AB 1338: Medi-Cal: community supports.

Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions.

Existing law, subject to implementation of the California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) initiative, authorizes a Medi-Cal managed care plan to elect to cover community supports approved by the department as cost effective and medically appropriate in a comprehensive risk contract that are in lieu of applicable Medi-Cal state plan services. Under existing law, community supports that the department is authorized to approve include, among other things, housing transition navigation services, recuperative care, respite, day habilitation programs, and medically supportive food and nutrition services.

This bill would add fitness, physical activity, recreational sports, and mental wellness or recreational sports programs, activities, or memberships to the above-described list of community supports.