Comparative Analysis of the Engagement in Care for Children in Medi-Cal Fee-for-Service vs. Managed Care and Learnings from Enhanced Care Management Early Implementation
In November 2023, the Los Angeles (LA) County Board of Supervisors passed a motion to address the implementation of new benefits for the child welfare-involved population launched through California’s Medicaid waiver, California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal, known as CalAIM. The CalAIM waiver expanded ÐÓ°ÉÊÓÆµ to managed care beneficiaries, including enhanced care management (ECM) for coordinated case management, referrals, and community resource navigation and community supports, such as housing assistance, medically tailored meals, housing modifications, respite care for caregivers, and asthma management. These benefits are designed to better address health and social needs for the most vulnerable and at risk Medi-Cal beneficiaries, including children and youth involved in the child welfare system. The Board directed the Office of Child Protection (OCP), in collaboration with key county departments, to engage ÐÓ°ÉÊÓÆµ, Inc. (HMA), as the technical assistance provider.
Recognizing that approximately two-thirds of child welfare-involved children and youth in LA County are enrolled in fee-for-service (FFS) Medi-Cal and ineligible for new CalAIM supports, HMA conducted a comparative analysis of the experience of children involved in the child welfare system in FFS versus managed care Medi-Cal through an analysis of federal T-MSIS data looking at a snapshot of data from December 2022. The analysis examined the experience of the child welfare-involved population in primary and preventive healthcare ÐÓ°ÉÊÓÆµ (including well-child visits, dental visits, behavioral health) in Medi-Cal FFS versus managed care plan enrollment (MCPs) to inform decisions about existing practices for care management among the child welfare-involved population. The comparative analysis of the child welfare population in Los Angeles County, San Diego County, and Riverside County revealed children in managed care consistently showed higher rates of engagement in primary and preventative healthcare ÐÓ°ÉÊÓÆµ.