In 2021 the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) will begin recontracting with Medi-Cal managed care plans (MCPs). It’s a critical opportunity to use new financial incentives and oversight measures to improve quality and access to care for millions of Californians enrolled in Medi-Cal managed care.

On September 1, 2020, DHCS released a Request for Information (RFI) seeking input from interested parties on DHCS’ proposed changes to MCP contracts. Questions asked include how DHCS could use the recontracting process to address health disparities and inequities, increase MCP’s community engagement, and achieve other goals.

CHCF has collected various health organizations’ responses to DHCS on this page, as they collectively reflect important thinking and insights into how DHCS can and should use the recontracting process (often referred to as “procurement”) to make critical improvements to Medi-Cal managed care.

If you would like your organization’s RFI response posted here, contact Anne Sunderland.

Responses to RFI

• A collective of consumer advocates collaborated on these responses (PDF). Collaborators included Western Center on Law and Poverty, the California Pan Ethnic Health Network (who also submitted its own responses, below), Health Access, Maternal and Child Health Access, National Health Law Program, and The Children’s Partnership. Children Now also contributed (and submitted separate remarks, below).
• Responses from the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (PDF).
• Responses from Children Now (PDF).
• Responses from the Insure the Uninsured Project.
• 600+ organizations signed on to this letter (PDF) to DHCS through The Children’s Movement calling out the need to highlight kids in this procurement opportunity.
• Responses from the First Five Association of California (PDF).
• A coalition of nine children’s organizations, including The Children’s Partnership, the American Academy of Pediatricians – California,  California Children’s Hospital Association, and others, submitted detailed comments (PDF) outlining how to ensure compliance with children’s Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment benefits and to advance a whole-child care model in Medi-Cal.
• Responses from the California Alliance of Child and Family Services and the California Children’s Trust (PDF).

Learn more about CHCF’s work to improve quality in Medi-Cal managed care and the recontracting process in this collection.