On August 22, California lawmakers held an informational hearing about behavioral health and a hearing on Senate Bill 326, Governor Gavin Newsom’s move to overhaul the state’s Mental Health Services Act. Some local mental health programs are supported by the so-called “Millionaire’s Tax,” which has generated billions of dollars in revenue since it was passed by voters in 2004. Most of those funds go to county behavioral health departments and other local agencies.

The governor wants to dedicate more of that money to housing and treatment for Californians experiencing homelessness. Counties and other stakeholders are concerned that current programs would lose funding to make the numbers work.

Katie Heidorn, director of state health policy for the California Health Care Foundation, was invited to testify at a Joint Informational Hearing held by the Assembly Committee on Health and the Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development. In her testimony, Heidorn provided an overview of the incidence of mental illness and substance use disorder among in California (PDF) and outlined four essential goals for policymakers to consider as the state updates publicly-funded behavioral health systems:

• Invest in care that is people-centered, grounded in evidence-based practices, and culturally and linguistically accessible for all patients
• Increase the number of licensed mental health providers as well as community health workers, peers, and lay counselors
• Hold payers, health plans, and providers accountable for the care they are required to deliver
• Fund expanded data collection to enable improved quality measurement within the behavioral health care system

SB 326 passed out of the Assembly Health Committee on August 22, is scheduled for a vote in the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee, and will be voted on by the full Assembly in September.

Lisa Aliferis

Lisa Aliferis is a senior communications officer focused on CHCF’s work in behavioral health, and homelessness and health care. She also coordinates communications in cross-foundational work involving CalAIM, the state’s multi-year initiative to improve the health outcomes and overall well-being of Medi-Cal enrollees. Read More

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