by a blood cancer — couldn't fend off a coronavirus infection.
CHCF Blog

Raising the Bar for Behavioral Health Care

October 21, 2021
Serene Olin, Lauren Niles
Behavioral Health
The National Committee for Quality Assurance evaluates the current behavioral health quality measurement landscape and shares insights about the needs and challenges facing behavioral health care organizations.
Collection

Health Disparities by Race and Ethnicity in California — Almanac Collection

Health Equity
All Californians should have access to the high-quality health care they need to lead a long and healthy life. Achieving this requires reducing disparities in health and the social determinants that affect historically excluded or marginalized groups. The Almanac reports in this collection look at health disparities by race and ethnicity in California.
Publication

2021 Edition — Health Disparities by Race and Ethnicity in California

October 2021
Aurrera Health Group
Health Equity
Disparities among historically marginalized groups in California occur across many demographic categories. This Almanac provides data that show how people of color face barriers in accessing health care, often receive suboptimal treatment, and are most likely to experience poor outcomes in the health care system.
Resource

Advancing California’s Community Health Worker & Promotor Workforce in Medi-Cal

Medi-Cal
This Resource Center offers information and tools designed to support managed care plans in integrating community health workers and promotores into their programs.
CHCF Blog

Empowering 32 More Future Health Care Leaders

October 5, 2021
Michelle Schneidermann
Workforce
They join nearly 600 other clinicians who have participated in the CHCF Health Care Leadership Program over the last 20 years.
CHCF Blog

Digital Startup Is Transforming Mental Health Care in Schools

September 28, 2021
Brian Rinker
Behavioral Health, Health Equity, Investing in Innovation, Medi-Cal
The CHCF Health Innovation Fund has invested in Hazel Health’s vision for critical services for students and young adults.
Publication

In Their Own Words: How Fragmented Care Harms People with Both Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorder

August 2021
Susan Anthony, Rebecca Catterson, Suzanne Campanella
Behavioral Health, Homelessness & Health Care
CHCF commissioned interviews with 54 people enrolled in Medi-Cal who are dually diagnosed with mental illness and substance use disorder. The paper and accompanying videos highlight what is working — and not working — for them in the health care system.
Resource

Essential Elements of Medi-Cal Palliative Care Services

Serious Illness & End-of-Life Care
This set of tips and tools for Medi-Cal managed care plans and palliative care providers reflects the expertise and approaches of plan-provider partners around the state, and can be used to strengthen these organizations’ collaborative approach to caring for people with serious illnesses.
Publication

The Medi-Cal Maze: Why Many Eligible Californians Don’t Enroll

September 2021
Michele Cordoba, Brenda Lee, Marian Mulkey, Terri Shaw
Medi-Cal
This qualitative research was designed to better understand what prevents eligible Californians from enrolling in Medi-Cal and to identify ways to make the program even more accessible to the population it is designed to serve.
Collection

CHCF & Podcasting

A good podcast immerses you in an intimate conversation while engaging your curiosity. Since 2019, CHCF has supported projects that feature the diverse perspectives of patients and families, clinicians, and others as they seek to navigate our difficult health care delivery system.
Join the CHCF mailing list to stay up-to-date on news from the foundation.
Sign Up