Senate Bill 1004 (Hernandez, 2014) was designed to expand access to palliative care services for Medi-Cal Managed Care Plan enrollees.
California’s Medi-Cal program serves over 13 million people, and of those, over 10 million are in a Managed Care Plan (MCP).
The Coalition for Compassionate Care of California continues to work closely with the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to shape the standards by which MCPs will ensure access to palliative care for Medi-Cal enrollees.
Palliative Care in Medi-Cal Managed Care Plan Learning Community Resources
The Medi-Cal Palliative Care Managed Care Plan (MCP) Learning Community was a project funded by the California Health Care Foundation. A collection of useful tools and resources were developed to assist managed care plans and providers working with patients who would benefit from receiving palliative care services. While these tools were initially developed for the MCP Learning Community, many of them can support all health plan case managers and providers who work with seriously ill members and patients who would benefit from receiving palliative care, regardless of payer. Learn More >>
Palliative Care in Medi-Cal (SB 1004) Resource Center
The California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) has launched an SB 1004 Resource Center, designed to assist Medi-Cal health plans and palliative care organizations in implementing and improving access to palliative care in California. Visit the Resource Center>>
Palliative Care in Medi-Cal (SB 1004) News Archives
JANUARY 31, 2020
With close to 20 years of experience in pediatric palliative care, Kimberly Bower, MD, FAAHPM HMDC, brings a valuable perspective to her role as a member of the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California’s (CCCC’s) Board of Directors. Dr. Bower’s appointment to the CCCC board reflects the important role pediatrics plays in ... Read More »
JULY 12, 2019
The Coalition for Compassionate Care of California continues to support the successful implementation of Senate Bill 1004 (palliative care for Medi-Cal enrollees) by working with partners like the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) on projects that strengthen and promote cross-organizational collaboration in the implementation and delivery of palliative care services. Consistent with our mission to ... Read More »
JUNE 5, 2017
Earlier this year we reported that the Governor’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2017-2018 called for delaying the implementation of SB 1004 until no sooner than July 1, 2018. Thanks to the hard work of our policy team at CCCC along with eight partner organizations, the governor’s revised budget calls for implementation on or before January 1, ... Read More »
APRIL 18, 2017
It’s been another busy legislative year for us so far, with bills of interest moving forward in both the Assembly and the Senate. An important part of our work at CCCC is to track and take action on legislation that impacts the space of palliative care, hospice, or advance care planning. To keep up with ... Read More »
JANUARY 12, 2017
JANUARY 11, 2017 (Sacramento, CA)—The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) shared a 2017-18 budget document yesterday showing that Gov. Jerry Brown is proposing to delay the implementation of a program that would expand access to palliative care services for Medi-Cal Managed Health Care Plan enrollees. DHCS had previously indicated April 2016 as the ... Read More »
NOVEMBER 9, 2016
How can public policy influence access to palliative care services in California? This important topic will be addressed by Jennifer Kent, MPA, director of the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), in a general session at the Coalition for Compassionate Care of California 9th annual palliative care summit. Reserve your spot today! Kent is supportive of ... Read More »
AUGUST 24, 2016
UPDATED Sept. 8. 2016: On Sept. 8, 2016, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) held a webinar to review its policy paper (PDF) describing General Eligibility and Disease-Specific Eligibility Criteria under Senate Bill 1004 (Hernandez). The next step in implementing this legislation is for DHCS to draft and distribute an “All Plan Letter” to instruct ... Read More »
OCTOBER 22, 2015
New Study Benchmarks the State’s Progress Against IOM Report SACRAMENTO, CA—A year after the release of a landmark report on death and dying in America, a new state-based report finds that California is making strides to create a more supportive environment for people facing serious illness. Dying in California: A Status Report on End-of-Life Care – the ... Read More »
OCTOBER 9, 2015
A state-by-state report card by the Center to Advance Palliative Care demonstrates that access to palliative care remains inadequate for millions of Americans living with serious illness despite continuing growth in the number of U.S. hospitals reporting palliative care programs. California received a “B” grade in the report. Scores for the ten most populous states are as ... Read More »
JUNE 11, 2015
UPDATE (June 25, 2015): The Department of Health Care Services extended the deadline to comment on the quality measures for the Medi-Cal pilot palliative care service. People interested in providing comments have until 5 p.m. on Friday, June 26, 2015. Stakeholder meeting unveils performance measures, consumer and provider education for SB 1004 The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) ... Read More »