California and the federal government have reached a conceptual $6.2 billion deal on Medicaid reform in concept, according to a KQED News report.
Here are five things to know about the plan.
1. The plan, a new Medicaid waiver agreement, also known as "Medi-Cal 2020," comes after months of negotiations between the state and CMS for the waiver.
2. A majority of the funds — $3.3 billion — are designed to help public hospitals improve patient safety and quality of care, according to the report. There is also money in the plan to cover uninsured people and create pilot programs to keep high-need populations out of emergency rooms, the report notes.
3. The plan specifically specifies $236 million for the first year of care for the uninsured. According to the report, with this coverage, public hospitals and clinics will be able to focus more on outpatient and primary care.
4. Details of the plan have not yet been worked out. But in the meantime, the current waiver, which was set to expire Saturday, will be extended through the end of 2015, according to KQED News.
5. Anthony Wright, executive director of Health Access California, said in a statement that once the details are worked out, "we expect to see an explosion of exciting activity at the county level to improve healthcare," according to KQED News.
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