Key Takeaways
- More than half of HCBS recipients in five key HCBS programs speak English as their primary language. Spanish is the second most commonly spoken language among analyzed HCBS program recipients.
- HCBS recipients under age 60 make up 44% of recipients, while 42% of recipients are between the ages of 60 and 85.
- Latino/x (31%), White (27%), and Asian/Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (18%) recipients cumulatively represent 76% of recipients across the five programs.
Medi-Cal home and community-based services (HCBS) provide support to older adults and people with disabilities to allow them to live independently in their homes and communities. HCBS may include help with basic day-to-day tasks, such as eating and bathing, and more complex tasks, such as preparing meals. These services help people maintain independence, may reduce unnecessary emergency room visits and hospital stays, and prevent or delay the need for nursing facility care.
How Could Cuts Impact HCBS Programs?
As the Medi-Cal program faces financial pressure from federal legislation and state budget constraints, HCBS programs may be at risk for cuts. Read the report about how such cuts may have the unintended consequence of raising costs for the state.
Medi-Cal HCBS recipients are diverse in terms of primary language spoken, age, race, and ethnicity. This fact sheet provides an overview of the demographics of enrollees of five key home and community-based programs:
- In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) program
- Home and Community Based Alternatives (HCBA) Waiver
- Community-Based Adult Services (CBAS) program
- Assisted Living Waiver (ALW)
- Multipurpose Senior Services Program (MSSP)
More than half of those enrolled in IHSS and all those enrolled in the HCBA, ALW, and MSSP programs have needs that qualify them for a “nursing facility level of care” (NFLOC). This means that without these programs, their likelihood of needing to move to a nursing facility for care would increase.
See the fact sheet, available in downloads below, for more detail. Or, learn more about home and community-based services.
