Medi-Cal Access

With state budgets threatened by growing Medicaid costs, California's Department of Health Services (DHS) is exploring new ways to inform consumers about their managed care options.

Challenges include reaching a multilingual population with chronic health needs and explaining the complex Medi-Cal system. To meet this challenge, Health Research for Action and DHS are partnering with people throughout the state:

• A statewide community advisory board of professionals and advocates, people with disabilities and seniors, is providing expertise and breadth of perspective.
• Advisory group members and many other organizations are helping us gain input from Medi-Cal members in different parts of the state.
• Through key informant interviews with professionals, we are learning how health care providers understand and use Medi-Cal, and the role they play in educating consumers about the Medi-Cal system.