California Law (Last Updated: March 4, 2014) |
Welfare and Institutions Code - WIC |
Division 9. PUBLIC SOCIAL SERVICES |
Part 3.6. Low Income Health Program |
Section 15911.
-
(a) Funding for each LIHP shall be based on all of the following:
(1) The amount of funding that the participating entity voluntarily provides for the nonfederal share of LIHP expenditures.
(2) For a LIHP that had in operation a Health Care Coverage Initiative program under Part 3.5 (commencing with Section 15900) as of November 1, 2010, and elects to continue funding the program, the amount of funds requested to ensure that eligible enrollees continue to receive health care services for persons enrolled in the Health Care Coverage Initiative program as of November 1, 2010.
(3) Any limitations imposed by the Special Terms and Conditions of the demonstration project.
(4) The total allocations requested by participating entities for Health Care Coverage Initiative eligible individuals.
(5) Whether funding under this part would result in the reduction of other payments under the demonstration project.
(b) Nothing in this part shall be construed to require a political subdivision of the state to participate in a LIHP as set forth in this part, and those local funds expended or transferred for the nonfederal share of LIHP expenditures under this part shall be considered voluntary contributions for purposes of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148), as amended by the federal Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-152), and the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5), as amended by the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
(c) No state General Fund moneys shall be used to fund LIHP services, nor to fund any related administrative costs incurred by counties or any other political subdivision of the state.
(d) Subject to the Special Terms and Conditions of the demonstration project, if a participating entity elects to fund the nonfederal share of a LIHP, the nonfederal funding and payments to the LIHP shall be provided through one of the following mechanisms, at the options of the participating entity:
(1) On a quarterly basis, the participating entity shall transfer to the department for deposit in the LIHP Fund established for the participating counties and pursuant to subparagraph (A), the amount necessary to meet the nonfederal share of estimated payments to the LIHP for the next quarter under subdivision (g) Section 15910.3.
(A) The LIHP Fund is hereby created in the State Treasury. Notwithstanding Section 13340 of the Government Code, all moneys in the fund shall be continuously appropriated to the department for the purposes specified in this part. The fund shall contain all moneys deposited into the fund in accordance with this paragraph.
(B) The department shall obtain the related federal financial participation and pay the rates established under Section 15910.3, provided that the intergovernmental transfer is transferred in accordance with the deadlines imposed under the Medi-Cal Checkwrite Schedule, no later than the next available warrant release date. This payment shall be a nondiscretionary obligation of the department, enforceable under a writ of mandate pursuant to Section 1085 of the Code of Civil Procedure. Participating entities may request expedited processing within seven business days of the transfer as made available by the Controller's office, provided that the participating entity prepay the department for the additional administrative costs associated with the expedited processing.
(C) Total quarterly payment amounts shall be determined in accordance with estimates of the number of enrollees in each rate category, subject to annual reconciliation to final enrollment data.
(2) If a participating entity operates its LIHP through a contract with another entity, the participating entity may pay the operating entity based on the per enrollee rates established under Section 15910.3 on a quarterly basis in accordance with estimates of the number of enrollees in each rate category, subject to annual reconciliation to final enrollment data.
(A) (i) On a quarterly basis, the participating entity shall certify the expenditures made under this paragraph and submit the report of certified public expenditures to the department.
(ii) The department shall report the certified public expenditures of a participating entity under this paragraph on the next available quarterly report as necessary to obtain federal financial participation for the expenditures. The total amount of federal financial participation associated with the participating entity's expenditures under this paragraph shall be reimbursed to the participating entity.
(B) At the option of the participating entity, the LIHP may be reimbursed on a cost basis in accordance with the methodology applied to Health Care Coverage Initiative programs established under Part 3.5 (commencing with Section 15900) including interim quarterly payments.
(e) Notwithstanding Section 15910.3 and subdivision (d) of this section, if the participating entity cannot reach an agreement with the department as to the appropriate rate to be paid under Section 15910.3, at the option of the participating entity, the LIHP shall be reimbursed on a cost basis in accordance with the methodology applied to Health Care Coverage Initiative programs established under Part 3.5 (commencing with Section 15900), including interim quarterly payments. If the participating entity and the department reach an agreement as to the appropriate rate, the rate shall be applied no earlier than the first day of the LIHP year in which the parties agree to the rate.
(f) If authorized under the Special Terms and Conditions of the demonstration project, pending the department's development of rates in accordance with Section 15910.3, the department shall make interim quarterly payments to approved LIHPs for expenditures based on estimated costs submitted for ratesetting.
(g) Participating entities that operate a LIHP directly or through contract with another entity shall be entitled to any federal financial participation available for administrative expenditures incurred in the operation of the Medi-Cal program or the demonstration project, including, but not limited to, outreach, screening and enrollment, program development, data collection, reporting and quality monitoring, and contract administration, but only to the extent that the expenditures are allowable under federal law and only to the extent the expenditures are not taken into account in the determination of the per enrollee rates under Section 15910.3.
(h) On and after January 1, 2014, the state shall implement comprehensive health care reform for the populations targeted by the LIHP in compliance with federal health care reform law, regulation, and policy, including the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148), as amended by the federal Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-152), and subsequent amendments.
(i) Subject to the Special Terms and Conditions of the demonstration project, a participating entity may elect to include, in collaboration with the department, as the nonfederal share of LIHP expenditures, voluntary intergovernmental transfers or certified public expenditures of another governmental entity, as long as the intergovernmental transfer or certified public expenditure is consistent with federal law.
(j) Participation in the LIHP under this part is voluntary on the part of the eligible entity for purposes of all applicable federal laws. As part of its voluntary participation under this article, the participating entity shall agree to reimburse the state for the nonfederal share of state staffing and administrative costs directly attributable to the cost of administering that LIHP, including, but not limited to, the state administrative costs related to certified public expenditures and intergovernmental transfers. This section shall be implemented only to the extent federal financial participation is not jeopardized.