Healthy Families Transition Timeline Stays on Track, Despite Concerns
By
Pauline Bartolone
Monday, December 10, 2012
Listen Now:
Update Required
To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin.
California Governor Jerry Brown’s administration says it will start moving about 860 thousand children in the Healthy Families program into Medi-Cal on January 1st. But state lawmakers and doctors want them to slow down.
Democratic Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg sent a message to the administration last week.
STEINBERG: "Do not make the actual transition unless you are assured that the child who has a doctor and sees a doctor under one program - Healthy Families - will be able to have ready access to a doctor when they're shifted."
But Rene Mollow of the Department of Health Care Services says it's carefully planned the year-long transition to minimize disruption in care.
MOLLOW: "We do have processes in place to help ensure that our plans are ready to accept these children."
Mollow says some kids will be able to keep their doctors, others won't.