California Health Access Fund., the official text

An act to add Chapter 7.8 (commencing with Section 14199.200) to Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to health care.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

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 by, and funded pursuant to, federal Medicaid program provisions.
Existing federal law, enacted on July 4, 2025, sets forth various changes to different health care programs, including certain requirements for Medicaid eligibility with regard to work or community engagement reporting, redeterminations, and cost sharing, among other factors, for certain Medicaid populations pursuant to a specified implementation timeline.
This bill would create the California Health Access Fund, to be administered by the department. Under the bill, moneys in the fund would include deposits, through any applicable transfers made by the Legislature, equal to the amount of any savings to the state resulting from decreased enrollment in the Medi-Cal program caused by enrollment barriers created by the above-described federal law.
Under the bill, moneys in the fund would, upon appropriation, be used to ensure that California residents losing health care coverage due to the impacts of the federal law or due to any other divestments from the health care system can continue to receive health care services and that health care providers are reimbursed for these services.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.
Chapter 7.8 (commencing with Section 14199.200) is added to Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, to read:
7.8.
California Health Access Fund14199.200.
(a) The California Health Access Fund is hereby created within the State Treasury. The State Department of Health Care Services shall administer the fund for the purpose described in subdivision (c).
(b) Moneys in the fund shall include deposits, through any applicable transfers made by the Legislature, equal to the amount of any savings to the state resulting from decreased enrollment in the Medi-Cal program caused by enrollment barriers created by H.R. 1 (Public Law 119-21), including, but not limited to, the imposition of work or community engagement requirements and more frequent redeterminations for certain Medi-Cal populations.
(c) Upon appropriation made by the Legislature for this purpose, moneys in the fund shall be used to ensure that California residents losing health care coverage due to the impacts of H.R. 1 (Public Law 119-21), as described in subdivision (b), or due to any other divestments from the health care system, can continue to receive health care services and that health care providers are reimbursed for these services.