California Health Care Foundation

A 2017 California law requires robust tracking and evaluation measures for mental health services in Medi-Cal. This report demonstrates mental health access disparities for adults enrolled in Medi-Cal.

Researchers at Georgetown University's Center on Health Insurance Reforms assessed California's progress in enforcing the 2008 federal parity law.

This paper summarizes the approaches taken and lessons learned by the first 15 state Medicaid programs to reimburse for collaborative care, an evidence-based model of integrating behavioral health into primary care.

Five years after the pilot program was implemented, 96% of Californians insured through Medi-Cal live in a county with a program. More people who need substance use disorder treatment are accessing it, and patient surveys of treatment are very positive.

Research shows that integrating mental health into primary care services can increase access to mental health care, improve patient outcomes, and reduce health care costs. While many safety-net providers have made strides toward offering integrated services, most people covered by Medi-Cal get their care outside the safety net, where such integration has not yet taken hold. This paper focuses on opportunities to support practice change in these settings.

This chartbook from the California Budget & Policy Center provides a detailed look at California's public mental health system, which serves more than a million California children, youth, and adults annually.

State Medicaid programs are actively pursuing models of behavioral health value-based purchasing. This paper reviews well-publicized initiatives in three state Medicaid programs that have adopted different types of behavioral health value-based purchasing models.

The survey offers detailed insight into Californians’ views on a range of critical health issues, including health care affordability and access, perceptions on homelessness, the health care workforce, Medi-Cal, and the experiences of the uninsured.

This paper synthesizes insights from organizational leaders representing Medicaid-based partnerships in four states: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, and Oregon.

Two short documents provide an overview of Medicaid waivers and State Plan Amendments, and how they are used in California. A one-page comparison chart shows the differences between these two policy instruments.

People in Medi-Cal with complex behavioral and physical health needs face a fragmented system that is challenging to navigate. This paper offers recommendations to build an integrated system of care in Medi-Cal, bringing together physical health, mental health, and substance use services to treat the whole person.

This brief distills insights from providers in three states — Arizona, New York, and Washington — that have recently transitioned to integrated managed care for physical and behavioral health conditions. It was written by the Center for Health Care Strategies with support from the Blue Shield of California Foundation and CHCF.

The ACA mandated mental health and addiction coverage parity to beneficiaries in the individual and small-group markets and to Medicaid expansion beneficiaries. This brief, prepared by SHADAC with CHCF support, details how the ACA applied these mandates and presents estimates of the number of people affected.

About 8% of Californians met criteria for substance use disorder, but only 10% of people with a substance use disorder received any type of treatment. CHCF's first Almanac publication to address this topic provides an overview of substance use and addiction in the state.

A fundamental shift is underway in California to expand, improve, and reorganize Medi-Cal’s system for treating people with substance use disorders. This report summarizes the experiences of the first counties to implement this new approach.

This report synthesizes data about California’s behavioral health workforce. California needs to make substantial investments to meet future demand for behavioral health professionals.

Mental Health in California: For Too Many, Care Not There provides an overview of mental health in California: disease prevalence, suicide rates, supply and use of treatment providers, and mental health in the correctional system. This Almanac report also includes available data on spending and quality of care.

Federal confidentiality rules, such as the "Part 2" rules, can be a stumbling block for primary care practices seeking to integrate substance use disorder treatment. This paper summarizes the rules and outlines steps that practices can take to coordinate care and stay within the law.