CalAIM in Focus

CalAIM Explained

Published

2 minute read

Share

CalAIM is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve care and outcomes for millions of Medi-Cal enrollees. It’s also complicated, given its incredible scope and reach and the fragmented system that it strives to improve. Since January 2022, CalAIM has introduced a myriad of new programs and made important reforms to many existing programs. CHCF’s CalAIM Explained series provides an overview of CalAIM’s goals and breaks down the key changes.

DHCS also maintains a CalAIM website and timeline outlining when different reforms have launched.

Illustration of Latinx family (mother, daughter, father)

CalAIM Explained: A Five-Year Plan to Transform Medi-Cal

CalAIM Explained: Overview of New Programs and Key Changes

Report

CalAIM Experiences: Implementer Views in Year Three of Reforms

This is the second survey in as many years of people working on the ground at behavioral health organizations, community-based organizations, managed care plans, and social services organizations that launch and run CalAIM’s many new programs. Learn about their successes and ongoing challenges.

CalAIM, Homelessness, Medi-Cal, Surveys and Polls
Illustration of man leaving prison being greeted by a person who will help facilitate his medical needs.

CalAIM Explained: Caring for Californians Leaving Incarceration

Behavioral Health, CalAIM, Medi-Cal, Medi-Cal Eligibility and Enrollment, Racial Health Equity, Substance Use Disorder
Medical practitioner talking on the phone looking at papers

Playbook for Complex Discharges

Health Workforce
Illustration of a rainbow colored braid

Braiding Medicaid Funds to Support Person Centered Care: Lessons from Medi-Cal

CalAIM, Home and Community-Based Services, Homelessness, Medi-Cal, Older Adults
Illustration of California County outlines.

Medi-Cal Explained: 2024 Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans by County

Medi-Cal
Younger woman assists older woman at home
Explainer

In-Home Supportive Services 101: Opportunities and Challenges Under CalAIM

This fact sheet provides an overview of the IHSS program and considerations to strengthen coordination of IHSS with other services.

CalAIM, Medi-Cal, Older Adults
Home health care worker shows patient information on a tablet.

CalAIM Explained for Assisted Living Community Operators

CalAIM, Home and Community-Based Services, Medi-Cal, Older Adults
Illustration of a woman with red hair reading a paper.

Medi-Cal Explained: New Medi-Cal Services at a Glance (2020–2023)

Medi-Cal
Illustration of counselor and patient talking about depression.

Medi-Cal Explained: Administration of Non-Specialty Mental Health Services

Behavioral Health, Medi-Cal

Treating Stimulant Use Disorder: CalAIM’s Contingency Management Pilot

Behavioral Health, CalAIM, Medi-Cal, Substance Use Disorder

Related Tags

,
View All Resources
Case Study

Scaling and Sustaining Community Health Work: An Evaluation of the Amplifying Impact Initiative

CHCF’s Amplifying Impact Initiative helped 28 California organizations expand community health worker services under Medi-Cal. Evaluation findings show trusted relationships, regional collaboratives, and workforce investment drive scale. But financial sustainability remains the central challenge.

Health Workforce, Medi-Cal
Woman conducting an informational interview via video call.

In Their Own Words: How Undocumented Californians Are Navigating Medi-Cal Changes and Immigration Enforcement

Medi-Cal, Racial Health Equity
Woman sweeping floor in a restaurant

What is the H.R. 1 Work Requirement and How will it Affect Californians with Medi-Cal? Policy at a Glance

Health Insurance Coverage, Medi-Cal

Medi-Cal in the H.R. 1 Era: Resources for the Field

Medi-Cal
Illustration of people walking towards a single destination, indicated by an arrow.

Modernizing Medicaid Eligibility: How to Reduce Hidden Friction in County-Administered States

Medi-Cal, Medi-Cal Eligibility and Enrollment