Staff
Mark Newton
(916) 319-8323
Deputy Legislative Analyst: Health, Developmental Services, and Technology
Jason Constantouros
(916) 319-8322
Medi-Cal/Managed Care/Family Health/Health Care Affordability and Workforce Development
Brian Metzker
(916) 319-8354
Privacy, Security, and Technology
Ryan Miller
(916) 319-8356
Medi-Cal/Behavioral Health/Covered California/CalHHS Agency Issues
Angela Short
(916) 319-8309
Child Welfare, Child Support, Community Services and Development, Community Care Licensing, CalSTRS
Karina Hendren
(916) 319-8352
Medi-Cal/Long-Term Care/Developmental Services
Will Owens
(916) 319-8341
Public Health/Behavioral Health/State Hospitals
Sonia Schrager Russo
(916) 319-8361
CalWORKs/CalFresh
Juwan Trotter
(916) 319-8358
In-Home Supportive Services/Aging Programs
Ginni Bella Navarre
(916) 319-8342
Deputy Legislative Analyst: Human Services and Governance


Publications

Health and Human Services

To browse all LAO publications, visit our Publications page.



Letter

Letter to Honorable Ken Cooley and Honorable Jordan Cunningham Regarding Financing and Other Considerations Related to AB 1400 (Kalra) and ACA 11 (Kalra)

March 17, 2022 - This letter responds to the Assembly Rules Committee request for the LAO to analyze financing and other considerations related to AB 1400 (Kalra), which would create a single-payer health care delivery system known as “CalCare,” and ACA 11 (Kalra), which includes tax provisions related to the financing of CalCare.


Post

The 2022-23 Budget: Analysis of the Care Economy Workforce Development Package

March 10, 2022 - This post analyzes the Governor’s proposed Care Economy Workforce Development Package. We provide an assessment and recommendations for both the package as a whole and for two specific components of the package.


Handout

Initial Analysis and Key Questions: Racial Disproportionalities and Disparities in California’s Child Welfare System

March 9, 2022 - Presented to: Assembly Budget Subcommittee No. 1 On Health and Human Services


Report

The 2022-23 Budget: Analysis of the Governor’s Major Behavioral Health Proposals

March 3, 2022 - This brief analyzes the Governor’s three major behavioral health budget proposals. We include analyses of the Governor’s proposals to (1) provide funding for behavioral health bridge housing, (2) provide funding to implement certain solutions developed by the felony incompetent to stand trial solutions workgroup, and (3) add mobile crisis intervention services as a new Medi-Cal benefit.


Post

The 2022-23 Budget: CalHR California Leads Proposal

February 28, 2022 - In this post, we analyze the Governor’s proposal to provide resources to the Department of Human Resources (CalHR) to implement specific proposals recommended by a taskforce established by the Governor aimed at finding ways to make the state a better employer. In addition, the proposal would seek to improve statewide data on the workforce to inform a statewide diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy. We recommend that the Legislature approve the proposal and encourage the Legislature to exercise legislative oversight of the process to ensure that the administration’s policies meet legislative objectives and priorities.


Report

The 2022-23 Budget: Health Care Access and Affordability

February 23, 2022 - This brief focuses on access to health insurance coverage and the affordability of health care costs. We (1) assess various Governor’s proposals intended to improve health care access and/or affordability—including expanding Medi-Cal eligibility to undocumented residents between ages 26, reducing Medi-Cal premiums to zero cost, establishing the Office of Health Care Affordability, and reducing the cost of insulin through a state partnership; (2) discuss options to improve affordability of health plans purchased through Covered California; and (3) highlight some key access and affordability challenges that remain to address.

Correction (2/24/22): Figure 2 - Number of undocumented residents has been corrected.


Post

The 2022-23 Budget: Analysis of Child Welfare Proposals and Program Implementation Updates

February 22, 2022 - California’s children and family programs include an array of services to protect children from abuse and neglect and to keep families safely together when possible. This analysis: (1) provides program background; (2) outlines the Governor’s proposed 2022-23 budget for children and family programs, including child welfare services and foster care programs; (3) provides implementation updates on a number of programs that were funded in 2021-22; and (4) raises questions and issues for the Legislature to consider as it evaluates the budget proposal.


Post

The 2022-23 Budget: California Department of Technology

February 22, 2022 - This post provides background on the California Department of Technology's cost recovery model and rate development process for IT services, evaluates related Governor's budget proposals and available information on a proposed rate re-evaluation process, and offers our recommendations to the Legislature.


Report

The 2022-23 Budget: Analysis of Child Support Program Proposals

February 18, 2022 - This brief describes the Governor's 2022-23 budget proposals for the child support program and provides comments and recommendations to the Legislature.


Report

The 2022-23 Budget: Public Health Foundational Support

February 16, 2022 - This brief analyzes the Governor’s proposed spending plan for a $300 million ongoing General Fund augmentation for the California Department of Public Health, describes merits of the proposed plan and identifies ways it could be strengthened, and offers issues for legislative consideration.


Handout

Overview of the Middle-Mile Broadband Initiative

February 16, 2022 - Assembly Committee on Communications and Conveyance


Post

The 2022-23 Budget: California Food Assistance Program

February 11, 2022 - In this post, we analyze the Governor’s proposal to provide food assistance to currently ineligible immigrants aged 55 and older. First, we provide some essential background on California’s food assistance programs, then we describe the Governor’s proposed expansion, and finally provide an analysis of the proposal as well as issues for legislative consideration.


Post

The 2022-23 Budget: Analysis of the Governor’s CalWORKs Proposals

February 11, 2022 - In this post, we provide some basic background on the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program, an update on recent program changes and caseload trends, and an overview of the Governor’s CalWORKs budget proposals.


Post

The 2022-23 Budget: Update on Home- and Community- Based Services Spending Plan

February 10, 2022 - This post provides an update on the state's home- and community-based services spending plan, which was conditionally approved by the federal government in January 2022. We describe the quarterly updates the state will need to provide the federal government and ways to ensure legislative oversight over implementation of HCBS spending plan.


Report

The 2022-23 Budget: Analysis of the Medi-Cal Budget

February 9, 2022 - This brief analyzes the Governor’s budget proposal for Medi-Cal. We include an analysis of the administration’s caseload projections, provide options for renewing the managed care organization tax (that the Governor proposes to let expire), and provide our assessment of the discretionary budget proposals to provide equity and practice transformation payments and eliminate certain existing provider payment reductions.